ATX TV Festival Opening Night Line-up to feature HBO’s House of the Dragon, Bill Lawrence, Warren Littlefield, and more

ATX TV Festival Opening Night Line-up to feature
Exclusive Inside Look at HBO’s House of the Dragon Season 3
with Showrunner Ryan Condal and Cast

Bill Lawrence to receive “Showrunner Award” and Return
with “Bill Lawrence & Friends”

Award-Winning Producer Warren Littlefield will receive the Festival’s
Inaugural “Creative Impact Award”

Season 15 Line-up Adds First Looks for USA Network’s Anna Pigeon
and BritBox Original Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence

Plus, Single Tickets Available for Select Events

April 10, 2026 – ATX TV Festival has announced additional programming for their Season 15 line-up, taking place May 28-31 in Austin, Texas.

The latest programming joining the 2026 Festival includes:

• House of the Dragon: First Look at Season 3 presented by HBO Max – The festival’s Opening Night line-up will feature a conversation with the showrunner and cast of HBO’s House of the Dragon, including an exclusive first look at the third season ahead of the show’s highly anticipated return this June on HBO and HBO Max. Showrunner Ryan Condal and “Team Black” leaders Steve Toussaint, Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, and Abubakar Salim will take fans inside the world of Westeros with never‑before‑seen footage and behind‑the‑scenes insights into the dramatic season opener, including the making of the epic Battle of the Gullet.
  
  Badges, TV Passes, and Single Tickets to the event are available now.
  

• Bill Lawrence to Receive 2026 Showrunner Award and Return with “Bill Lawrence and Friends” – Emmy-winning showrunner / executive producer Bill Lawrence will receive the Festival’s 2026 “Showrunner Award,” which recognizes a showrunner/creator who has had a singular and expansive influence on TV, and used their platform to foster an environment of collaboration and mentorship.
  
  Lawrence will receive the Award as part of a marquee conversation with “Bill Lawrence & Friends,” featuring writers, actors, and other collaborators from his current and past series, ranging from award-winning comedies Spin City, Scrubs, and Ted Lasso, to current hits Shrinking, Bad Monkey, and Rooster. The conversation will delve into all things comedy and TV, including Lawrence’s prolific 35+ year career as a writer, showrunner, director, and mentor to up-and-coming writers and showrunners.
  
  The special guests joining Lawrence will be announced at a later date. Badges, TV Passes, and Single Tickets for the event are on sale now.

• Warren Littlefield to Receive ATX TV Festival’s Inaugural “Creative Impact Award” – Award-winning producer, founder and president of The Littlefield Company, and former president of NBC Entertainment Warren Littlefield is set to receive ATX TV Festival’s inaugural “Creative Impact Award,” which aims to honor an individual who has shaped and elevated TV in significant ways throughout their career.
  
  Littlefield’s tenure at NBC included the development of culture-defining series and the era of “Must See TV,” including The Golden Girls, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Seinfeld, ER, Friends, Will & Grace, The West Wing, Frasier, Mad About You, Just Shoot Me, 3rd Rock from the Sun, NewsRadio, Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order.
  
  Under The Littlefield Company banner, Littlefield has continued to shape award-winning and critically acclaimed series as executive producer of Fargo, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Old Man, Dopesick, The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, and The Testaments, among others. The prolific production company has garnered 163 Emmy® nominations and 24 Emmy wins, alongside multiple Peabody Awards, Producers Guild of America Awards, Golden Globes® and more.
  
  As part of the Award presentation, Littlefield will join the Festival for a one-on-one conversation about his prolific career as one of TV’s most significant executives and producers of the last four decades, and his ongoing creative impact on the medium.

• First Look at Anna Pigeon presented by USA Network - Fans of Nevada Barr’s best-selling Anna Pigeon novels will get a first look at USA Network’s upcoming drama starring Tracy Spiridakos as Anna Pigeon, a former city slicker who became a park ranger after a devastating loss changed the trajectory of her life forever. While Anna tries to outrun her demons, her focus turns to solving crimes that have taken place within national park grounds, no matter who or what gets in her way. 
  
  The conversation will include star Tracy Spiridakos, showrunner/executive producer Morwyn Brebner, and director Lea Thompson, who will discuss the process of adapting the popular mystery series for TV, and give attendees an exclusive first look at the series ahead of its premiere later this year on USA Network.

• Preview Screening of BritBox Original Agatha Christie's Tommy & Tuppence with Stars Antonia Thomas & Josh Dylan - ATX TV Festival will host a preview screening of BritBox Original Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence starring Antonia Thomas (The Good Doctor), Josh Dylan (The Buccaneers), and Imelda Staunton (The Crown) ahead of its premiere later this year. The contemporary spin on the beloved detective duo reunites the impulsive Tuppence Cowley (Thomas) and loveable try hard Tommy Beresford (Dylan), mixing the duo’s classic screwball comedy and playful romance with the energy of modern London. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with stars Antonia Thomas and Josh Dylan about stepping into the world of Agatha Christie, and bringing new chemistry - and tension - to the dynamic between Tommy and Tuppence.
  
  

BADGES and TV PASSES for ATX TV Festival (May 28-31, 2026) are available now: atxfestival.com/attend

SINGLE TICKETS for Select Events at the

Paramount and Stateside Theaters are on sale now:

https://www.austintheatre.org/atx-tv-festival/

All Programming and Panelists are subject to change.

Previously announced programming includes:

• Friday Night Lights 20th Anniversary Reunion Panel and “Texas Made Award” presented with Media for Texas

• Everybody (Still) Loves Raymond: A Night of Comedy with Phil Rosenthal, Ray Romano, and Writers

• Homicide: Life on the Street Retrospective with Tom Fontana, David Simon, and Kyle Secor

• Sweet/Vicious 10 Year Anniversary with Cast & Producers

• The Other Bennet Sister Screening and Q&A presented by BritBox

• Inside Job: TV’s Non-Writing Producers

• A Late Night Show with Greg Iwinski Returns for Another Live Episode

• Inaugural “Indie TV Pilot Competition & Showcase”

• A Conversation on Medical Accuracy on TV presented by the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health

• A Nuclear Renaissance on TV: How Atomic Storylines Can Save Us from Armageddon presented by NTI

• Around the TV Set with the Television Critics Association

• “Lead with Kindness” Vodcast with Melinda Hsu

• The Paper

• A Conversation with Lisa Katz & Erin Underhill

• Universal Studio Group Presents: Funny AF

• NBC 100 Presents: Investigating the Legacy of Procedurals

• Apple TV presents Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed Screening and Q&A with Creator and Cast

• Collaborator Award: Sherry Thomas & Sharon Bialy

• “I Love Lucy” 75th Anniversary Script Reading

• How to Cast a Procedural (and Get Away with It) presented by CSA

• Macaroni Art Productions Co-Founders Steve Zahn and Rick Gomez Return to Talk Indie TV and You Belong Here
  
  

ABOUT ATX TV FESTIVAL

ATX TV Festival is an annual event produced by ATX TV, kicking off each summer in Austin, TX. As the leading television festival, it brings together fans and industry to celebrate the television medium by looking at its history, where it is now, and where it is headed. The festival consists of screenings followed by Q&As, panel conversations, and events (parties, live music, happy hours, hosted receptions, etc) and is known for reunions of classic series and cult hits. Screenings include never-aired pilots, canceled-too-soon series, current favorites, and world premieres. Panels conversations range from industry deep-dives to fan-focused conversations, along with discussions on representation (in front of and behind the camera) and responsibility in storytelling. The ATX TV audience is comprised equally of consumers and industry professionals, and ATX TV Festival is the only place they come together as one community to discuss and celebrate all aspects of #TVTogether.

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PRESS CONTACT:

Lauren Kelcher Stevenson // atxtv@ssmandl.com