My second day of season 11 of the ATX of the ATX Television Festival began with the Comedy Showrunners panel in the Driskill Ballroom, featuring series creators/showrunners Robin Thede (A Black Lady Sketch Show), Sierra Teller Ornelas (Rutherford Falls) and Phil Augusta Jackson (Grand Crew). The trio had the audience laughing throughout, talking about how they pitched their various series, and how they run their productions and writers rooms. They also shared stories about representation, being the token person on other shows, and more. It was interesting to see the differences and similarities between their experiences, given the different ways/platforms on which each of their series air (premium cable, streaming and network TV). It was great to see how supportive the panelists were of one another, and how they were truly fans of one another’s work. It was also a lot of fun to see them crack each other up. I will definitely be adding A Black Lady Sketch Show to my To Watch list (I’m already caught up on Grand Crew, and as I stated yesterday, I already plan to catch up on Rutherford Falls).
On my way to the next panel, I of course had to stop off once again at the free Westworld coffee cart. There was a different host barista this time around, but he also seemed to glitch as he took my name, and gave me an ominous warning.
When we walked into the Stateside theater for Showtime’s I Love That For You panel, we got a pleasant surprise as we were handed a voucher for a free snack pack. So with my popcorn, Sour Patch Kids and Diet Coke in hand, I sat down to first check out an early screening of episode 7 of the series, followed by a Q&A with star Vanessa Bayer. For those who aren’t familiar with the series, Vanessa plays a woman who lies about having cancer in order to become a host on a home shopping network. While it turns out that she is excellent at her job, the fallout of her lie snowballs and the pressure and guilt to reveal the truth builds. The new episode was hilarious. Vanessa Bayer is so delightful and had the audience roaring with laughter. It was funny to see how similar she is to her character, with a dry wit and a constant smile. She talked about how the series came about, combining both her longtime love of home shopping programming, as well as how she used to milk her own childhood leukemia for benefits long after she was cured. She also discussed the evolution of the show’s title, casting the series, and working with the other amazing actors like Molly Shannon & Jenifer Lewis. She shared some fun stories about her recent visit to QVC where she got to sell products on the air with one of her favorite hosts. She instantly went into QVC mode as she described both the products she sold on the air, as well as when she was answering a question about what things she had ever purchased via home shopping. I have a feeling this will be one of my favorite panels of the season—I don’t think I stopped smiling from start to finish.
After leaving the Stateside, I walked right into the Paramount theater next door where the Evil screening/panel was about to begin. I had only seen part of the first season of the series, but figured since I was already there, I might as well check it out. The panel opened with a screening of the upcoming season 3 premiere episode, which looked quite epic on the huge screen at the Paramount. This is a very odd and unique series, combining humor with sci-fi, horror, science and religion, plus an extremely talented cast. The show films in NYC, so there are some amazing guest stars as well.
The screening was followed by a lighthearted Q&A with stars Katja Herbers, Mike Colter & Aasif Mandvi. The chemistry among the cast was instantly evident, and you could tell these people really enjoyed working with one another. They talked about their characters, some of the upcoming guest stars/storylines, working with the Kings, and some of the new freedoms with the third season since it was the first to be produced specifically for Paramount+.
After getting out of the Paramount, I was back in the Stateside theater for Tom Swift. We got to see an early screening of the second episode followed by a Q&A with the cast/creatives—co-creators/writers/EPs Melinda Hsu Taylor, Cameron Johnson & Noga Landau, and stars Tian Richards, Ashleigh Murray, Marquise Vilson, Albert Mwangi & April Parker Jones. The episode was slightly campy and fun, continuing with the same tone of the premiere. The panelists talked about this modern reimagining of the classic character, the diverse representation both in front of and behind the camera, and what these characters mean to them. The panelists discussed how the series embraces and celebrates its queer characters, and Ashleigh Murray talked about how, unlike other productions she as worked on, this series has a crew that understands Black hair and makeup, freeing her up to just concentrate on her performance rather than having to do multiple jobs. It was a really entertaining panel with an amiable cast, and just like yesterday when I spoke with some of the cast, it really made me want to check out more of the series.
After the panel there was a badgeholder happy hour at the 800 Congress venue where the Tom Swift panelists made an appearance and informally mingled and talked with the ATX campers.
The final panel of the night was the much anticipated Parenthood Reunion, which had originally been announced for the 2020 festival, before the world shut down. Some of the panelists had changed from that first announcement, but in attendance were creator/showrunner Jason Katims, director/EP Lawrence Trilling, and stars Dax Shepard, Erika Christensen, Joy Bryant & Monica Potter. I was a huge fan of the series when it originally aired, so I was excited to spend some time again with the Bravermans. The panelists shared stories about the baby pictures used in the opening credits, how they were originally cast for the show, what it was like working on the series, the family dances, and more. As they were talking, you could instantly see that chemistry between the actors return. It was a fun panel that went by way too quickly. This is a series I need to rewatch at some point…there’s just so much new TV these days! This reunion felt a little smaller than ones the folks at ATX have done in the past (when compared to things like Gilmore Girls, Ugly Betty, Battlestar Gallactica, and The West Wing), but I still and always enjoy these reunion panels at the festival.
We closed out the night at the Late Night Happy Hour being held in the familiar Stephen F. Austin hotel bar.
It was another great day at ATX Season 11, and what I attended was only a small fraction of what was offered. There were some other overlapping panels I would have loved to attend, such as the “Funny AF presented by Universal Studio Group” and “Angelyne: A Conversation with Emmy Rossum & Allison Miller”.
