NBC's New Amsterdam, The CW's Nancy Drew and a conversation with network presidents are among the first set of confirmed panels for the at-home version of the ATX Television Festival.
The festival scrapped its ninth in-person edition in April due to the coronavirus pandemic. In its place, co-founders Caitlin McFarland and Emily Gipson are programming a remotely produced event they're calling ATX TV … From the Couch to take place June 5-7.
The festival was slated to feature reunions of the casts and creators of Scrubs and Cougar Town. Those events have been pushed to 2021, but Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence and stars Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, John C. McGinley and Judy Reyes will have a video conversation during the virtual fest, as will Cougar Town's Busy Philipps and Christa Miller.
Other confirmed panels for ATX TV … From the Couch include Freeform's The Bold Type, Starz's P-Valley and a discussion among several Latinx creators and showrunners. Panels featuring Disney+, HBO Max, FX, AMC Networks, HBO and Peacock are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Registration for the festival has opened.
The panel lineup is below. This story will be updated as more events are added.
New Amsterdam: Cast (including Ryan Eggold and Jocko Sims) and creatives (including EPs Peter Horton and David Foster and writer/consulting producer Erika Green Swafford), plus a representative from the American Heart Association, will discuss using fiction to navigate conversations about healthcare issues.
Nancy Drew: Stars Kennedy McCann and Scott Wolf, creator Noga Landau and showrunner Melinda Hsu Taylor will celebrate the character's 90th anniversary and lasting influence in popular culture.
The Bold Type: An early look at the show's summer debut (set for June 11), followed by a conversation with stars Katie Stevens, Aisha Dee and Meghann Fahy and showrunner Wendy Straker-Hauser.
P-Valley: Exclusive first look at the Starz drama set in and around a strip club in the Mississippi Delta, from creator and showrunner Katori Hall. It will be followed by a conversation with cast and creatives; panelists TBD.
Channel Changers: A Conversation with TV's Presidents: HBO Max's Sarah Aubrey, NBC's Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta and OWN's Tina Perry about the state of the business, the personal professional philosophies they bring to their brands and inclusivity at all levels. Additional panelists TBD.
Celebrating Authentic Stories: A conversation about the continued push for positive Latinx representation on screen featuring Gloria Calderón Kellett (One Day at a Time), Tanya Saracho (Vida), Steven Canals (Pose) and Ilana Peña (Diary of a Future President).
The Pivot: Presented by the Television Academy, the panel will feature writers, producers and executives discussing the innovative ways series continue to create in unprecedented circumstances brought on by the COVID-19 crisis. HBO Max executive vp original drama Joey Chavez is confirmed to take part, with additional panelists to be announced.
Election Year Issues with the ACLU: Dale Ho, director of the ACLU's Voting Rights Project, and creatives will discuss TV's approach to covering voter suppression and other critical issues. Panelists TBD.
Addiction and Mental Health with Hollywood, Health & Society: USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center’s Hollywood, Health & Society will present a panel on mental health and addiction narratives, exploring the ways that these issues impact our communities, families and ourselves. Panelists TBD.
