ATX Television Festival Announces Final Season 10 Programming

At the festival, AMC+ will present a first look at "Ultra City Smiths" - an all-new series that unfolds via the stop-motion animation of baby dolls repurposed as a grown-up cast of all-star characters. "Ultra City Smiths" centers on an investigation into the mysterious disappearance of Ultra City's most famous magnate and the two intrepid detectives following the case, rallying to fight against their city's dangerous corruption, at a high cost to themselves and their families, all in pursuit of a gentler place to call home. The series is created by Steve Conrad ("Perpetual Grace Ltd."), who will join the all-star cast for a Q&A and first look at the series. "Ultra City Smiths" premieres July 22 on AMC+. Additional panelists will be confirmed at a later date.

Additionally, AMC Networks' premium streamer SHUDDER will present a "Horror Anthologies" panel, exploring the modern series that have become successors to classics like "Creepshow" and "Tales of the Crypt," and the ways in which the horror genre is so uniquely suited to the "short story" mode of storytelling. Confirmed panelists include showrunner / writer / executive producer / director Greg Nicotero ("Creepshow") and writers Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes ("Untitled Black Horror Anthology"). Additional panelists will be announced soon.

AMC will also present a conversation with the creator and stars of "Kevin Can F**K Himself," exploring the inspiration behind the new dark comedy, the cultural evolution of the sitcom wife, and the unique use of both multi-cam & single-cam formats to examine its character's inner lives. Confirmed panelists include creator/executive producer Valerie Armstrong ("Lodge 49"), Emmy Award-winner Annie Murphy ("Schitt's Creek"), and co-star Mary Hollis Inboden ("The Real O'Neals"). "Kevin Can F**K Himself" premieres June 13 on AMC+ and June 20 on AMC.

Apple TV+ will present a marquee conversation with the cast and creatives of the critically hailed workplace comedy "Mythic Quest" amid the current sophomore season. "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes with a 100% critics rating, the Apple original series releases new episodes every Friday through the June 25 season finale. The panel will feature co-creator/executive producer/star Rob McElhenney, co-creator/executive producer Megan Ganz, executive producer/star David Hornsby, series writer/star Ashly Burch, along with ensemble cast Charlotte Nicdao, F. Murray Abraham, Danny Pudi, Imani Hakim, and Jessie Ennis.

The star-studded cast and creative team behind Apple's critically-acclaimed, hit animated musical comedy series, "Central Park," will join the festival for a virtual panel and share a first look at the highly anticipated sophomore season premiering June 25 on Apple TV+. In season two, created, written and executive produced by Loren Bouchard, Josh Gad and Nora Smith, the Tillerman family continues to navigate living in and caring for the world's most famous park. THE VOICE cast includes Josh Gad, Leslie Odom Jr., Daveed Diggs, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Kathryn Hahn, Tituss Burgess and Stanley Tucci. Panelists will be announced soon.

Co-creator/executive producer Dana Fox and the cast of Apple TV+'s dramatic mystery series, "Home Before Dark," will join the festival for a virtual panel to discuss the inspiration for the series with Hilde Lysiak, the real life journalist behind the story, the importance of the pursuit of the truth, and the timely themes throughout the series. They will also share an exclusive look from the second season of the critically acclaimed series, premiering June 11 on Apple TV+. Additional panelists will be announced soon.

Starz joins this year's line-up with a look inside THE WRITERS' ROOM of their new summer series, "Blindspotting," the television series inspired by the 2018 feature film from writers/producers/stars Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs. The half-hour dramedy centers on Ashley, played by Emmy® nominee Jasmine Cephas Jones, who was nipping at the heels of a middle-class life in Oakland until Miles (Rafael Casal), her partner of 12 years and father of their son, is suddenly incarcerated, leaving her to navigate a chaotic and humorous existential crisis when she's forced to move in with Miles' mother Rainey (Helen Hunt) and half-sister Trish (Jaylen Barron). Creators, executive producers and writers Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs, and writers Alanna Brown, Nijla Mumin, Priscila Garcia-Jacquier, and Benjamin Turner, will join the festival for a conversation on June 19 about adapting the concept from film to TV, expanding Ashley and Miles' world, and the unique musicality of the series. Badgeholders will also get an early look at Episode 2 of the series. "Blindspotting" premieres June 13 on Starz.

Attendees will also get an early look at the first episode of "Sex/Life," an upcoming original series from Netflix, along with a conversation with executive producers and cast. "Sex/Life" is the story of a love triangle between a woman, her husband, and her past that takes a provocative new look at female identity and desire. Joining the conversation will be creator/showrunner Stacy Rukeyser, executive producer J. Miles Dale, and cast members Sarah Shahi, Adam Demos, Mike Vogel, and Margaret Odette, who will discuss what to expect when the series debuts on Netflix June 25.

The previously announced screening of the unaired pilot episode for "L.A. Confidential" - based on the neo-noir novel by James Ellroy - will also join this year's line-up. The episodet, produced by New Regency, Lionsgate and CBS TV Studios for CBS during the 2018 season, follows the paths of three homicide detectives, a female reporter, and a Hollywood actress as they cross paths in 1950s Los Angeles. The screening will be followed by a virtual Q&A conversation with series creator/executive producer Jordan Harper ("Gotham"), executive producer Anna Fricke ("Walker"), executive producer/director Michael Dinner ("Unbelievable"), and star Brian J. Smith ("Treadstone"). Additional participants will be announced soon.

In addition, the festival will feature "History of Them," an unaired pilot from creator, writer, executive producer and ATX Advisory Board Member Gloria Calderón Kellett. Written by Calderón Kellett and directed by Pam Fryman, the semi-autobiographical "History of Them" was developed in 2018 for CBS and is a multi-cultural ensemble that revolves around two friends, Luna (Ana Villafañe) and Adam (Brett Dier), and how they fell in love, using the couple's social media accounts as a guide. The pilot screening will be followed by a panel conversation with Calderón Kellett, Fryman, and cast members Brett Dier, Ana Villafañe, Caitlin McGee, Chris Powell, Amit Shah, and Felix Solis. "History of Them" is a co-production of Sony Pictures Television and CBS Studios.

The festival adds the following topical conversations to this year's line-up in association with The Syndication Project, ATX TV's non-profit. The Syndication Project's mission is advocacy through storytelling by promoting the individuals and communities that create awareness, bring tolerance, and expand community.

• "Indigenize the Narrative" - A conversation with Native American and Indigenous actors, writers, directors, and producers who are recentering Indigenous storytelling and producing dynamic TV in the process, featuring showrunner / executive producer / co-creator Sierra Teller Ornelas ("Rutherford Falls"), director Sydney Freeland ("Rutherford Falls," "The Wilds"), actor Michael Greyeyes ("Rutherford Falls"), actor Kimberly Guerrero ("Rutherford Falls," "The Wilds"), and writer Migizi Pensoneau ("Two Sentence Horror Stories," "Reservation Dogs"), and moderator Vincent Schilling (Indian Country Today).
• "Guess Who's Laughing Now" presented with GLAAD - A panel about the power of punching up with trans and non-binary creators, writers, and performers about comedic boundaries (or lack thereof), writing for the 2021 viewer (whoever that is), being really f*cking funny (yeah we are), and the urgent need to be laughed with, not at. The conversation will include actors Jesse Leigh ("Rutherford Falls"), Nava Mau ("Genera+ion"), Armand Fields ("Work in Progress"), and creator/executive producer/actor Rain Valdez ("Razor Tongue"), and moderator Alex Schmider (Associate Director of Transgender Representation, GLAAD).
• "The Messy Middle" presented with DREDF's Disability Media Alliance Project - A conversation which will examine representation of visible disabilities onscreen with writers and actors who are exploring the uncharted territory of the "messy middle," where characters with disabilities are just as flawed, funny, and despicable as anyone else. Panelists will also discuss how creatives can push beyond the fear of getting it "wrong" when it comes to disability representation, and what getting it "right" actually means. Confirmed participants include actor Steve Way ("Ramy"), actor Sofiya Cheyenne ("Loudermilk"), actor Ryan J. Haddad ("The Politician"), writer/producer Katherine Beattie ("NCIS: New Orleans"), and actor Kayla Cromer ("Everything's Gonna Be Okay"), and moderator Kristen Lopez (IndieWire).
• The festival will continue its partnership with USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center's Hollywood, Health & Society with a series of three conversations, including a panel on the evolution of HIV & AIDS storytelling on television with creatives from "ER," "Pose," and "Looking"; a panel on abortion and reproductive health on TV with creatives from "Degrassi: The Next Generation," "Roswell, New Mexico," and "Orange is the New Black;" and the previously announced conversation "Esssential Stories: How Medical Series Approach a Real-Life Pandemic," featuring Joseph Kay (showrunner/EP, "Transplant"), David Schulner (showrunner/EP, "New Amsterdam") Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider (co-showrunners/EPs, "Chicago Med"), Zoanne Clack, M.D. (writer/EP, "Grey's Anatomy,"), Amy Holden Jones (co-creator/EP, "The Resident") and Neal Bear, M.D. (writer/EP, "ER"). Additional panelists will be announced soon.

Paramount+ will screen the season five premiere of the critically-acclaimed drama "The Good Fight," followed by a conversation with co-creators, showrunners, and executive producers Robert & Michelle King, stars Christine Baranski and Audra McDonald, and new cast members Charmaine Bingwa ("Little Sista") and Mandy Patinkin ("Homeland")."The Good Fight" returns to Paramount+ with new episodes on June 24.

The festival will also feature "Work in Progress: A Conversation on Queer Storytelling" with the cast and creatives of the acclaimed SHOWTIME® original series "Work in Progress." The panel will feature co-creator/executive producer/writer/star Abby McEnany, showrunner/executive producer/writer/director Lilly Wachowski, consulting producer/writer Samantha Irby, director Yance Ford, and actor Celeste Pechous, who will discuss the collaborative process of shaping Seasons 1 & 2; creating during the pandemic; and the intersection of comedy, queerness, and mental health.

SHOWTIME® will premiere "UFO," a four-part docuseries from Bad Robot exploring our fascination with unidentified flying objects, and how government and other forces operate in the shadows manipulating the truth to bend it to their own agendas. Following a screening of episode one, creatives and featured experts (?) will join for a panel discussion about the making of the series, as well as its central questions: why do we believe what we believe? And what if the truth really is out there?

FOX will premiere their new dramedy "The Big Leap," a modern tale about second chances, chasing your dreams and taking back what's yours. From creator/executive producer Liz Heldens ("The Passage," "Friday Night Lights"), director/executive producer Jason Winer ("Modern Family") and executive producer Sue Naegle ("The Plot Against America"), the show revolves around a group of diverse, down-on-their-luck characters attempting to change their lives by participating in a potentially life-ruining reality dance show that builds to a live production of "Swan Lake." Attendees will get an early look at the pilot episode of the series, which was recently picked up to series, followed by a Q&A with creator/executive producer Liz Heldens, executive producer/director Jason Winer, and stars Scott Foley ("Scandal"), Teri Polo ("The Fosters"), Ser'Darius Blain ("Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle") and newcomer Simone Rescasner.

SYFY will present a first-look conversation for their new summer series, "SurrealEstate," with stars Tim Rozon ("Wynonna Earp," "Schitt's Creek") and Sarah Levy ("Schitt's Creek''). The 10-episode series from SYFY and Blue Ice Pictures follows real estate agent Luke Roman (Rozon) and his elite team of specialists research, investigate, and attempt to 'fix' haunted and possessed homes - all while dealing with demons of their own. "SurrealEstate" premieres Friday, July 16, at 10 p.m. EST on SYFY.

ATX's previously announced "Showrunner State of the Union" panel, which will feature an intimate roundtable with TV's top showrunners as they reflect on the current state of TV, and the ways in which THE JOB of 'showrunner' has changed over the last year, will include "The Walking Dead" showrunner / executive producer Angela Kang, "Pose" showrunner / executive producer / director Steven Canals, "Loki" head writer / executive producer Michael Waldron, and "black-ish" showrunner / executive producer Courtney Lilly.

The festival will also feature a conversation with ATX "Award in Television eXcellence" recipient and award-winning actor, producer, activist, and author Michael J. Fox and Emmy-nominated creator, writer, producer, and actor Denis Leary ("The Moodys," "Rescue Me"). The pair, who worked together on FX's firefighter drama "Rescue Me," will sit down one-on-one to discuss their respective careers, the evolution of TV, and lessons learned throughout their years as multi-hyphenate creatives.

Previously announced programming includes:

• Closing Night: World Premiere Screening and Q&A for HBO's "The White Lotus"
• A Conversation with the Creatives and Cast of "Hacks" presented by HBO Max
• "New Voices: Launching a First Series" Panel with HBO and HBO Max Showrunners
• Official Emmy® Awards For Your Consideration Panel with the Creatives and Cast of HBO's In Treatment
• Inside the Making of a Superhero Series with HBO Max Original "Titans"
• "Degrassi: The Next Generation" 20th Anniversary Panel presented by Tubi
• "Channel Changers: A Conversation with TV's Leaders" featuring top executives from HBO Max, NBCUniversal, 20th Television, SHOWTIME, OWN, and Starz
• "Walker" Music Showcase presented by The CW
• "The Republic of Sarah" Panel with Cast & Creatives
• "The Bold Type" Farewell Panel with Showrunner & Cast
• "Younger" Panel with Costume Designer Jackie Demeterio & Cast
• "David Makes Man" Panel with Creatives & Cast
• "We Are Lady Parts" Conversation with Showrunner & Cast
• Insides look at "Selena: The Series" with Creatives & Cast
• "Ziwe" Marquee Conversation presented by SHOWTIME®
• "Small Axe" Conversation with Steve McQueen presented by Amazon Prime Video
• "HouseBroken" Screening and Q&A with Creatives & Cast
• A Conversation with "Achievement in Television eXcellence" Awardee Michael J. Fox
• "Faking It" 5 Year Reunion with Showrunner & Cast
• "Speech & Debate" Conversation with Creatives & Cast
• "Oz" Retrospective with Creator Tom Fontana and Cast
• "Beyond the Scares: Emotional Catharsis & Healing in Horror"
• "Growing Up Is Hard: A New Generation of YA Protagonists"
• "The Queer Gaze"
• "Pandemic Proof: Adult Animation"
• "Showrunner State of the Union"
• "Buying & Selling with 20/20 Hindsight"
• "Housecall: A 'Royal Pains' Reunion" with Play-Per View on June 6th to benefit Feed America (Tickets on sale now!)

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