Day 2 of ATX TV Festival Season 12 was jam-packed with some great panels. There were so many things I wished I could have seen (it’s a good thing they included a virtual panel pass so I can catch up on recordings of some of the panels I wasn’t able to get to!)
My morning started off with a panel for the Freevee comedy Primo, which recently dropped all 8 episodes of its first season on Amazon’s free streaming service. The series follows the adventures of wide-eyed 16-year-old Rafa Gonzales (Ignacio Diaz-Silverio), who’s being raised by his single mother Drea (Christina Vidal) and his five oddball uncles, who are often giving him unsolicited and conflicting advice. It blends a sweet coming of age story with a wacky and hilarious family comedy. I binged through the entire first season when I saw the series listed for the festival, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The panel, which was moderated by Deadline‘s Rosy Cordero, started off with a screening of the pilot episode (which was just as funny the second time around). This was followed by a discussion with stars Ignacio Diaz-Silverio and Christina Vidal. These two have such amazing chemistry both on and off camera, which made for a really fun discussion that had the crowd at the Stateside theater laughing throughout. (Check out our interview with them from the opening night red carpet.)
The pair talked about the audition process, the fact that they never had a chemistry read with one another, and mentioned some of their favorite moments of the season/shoot. The actors also debated their favorite uncles to work with (both character- and actor- wise). They shared some fun behind-the-scenes stories, such as Christina accidentally licking a glob of hand sanitizer off her had, thinking it was frosting, and then trying to make it through the scene. They also discussed the writers and contributions of creator Shea Serrano, and the importance of representation on TV—but in a way that feels just natural and normal.
Primo is now streaming on Amazon Freevee, and is definitely worth the watch.
Next, I headed over to the Driskill for the “We Have a Deal: Inside the Business of SHARK TANK” panel. This is a show that I haven’t really watched, and have only seen the occasional clip here or there. Moderator Michael Schneider of Variety sat down with some of the executive producers, hosts and former success stories to discuss the show’s recent 14th season. The panelists included Sharks Mark Cuban, Daymond John & Kendra Scott, executive producers Clay Newbill & Yun Lingner, and former contestant/success story Justin Fenchel (Beatbox Beverages).
The panelists talked about why the show resonates with viewers and has been able to stay on the air for so long. It is a show that the whole family can watch together, and is both entertaining and educational. They also discussed how the pitches have changed along with changing technology. They also talked about how the ideas and products are a good reflection of what’s going on in the world at the time, and how this helps to keep the show feeling fresh and relevant each season without having to introduce new gimmicks to a format that works. They discussed the casting and pitch process—how the Sharks only get the name of the person walking through the door, and how the grueling hour-long pitch is filmed by 14 cameras and then edited down to just 10-12 minutes. The executive producers talked about some pitches that never made it to the show, while the Sharks discussed some of the pitches they wished they had gone with, some of the success stories of people who didn’t end up getting funded on the show, and more. Daymond John was hilarious, constantly poking fun at Mark Cuban, and having the audience laugh out loud.
I wasn’t sure what panel to go to next, but I was already in the Driskill hotel, and there was going to be the ATX TV Festival’s first-ever Mystery Guest Conversation. So I decided to give it a gamble and got in line.
Moderator Reshma Gopaldas (SheKnows) sat down with actress Betsy Brandt for a fun and heartwarming discussion of her long TV career. She talked about her education and manipulating her teacher in order to get approved to study abroad in Scotland, and shared stories about getting her first speaking role on Judging Amy, and leaving acting school when she was cast in the TV movie Back When We Were Grownups. When discussing Breaking Bad, she talked about how she and co-star Dean Norris convinced one another to be more comedic in their audition reads, and how she manipulated the writers to give Marie a particular profession and her obsession with the color purple. She also discussed how she secretly wanted all of the characters to win on Breaking Bad, even Walt, but that this probably wouldn’t have made good TV.
Brant mentioned that she had wanted to do a comedy after the more dramatic and emotionally draining Breaking Bad. She talked about her excitement at meeting Michael J. Fox but worrying that she was too tall to be cast in The Michael J. Fox Show. She also discussed her work on Life in Pieces, working with Dianne Wiest, and how life imitated art as she organized her fellow co-stars to promote the series at Upfronts.
It was a really fun and lively discussion, thanks in part to the moderator, who also introduced some games, such as having Brandt guess if she had said particular lines of dialogue as one of her characters, and playing a variation on F, Marry, Kill.
Next I headed over to 800 Congress for a panel for the FOX series Accused—this was the first panel this season that I had a Fast Pass for.
Accused is an anthology series, with new characters and a new story each episode. The episodes play out in a mysterious way such that you’re never quite sure what the crime is going to be or who is going to be put on trial. The panel featured three actors from three different episodes—Whitney Cummings, Betsy Brandt, and Ian Anthony Dale. The panel was moderated by Emily Longeretta (Variety), but the cast pretty much took over, genuinely fans of the series, and interested in one another’s episodes, performances, characters, and careers—they ended up asking each other a lot of the follow-up questions. The actors discussed working with producer/showrunner Howard Gordon, and the writing on the series—how it often presents a bit of a grey area that provokes discussion and makes the viewer think about their own biases and pre-judgements.
Whitney Cummings talked about taking on a more dramatic role. In her episode she plays a somewhat unlikeable stand-up comedian who is sexually assaulted. She talked about making sure the assault was filmed in a way that made it clear that her character was not willingly participating, even if the audience and other characters didn’t really like her. She also discussed working with an intimacy coordinator for the first time. Ian Anthony Dale talked about how connected he felt with his character’s story, and how it was reflective of his own half-Japanese background. He talked about how important it was to have the writer there on set, and working with someone who has a similar cultural experience. Betsy Brandt discussed her character, who seems like a very controlling mom, but we find out that she has good reasons and motives for her actions. Brandt seemed like a super-fan of the series, watching and savoring every episode as a viewer and not just a star.
The actors talked about how it was tough to only do a single episode as these characters, and how they would love to do more of the series, even if it was American Horror Story style where they could play a different character the next season. Ian Anthony Dale said he would also love to do another personal Asian story, and even direct. Betsy Brandt, genuinely interested, then started to ask him about his directorial ambitions.
Despite the heavy topics of the episodes, the discussion was actually quite light and funny throughout. Early on, Cummings had mentioned that she heard from a colleague that Brandt would steal all the bananas from craft services from sets she was on, to which Brandt quickly replied, Not just the bananas, but a whole meal for 4. Like a great comedian, Cummings was throwing in callbacks to craft services throughout the discussion.
Accused season 1 is now streaming on Hulu and FOX NOW.
Next I headed across the street to the Stateside theater for a screening/panel for season 2 of Freeform’s Cruel Summer. This series is also an anthology, with each season following a new set of characters and a new murder mystery. So viewers can jump right into the new season without having seen the first. The series has a unique story-telling format, constantly switching between 2 perspectives and 3 different time periods, though there is a unique visual style to each of the time periods to help the viewer differentiate them. The second season of the series is set around Y2K.
The panel opened up with a screening of the season premiere episode, followed by a Q&A with stars Lexi Underwood, Sadie Stanley & Griffin Gluck, and executive producers Michelle Purple and Bill Purple (who also directs). The panelists discussed the audition process and casting the new season, the choice to make this an anthology, and the challenges of filming a complex show like this, which is typically shot out of order and may require filming scenes in all three time periods on a given day. The actors talked about being kept in the dark about what was going to happen, and only receiving one script at a time. While the women found this a bit refreshing as their characters didn’t know what was going on so it also helped them feel the same way, but Griffen Gluck said it was a bit frustrating—though it did challenge him as an actor and he was happy with the end product. It looks like it will be another interesting and compelling season (and even includes a mini Private Practice reunion of sorts).
The first season of Cruel Summer is streaming on Freeform and Hulu, and the second season premieres June 5.
Next it was time for the day’s big marquee event, The Cheers Reunion. So I took a 15-minute walk to this year’s new venue, the ACL Live Moody Theater, which is used for the series Austin City Limits.
The event was more than just a reunion. It first started off with a reading of the Cheers pilot script, with the iconic roles filled by a wide range of other panelists from this ATX season. The cast included David Walton (“Sam Malone”), Cassidy Freeman (“Diane Chambers”), David Lascher (“Coach Ernie Pantusso”), Christina Vidal (“Carla Tortelli”), Chris Estrada (“Cliff Clavin”), James Lafferty (“Sumner Sloan”), Harold Perrineau (“Norm”), Ronald Gladden (“Ron”), Ignacio Diaz-Silverio (“Boy in Bar”), and Ashley Fink reading the stage directions.
There was a large bar in the middle of the stage, and the actors pretty much stayed in place while reading their lines, but the episode really came to life thanks to the text and performances. The cast did a wonderful job—Christina Vidal got a huge round of applause after delivering her first line as Carla, which was a perfect impression of Rhea Perlman. It was amazing how well the episode still holds up and feels relevant today.
Photo Credits: Jeff Cohen, Tammy Perez & Jack Plunkett
After the script reading, a songwriter took the stage to play piano and sing a couple comical original songs and a jingle. Then he led crowd in a performance of the Cheers theme.
Finally it was time for the big event, as series co-creators James Burrows, Les Charles & Glen Charles, and stars Ted Danson, George Wendt & John Ratzenberger took the stage. They took a trip down memory lane, talking about how the series first came about, casting the roles, the rocky initial ratings, and more. The actors discussed working with Shelley Long and Kirstie Alley. When talking about the latter, Ted Danson nearly broke, stating that he couldn’t believe she wasn’t there. They also shared some fun stories of young buck Woody Harrelson joining the cast and trying to prove their physical and mental prowess against him, only to fail. It was a fun walk back memory lane with some of the stars and the series creators.
Cheers is now available to stream on Paamount+.
Photo Credits: Jack Plunkett
After the reunion, I walked over to 800 Congress where they were serving pizza, BOXT wine, and other snacks for a fun TV Camp Sing-A-Long hosted by Glee‘s Ashley Fink and Kevin McHale. The night started off with some TV themes to get the crowd warmed up, and then moved on to original songs from TV shows, such as “Let’s Go To The Mall” from How I Met Your Mother, and selections from Buffy The Musical, and more. Then covers and and other music. Ashley Fink and Kevin McHale kept things light and fun, adding a lot of humor and commentary to the event, while also singing along and getting others to join in.
On my way back to my hotel, I stopped by the Stephen F Austin Hotel for the tail end of the Late Night Happy Hour to chat with some friends about the day’s events.
If you missed my Day 1 Recap, you can find it here.
