After 2 years of virtual cons, the ATX Television Festival has finally returned to its in-person format. So after a 3-year hiatus, I am back in Austin, TX for my annual TV camp experience. While I have been attending the festival as a general attendee since season 4, this is my first time covering it in-person as press. Some of the venues and the festival HQ have changed this year, but I’m happy to report that the small, friendly camp vibe is still very much alive and well. While I will definitely miss my favorite venue—the Alamo Drafthouse theater—I have found that I am really enjoying the extended use of the Paramount and State theaters this season, since it means that the screenings/panels won’t be limited to just an audience of 80-120 campers.
After arriving in Austin and checking into my hotel, I headed to the Driskill to check in and pick up my badge. This year the festival introduced a new Camp Badge, which includes extra perks such as additional Fast Passes, guaranteed seating in marquee events, extra micro programming and other events, and more. The annual swag bag was also made exclusive to campers who upgraded to this badge level. As press, I was given the tote, which was branded for Lifetime’s Flowers in the Attic: The Origin, and included items like a water bottle, a pair of sunglasses, a bag of popcorn, and some other Austin-related stickers and promos.
With badge in hand, first up was the “Welcome (Back) to TV Camp” panel. Every season I see this panel listed but have never actually attended, so I figured I’d finally check it out. Festival co-founders Caitlin McFarland & Emily Gipson gave an emotional and heartfelt welcome back to the campers, talking about some of the changes this year. They also brought in some other staffers and special guest Arielle Kebbel (9-1-1, Vampire Diaries) to give a fun merchandise advertisement, preview of some of this season’s programming, and more. It really got me excited and set the mood for the upcoming weekend.
At the Welcome panel, they mentioned that there was an Westworld-themed coffee cart around the corner, so of course I had to seek that out as soon as the panel ended. The cart is an immersive experience. A Delos employee takes your order, but just as they ask for your name, omnious music starts playing, and their face suddenly goes blank as they stare off into nowhere. After some slight twitching, the barista says something ominous before snapping back into reality and cheerily continuing on with your order like nothing happened.
Wit coffee in hand, I headed to the Paramount Theater to get in line for a panel for the Peacock series Rutherford Falls. This is a show I’m not caught up on, but after seeing this early screening of the season 2 premiere (which includes a hilarious Dirty Dancing moment) and Q&A with the cast/creatives, that’s something I need to fix ASAP! On the panel were co-creator/showrunner/writer/EP Sierra Teller Ornelas, and stars Ed Helms (co-creator/EP), Jana Schmeiding (writer), Jesse Leigh, and Dustin Milligan, who had the audience contently laughing throughout. They previewed some of the upcoming storylines, shared fun behind-the-scenes stories, talked about what it is like working with the amazingly-talented Michael Greyeyes, and discussed the importance and joy of seeing Indigenous reputation and voices on screen. There was such great chemistry chemistry between these folks off screen that definitely translates on-screen as well.
After a quick stop at my hotel to get changed, I headed back to the Paramount for the opening night red carpet. The sun was glaring, but I was excited to cover my first ATX red carpet. I was placed at the end of the carpet, which had the advantage of also being in front of the door and a nice stream of AC, so that was a welcome benefit! Hitting the red carpet were the cast/creatives from AMC’s Dark Winds and The CW’s Tom Swift, some creatives from the Paramount/HBO Max series Station Eleven, as well as various other panelists who were at the festival for some other topical panels.
I will be posting many videos later on, but I got the chance to speak to festival co-founders Caitlin McFarland & Emily Gipson about what it was like to be back in-person for the festival. I also talked with actress Adrianne Palicki about the return of “The Orville”, and tried to get some hints as to what was coming up for Kelly. Sadly the sun and Texas heat caused my phone to give a temperature warning and lost this video. When I asked her about any differences between going from FOX to Hulu for this new season, she said the main changes were that now the episodes are much longer, and that there are some looser language restrictions. In another interview, I tried to get Nick Wechsler to reveal some info about his role in The Boys and asked him about a possible ATX Revenge reunion. I also spoke with Station Eleven casting director Jeanie Bacharach and music supervisor Liza Richardson, Tom Swift stars Tian Richards (“Tom Swift”) & Albert Mwangi (“Rowan”), and Dark Winds EPs Graham Roland & Vince Calandra. Look for these videos soon.
Following the red carpet was the special opening night premiere/panel for AMC’s upcoming drama Dark Winds. This is an excellent, engaging 6-episode series that spans many genres, from noir to western, to cop/family drama with some humor, to a murder mystery set in the 1970s, and more. It is beautifully and cinematically shot, and looked amazing on the big screen at the Paramount! The series follows three tribal police cops as they investigate a murder that may be related to bank heist. At the same time each of these cops has his or her own secrets or issues from the past they are trying to deal with. While the series depicts a specific Native American culture and experience, the story and characters also have a very universal relatability and feel. I already binged through screeners of all six episodes and can’t recommend it highly enough. There are many surprising twists and turns and reveals. It is definitely worth checking out when the series premieres June 12 on AMC and AMC+. AMC+ subscribers will also get future episodes a week early.
The official synopsis:
Set in 1971 on a remote outpost of the Navajo Nation near Monument Valley, “Dark Winds” follows Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon, “The Son,” “Westworld,” “Fargo”) of the Tribal Police as he is besieged by a series of seemingly unrelated crimes. The closer he digs to the truth, the more he exposes the wounds of his past. He is joined on this journey by his new deputy, Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon, “The Red Road,” “Roswell, New Mexico”). Chee, too, has old scores to settle from his youth on the reservation. Together, the two men battle the forces of evil, each other and their own personal demons on the path to salvation. “Dark Winds” is an AMC Studios production, and will premiere June 12 on AMC and AMC+. Executive producers also include George R.R. Martin, Robert Redford, Tina Elmo, and Vince Gerardis.
The audience at the screening also seemed to really enjoy the show. At the Q&A afterwards, the cast/creators once again discussed the importance of Native representation both in front of and behind the camera. They also discussed how this series tells its story in an authentic way without feeling the need to explain or provide exposition about the native culture, tradition and ceremonies being depicted. The creators talked about the show’s long and difficult road, the benefits of the 70s setting, the sets and filming locations, the characters, and more. It was an interesting and informative session that also had some really fun moments.
Closing out the night was a special ATX TV Camp Kick Off party for those with camp badges. It took place at one of this year’s new venues at 800 Congress. There was beer, wine, and snacks from Lay’s available, and campers could partake in some arts and crafts projects, board games, and a “speed camping” event.
Afterwards, my usual camp crew headed out to look for where folks might be hanging out now that the SFA hotel was no longer the festival headquarters—the bar at the hotel was usually the unofficial end of the day hang out for celebs and campers alike. We heard from a friend that Parenthood‘s Monica Potter had been sighted at the Driskill, but after spending a while trying to find her, we decided to just call it a night and head to bed for day 2.
