ATX TV Festival Announces First Look At 2027 Festival Line-Up

Fans of some of television’s most memorable series are heading to Austin next summer, as ATX TV Festival has unveiled the first wave of programming for its 16th season. The 2027 festival will bring together stars and creators from Revenge, Oz, Band of Brothers, and Freaks and Geeks, along with a career retrospective for Emmy-winning casting director Allison Jones.

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ATX TV Festival Season 16 will take place June 3–6, 2027, in Austin, Texas. The festival will celebrate its “Sweet 16” theme with a focus on 16th anniversaries, coming-of-age stories, and teen and young adult storytelling, alongside programming covering television from the past, present, and future.
Among the biggest reunions announced is a 16th anniversary celebration of Revenge. The Hamptons-set thriller premiered in 2011 and became a primetime hit, continuing to find new audiences through streaming.
Creator and executive producer Mike Kelley will reunite with Emily VanCamp, Josh Bowman, Henry Czerny, Ashley Madekwe, Gabriel Mann, Connor Paolo, and Nick Wechsler for a look back at the series. The panel will explore the show's twists, turns, memorable characters, and the moments that have kept fans talking more than a decade after its finale. Additional panelists are expected to be announced.
“How stoked am I for a Sweet 16 ATX TV Revenge party? Infinity x Infinity!” Kelley said. “Still amazed at how fiercely our show's fans continue to love these diabolically messy characters after all these years. Can't wait to reunite with the incredible actors who brought them to life and share a few stories from behind the red Sharpie! See you in Austin!”
The festival will also revisit the beloved but short-lived teen comedy-drama Freaks and Geeks with a special live script reading. Created by Paul Feig and executive produced by Judd Apatow, the series followed Lindsay Weir and her younger brother Sam as they navigated friendship, crushes, bullies, burnouts, and the awkwardness of high school.
A special cast will take part in the one-time-only reading, with participants to be announced. The reading will be followed by a conversation examining the show's lasting influence, the evolution of television formats, and the importance of stories centered on teens and young adults.
ATX TV's script readings have become a festival tradition, previously bringing episodes and special guests from shows including Dawson's Creek, The O.C., Suits, Cheers, Maude, Good Times, The Golden Girls, and I Love Lucy to the stage.
HBO's groundbreaking prison drama Oz will also receive the retrospective treatment for its 30th anniversary. Creator Tom Fontana will join cast members Rita Moreno, Lee Tergesen, and Dean Winters to revisit the series, which explored life inside an experimental unit at Oswald Maximum Security Correctional Facility.
As HBO's first hour-long drama, Oz helped establish a new standard for serialized television and paved the way for the prestige TV era. The series ran for six seasons and earned critical acclaim, including the Special Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America.
“I'm excited about celebrating the 30th anniversary of OZ at the ATX TV Festival,” Fontana said. “I'm always thrilled to be involved in the Festival, but the chance to be reunited with a number of the OZ cast members makes this visit to Austin extra special. We will cause some fun trouble, I'm sure!”
Another landmark HBO production, Band of Brothers, will be celebrated with a “25 Year Legacy” panel. The 10-part limited series, which premiered September 9, 2001, chronicled the real-life experiences of Easy Company during World War II.
Co-created by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, the Emmy-winning series was praised for its performances, technical achievements, scope, and storytelling, helping demonstrate what television could accomplish on the scale of a major motion picture. ATX TV's retrospective will explore the artistry behind the series and the lasting bond formed among its cast and crew. Panelists will be announced at a later date.
The festival's first announced career retrospective will spotlight casting director Allison Jones. A veteran of the television industry, Jones has been responsible for assembling ensembles for a remarkable collection of series, including Freaks and Geeks, Parks and Recreation, The Office, Veep, Arrested Development, The Good Place, and Curb Your Enthusiasm, among many others.
The conversation will explore Jones' career, from her early work on The Golden Girls through her Emmy-winning work on Widow's Bay, as well as the creative and technical aspects of casting. Topics will include discovering breakthrough performers, building chemistry within an ensemble, and helping actors succeed once they land a role.
ATX TV is also bringing back its Indie TV Pilot Competition for a second year. The competition gives independent television creators an opportunity to screen their pilots at the festival and compete for the title of “Best Indie TV Pilot.”
For the 2027 competition, Macaroni Art Productions, founded by Rick Gomez and Steve Zahn, will join as Strategic Partners and Advisors. The production company previously participated in the festival through its independent unscripted series You Belong Here.
“When we created You Belong Here as an independent TV show, ATX TV Festival was the first to welcome us and give us a platform,” Gomez and Zahn said. “Being able to help the next group of indie creators get that same shot is exactly why we wanted to be part of this.”
Creators can submit completed pilot episodes between 20 and 65 minutes in length across all genres. At least two pilots will be selected for screening at the 2027 festival, with up to two winners ultimately chosen in the Scripted and Unscripted categories.
The 2026 competition named “Savage,” from writer Connor Paolo, director Josh Bowman, and producers Nicholas Logan, Brittany Fallow, and Bridget Regan, as Best Indie TV Pilot – Scripted. “It's Not You, It's Me: Chicago,” from creator and director Anthony L. Williams, won Best Indie TV Pilot – Unscripted.
The Indie TV Pilot Competition joins ATX TV's ongoing Pitch Competition & Mentorship Program as one of the festival's open submission opportunities, continuing the festival's efforts to provide independent and emerging television creators with opportunities for exposure, mentorship, community, and industry connections.
Submissions for the 2027 Indie TV Pilot Competition and Pitch Competition & Mentorship Program are now open.

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ATX TV Festival Announces First Look At 2027 Festival Line-Up

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