The final two days of the 2024 ATX TV Festival were a testament to television’s impact through generations. Whether a Gen Zer discovering a new classic on Netflix or a Boomer revisiting the timeless themes of Maude, the festival presented something for everyone.
Saturday morning House of Cards creator and Andor scribe, Beau Willimon, guided attentive campers through his method of developing a season of television. What is normally produced over several months, Willimon demonstrated within an hour, developing a series’ central theme, characters and their motivations, and where the season would take viewers. With audience participation, the following was workshopped: a contemporary Western exploring themes of forgiveness as two siblings fight over land property and the lover they share in the process.
Later that day, TV producer and executive Jeff Wachtel held a fireside chat. The former president of USA Network and NBCUniversal International Studios detailed his career highlights and offered his perspective on the current state of television. He originated producing off-off Broadway productions before transitioning to film and eventually television. Wachtel found success with young adult series such as Dawson’s Creek and Party of Five before later spearheading the “Blue Sky” ear of TV on USA Network. He oversaw the creation of series like Monk, Burn Notice, and the recently rediscovered Suits, which found new life on Netflix leading to a sequel series at NBC. After launching Future Shack Entertainment in 2022, Wachtel now concentrates on producing international content. On the current state of TV, Wachtel admits streaming was an extraordinary phenomenon, but it was “an artificial ecosystem.” The constant spending and peak TV fatigue have resulted in the bust we’re currently experiencing.
Wachtel’s words aligned similarly to those of critics Alan Sepinwall (Rolling Stone) and Dan Fienberg (The Hollywood Reporter) who held a small AMA session with attendees. The long-time friends and colleagues answered a gambit of questions from how long should one wait before sharing a spoiler, to their most memorable, or volatile, interactions with a creative. The duo’s casual and transparent rapport displayed not only why they’re good at their profession, but how much they adore the medium as well.
Saturday night closed with the premier event at the Austin City Limits Live venue. A star-studded cast paid tribute to prolific TV auteur Norman Lear. Attendees enjoyed script readings of two classic Lear sitcoms: Maude and Good Times. The Maude session featured “Maude’s Dilemma,” the two-episode arc that found Bea Arthur’s 40-something divorcee contemplating having an abortion. The cast included Pamela Adlon as Maude with Danny Pino, Phil Rosenthal, Abigail Spencer, Constance Zimmer, and Haneefah Wood. Yul Vazquez served as the scene reader. Following Maude was a rousing read of Good Times’ “The I.Q. Test” which confronts the embedded racism in standardized testing. Wood returned as Evans’ matriarch Flordia and was joined by Dule Hill, Daniel Kyri, Travina Springer, Mark Feuerstein, and D.K. Uzoukwu.
Later, Sepinwall led a discussion on Lear’s impact with Rosenthal, Adlon, Ranada Shepard, and Lear’s final business partner, Brent Miller.
The final day opened with a look back on 2023’s dual labor strikes. The initial writer’s strike began few weeks before last year’s festival, shifting programming as writers were banned from discussing any projects – past or present. Willimon guided a conversation with WGA negotiating member Greg Iwinski, and SAG member Hill, on what transpired through those tireless weeks, and the current state of laborers. The packed venue listened attentively as Hill and Iwinski described how the unifying solidarity across all labor unions was something unbeknownst in previous strikes. The support writers received from actors early on, followed by IATSE and Teamsters members was uplifting and solidified a message that they “are not alone.”
As a result, both guilds were able to solidify some major changes within their contracts. SAG-AFTRA secured a better residual structure for payment from streaming series as well as new exclusivity guidelines when it comes to taking on additional roles. The writers’ greatest wins came with securing mandatory rewrites for screenwriters, better health insurance for writing teams, and mandatory writers’ rooms for episodic television. They also established some language around the use of AI.
“Strikes are for the members that are coming,” Hill stated. Both he and Iwinski emphasized that the sacrifices made today will better equip the writers and actors of tomorrow.
Speaking of tomorrow’s talent, the festival recognized actor/producer/writer/director Devery Jacobs with the ATX TV Breakthrough Award. The Reservation Dogs and Backspot performer sat down with GLAAD’s Raina Deerwater to discuss the advent of her career as a queer Indigenous woman in today’s industry. Jacobs spoke about her journey from failed auditions and rejections, to finally landing the role of Elora in FX’s critically acclaimed dramedy. She also spoke about how making Backspot is such a triumph in its form of storytelling and representation. Despite portraying another teenage role, Jacobs depicts a queer Indigenous character whose identities are not central to the plot.
Finally, Sunday afternoon found Paramount Theatre filled with enthusiastic fans for the “Suits Retrospective.” Series stars Sarah Rafferty, Abigail Spencer, Patrick D. James, Amanda Schull, and Dule Hill were joined by executive Jeff Wachtel to reminisce on the show that has newfound fame with a whole generation of viewers. Each member spoke about their casting experience, the moments they hold dear with the show, and how it remains so endearing with TV viewers nearly a decade later. In addition to the shared memories, James and Rafferty disclosed the title for their upcoming rewatch podcast as Sidebar, revisiting the show’s nine seasons. It’s also where they broke the news that the final season arrives on Netflix on July 1.
Photo credit: Ursula Rogers, Lorin Williams, and Stephanie Tacy