2016 marks the fifth year of the ATX Television Festival, a weekend-long celebration of television held annually in the Texan capital. But 2016 represents a more important date in the history of the state, the city, and the television produced therein: It’s the 10th anniversary of Friday Night Lights, the small-town drama that made its production home in Austin for five seasons beginning in 2006. Friday Night Lights has always had a presence at ATX—even last year, when the citizens of Dillon, Texas were temporarily upstaged by their counterparts from Stars Hollow, Connecticut—but this year’s festival will commemorate a decade of clear eyes, full hearts, and can’t losing with a Friday Night Lights High School Reunion, bringing the show’s cast, crew, and fans to the site of the show’s fictional gridiron. (Perhaps you recall The A.V. Club’s visit to Del Valle Field from Pop Pilgrims’ freshman year?)
The combination anniversary party/episode screening/pep rally is one of several new additions to the festival’s lineup, which also include panels and screenings for UnREAL, Casual, and Younger. Fans of adolescent angst, astute music supervision, and raven-hairedTV father figures can also look forward to a panel that brings the writers’ room of The O.C. back together, as well as a staged reading of that show’s pilot. Also reuniting at ATX: One-time Homicide: Life On The Street colleagues David Simon and Tom Fontana, who’ll talk about the TV they made after they left (and didn’t leave) Baltimore in a discussion with House Of Cards’ Beau Willimon. Other showrunners added to the guest list today include Jane The Virgin’s Jennie Snyder Urman and Sons Of Anarchy’s Kurt Sutter, the latter of whom will presumably sprinkle some salty language into the previously announced writers’ room reunion for The Shield.
The fifth annual ATX Television Festival takes place June 9 through 12.
