Season 14 of ATX TV Festival isa few months away, but announcements are slowing coming in that are getting fans excited for the event. This past season, fans were treated to amazing script readings, panels, retrospectives, and much more! The tradition is set to continue with some new events set to take place in 2025.
Here is a list of the most recently announced programming for Season 14:
- Mad Men Retrospective with Jon Hamm – To mark the 10th anniversary of the series finale, actor/producer Jon Hamm (Your Friends and Neighbors) will join the Festival for the first time for a Mad Men Retrospective to reflect on his Emmy-winning performance as enigmatic ad man Don Draper, why Draper remains such a singular character in the TV canon, and the show’s influence and legacy in the decade since its iconic finale.
- “Sidebar: A Suits Watch Podcast” with Patrick J. Adams and Sarah Rafferty – Fan favorite Suits will return to the festival in the form of a live episode of SiriusXM’s “Sidebar: A Suits Watch Podcast,” with stars and co-hosts Sarah Rafferty and Patrick J. Adams. The podcast chronicles Rafferty and Adams’ experience watching the series for the first time ever, as the duo revisit their time on set, interview fellow cast members, answer listener questions, and share behind-the-scenes stories. New episodes are available weekly on SiriusXM and major podcast platforms.
- The Golden Girls and Designing Women Script Readings – The Festival will feature live script readings of classic episodes from The Golden Girls and Designing Women, with guest actors stepping into the iconic roles from both series for a one-time-only event. The readings will be followed by a conversation about the cultural impact of both series, including their significance as female-led comedies, and their boldness in tackling an array of social issues, including LGBTQ+ rights, HIV/AIDS, aging, sex education, divorce, and mental health.
Expect to hear the celebrities that will take part in the script readings to be announced in the new year. Stay tuned to our website for more details.
This announcement comes after first details of Season 14 was released back in October.
- Creator/showrunner Bill Lawrence will return to the festival for “Bill Lawrence & Friends,” a wide-ranging conversation with writers, actors, and other collaborators from his current and past series, including Bad Monkey, Shrinking, Ted Lasso, Scrubs, Cougar Town, and more. The special guests joining Lawrence will be announced at a later date.
- Creator/showrunner/director Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House) will be joined by a special guest cast for a live table read of an unproduced script (to be announced soon). Flanagan’s production company, Red Room Pictures, will also host a conversation on storytelling and filmmaking in the horror space, with panelists to be announced soon.
- A+E Studios will present a 10th anniversary retrospective for UnREAL,the hit Lifetime original drama that follows the producers, crew, and contestants behind the scenes of the fictional dating competition show, Everlasting. Co-creator Sarah Gertrude Shapiro, and cast members Shiri Appleby, Constance Zimmer, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman,and Craig Bierko will reunite to reflect on the show’s exploration of the dark side of reality TV, the complex antiheroes at its center, its most memorable character moments and one-liners, and how the show’s recent debut on Netflix has led to a resurgence with both original fans and new viewers. (For co-promotion tag: @AEStudiosOfficial #UnReal)
- In a first for the Festival, casting directors Sherry Thomas (Breaking Bad), Jeanie Bacharach (The Bear), Bonnie Zane (Suits), and Felicia Fasano (Better Things) will come together for “Casting a Spotlight: Unsung Actors,” where each casting director will shine a spotlight on a must-watch actor that they believe should be celebrated by TV fans and industry alike. The actors will be announced at a later date.
- TV, film, and stage legend — and Emmy Award-winning actor — Henry Winkler (Barry, Royal Pains, Happy Days)will return to the Festival to host a live acting class, delving into the art of performance, building a character, and connecting with your audience. Winkler, who previously received the Festival’s first-ever Achievement in Television eXcellence Award in 2014, will also join for a wide-ranging Q&A about acting, writing, creativity, and more.
Additionally, “The Leftovers” will be celebrating its 13th anniversary at ATX. This event will feature co-creators Damon Lindelof (Watchmen) and Tom Perrotta (Mrs. Fletcher), director/executive producer Mimi Leder (The Morning Show), and cast members Justin Theroux (White House Plumbers), Carrie Coon (The Gilded Age), Amy Brenneman (The Old Man), Christopher Eccleston (True Detective: Night Country), Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale), and Kevin Carroll (Snowfall). Head of Max Original Programming Sarah Aubrey, who also served as executive producer on the series, will join as a special guest moderator.
Currently, ATX TV Festival is accepting submissions for its Pitch Competition through January 17, 2025. Details are available at http://atxfestival.com/pitch.
Badges and passes are available for purchase at http://atxfestival.com/attend.
Season 14 of the ATX TV Festival is set to take place in Austin, TX, from May 29 – June 1, 2025.
