The 15th season of the ATX TV Festival commenced Thursday. TV campers flooded downtown Austin for an array of activations, programming and panels all about their favorite past time.

After hitting up registration at the Omni Hotel, the day started with a panel from one of the festival’s sponsors, NBC. Celebrating 100 years as the country’s first broadcast network, campers investigated the legacy of procedurals with Chicago One stars Miranda Raye Mayo (Chicago Fire) and Sarah Ramos (Chicago Med), Law & Order: SVU‘s Kelli Giddish and Kyle Secor of Homicide: Life on the Street. Led by Variety’s Emily Longretta, the actors discussed the comfort found in procedurals, how the format has changed.

Giddish, who has played Detective/Sergeant Amanda Rollins on SVU since 2011, described procedurals as wearing one’s favorite pair of slippers. And Ramos stated there’s a formula to them that works like an ear worm, similar to pop music. Secor stated how in uncertain times as these, viewers seek solidarity and certainty through the characters solving the crime at the end of an episode.

On how the procedural has changed, the women shared how instrumental social media feedback is a part of the experience. Ramos’ character arrived on Chicago Med as somewhat of an antagonist, and she described how fans took awhile to come around to the “complicated character.” Giddish shared how online outcry of her character being written off resulted in her recurring and returning as a series regular.

Giddish also spoke on how the demand for a male/female co-lead is no longer the norm, citing Mariska Hargitay’s female-forward stance as SVU’s lead. Secor also celebrated this change, noting that the original cast for Homicide was all male. Citing the optics, they added Melissa Leo, whose character explored being a woman in a male-dominated profession.

NBC remained a through line for the “Stories That Shaped Us” panel, moderated by Salon’s Melanie McFarland. Giddish and Mayo were joined by The Fall of and Rise of Reggie Dinkins’s Precious Way and Happy Place‘s Belissa Escobedo. The women discussed the first time they saw themselves on screen and how those experiences shaped their trajectory.

McFarland cited Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman while Giddish hailed “badass” Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2. Way praised Brandy in Cinderalla, and was amazed when she later played her daughter in ABC’s Queens. Mayo, a mixed-race woman, chose Zoe Saldana from Center Stage and Missy Pilgrim in Stick It. Now that Pilgrim leads FBI at CBS, another Dick Wolf production, she hopes to star alongside her one day. Escobedo named America Ferrera starring in Real Women Have Curves.

The panel also spoke on what they’ve learned through their characters and experiences as part of the NBC brand. Mayo learned how to be in community not only with her ensemble, but with the entire crew. Both Way and Escobedo detailed how their totally different from their onscreen personas. They both championed their characters’ bravery and boldness.

The day shifted focus on the industry with founders of The Network, a free subscription service seeking to break the current model. Founder Aram Rappaport and Head of Film & TV, Mike Moses, discussed their indie approach to offering the “only free premium TV service in the U.S.” With originals and international acquisitions, The Network offers a new series each month. With production setup to film like a movie, the series is later edited to a TV format. Established two years ago as part of a larger ad agency, the 20-member company sees 40% growth month by month, and breaks even once a series launches. Wavering between 2-6M viewers a month, the duo’s goal is to sit somewhere above Mubi and under Peacock.

Moderator Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter interrogated the creators on their ambiguous name. They admitted it reaps questions, but inherently builds brand recall. They recalled John Leguizamo, star of series The Green Veil, briefly mentioned the show and platform on The View, seeing a nearly 7500 subscriptions added. While it may be hard to breakthrough the streaming wall, they see that as a bonus when their model is already 50% profitable by the year’s end.

Lastly, the night was lit with fire and brimstone as the opening marquee event welcomed HBO’s House of the Dragon. As the sole partner of the festival since its inaugural season, festival co-founders Emily Gipson and Katilin ??? opened the event with gratitude to HBO’s long-standing support. Entertainment moderated the panel with showrunner Ryan Condal and cast members Steve Toussaint, Abubakar Salim, Harry Collett and Bethany Antonia.

Spectators were treated to exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the series recreation of the Battle of the Gullet. Condal described it as the biggest production of its kind for the show, boasting 15,000 stunt performers, tons of propane and breaking the record of the number of stunt performers burned at one time.

Condal described the fierce battle as a turning point in the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. Season one established our characters and the initial conflict, while season two saw the tempers simmer as both factions realized dragons were a last resort. Season three is the champagne cork popping off these weapons of mass destruction.

Toussaint and Salim described the mostly practical set as something they’ll probably never experience again. Even seeing the initial drawings didn’t capture the full scale of the naval battle. Collett and Antonia echoed similar sentiments, describing being in the green screen-box that will appear as a dragon on screen.

They finished by surprising guests with the first look of the season’s final trailer, a brutal preview of the fire-forged carnage that will change these characters and the realm forever.