TV campers prepared their final farewells as the 2025 ATX TV Festival came to a close Sunday afternoon. But not before fans of television’s most golden foursome gathered to celebrate 40 years of being a friend.

Following a festive finale brunch at Hyatt’s Heydey Social Club downtown, the Paramount Theatre was filled for a final time as a star-studded cast led a table read for the iconic sitcom The Golden Girls. Mid-Century Modern’s Nathan Lee Graham served as the script manager for Constance Zimmer, Carrie Preston, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Pam Adlon, as Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia respectively. The four ladies were accompanied by Dan Bucatinksy and Jeffery Bowyer-Chapman and performed the legendary “Pilot” episode. Immediately following, they performed season two, episode five, “Isn’t It Romantic”, in which Dorothy’s friend Jean, portrayed by Vella Lovell, falls in love with Rose.

Following the table read, the actors discussed the show’s impact. Brown stated she loved multicam sitcoms because they immersed you in the world, where the characters became your friends. And they all raved about how the series has become a beacon for the LGBTQ+ community with its emphasis on chosen family. Adlon beseeched how trailblazing it was for a show to feature four women leads of a certain age. She commented on how TV still lacks this representation within a highly male-dominated industry. The four added women in their 50s are often overlooked on screen. While they acknowledged there has been progress (Max’s And Just Like That…) they have a long way to go.

Then Preston, Zimmer, Brown, and Adlon each shared their personal experiences working with Betty White. They all touched on how she was remarkably talented and exceptionally kind; a rare combination in their line of work.

Other panels of the day were more intimate. Multi-hyphenate Ashley Nicole Black spoke to a crowd about wearing so many hats. Beginning as an actor, she discovered her talent for writing in school. Black’s talent stretches from being a writer and correspondent on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee to being writing and performer sketches on HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show. Now, Black is a writer and actor on Apple TV+’s Shrinking, which is currently filming its third season.

At a time when many Black and POC women lacked this specific moniker, Black was grateful to follow artists like Robin Thede and Mindy Kaling’s footsteps into being able to do it all. Her advice to those seeking a career in the business was to “get fired as soon as possible” meaning, not to be afraid to present your full self when presenting ideas. If a person you’re working for isn’t interested in what you bring to the table, it’s best to leave and find where you will be fully valued.

Another panel sponsored by Mike Flanagan’s Red Room Pictures focused on the dying art of physical media. After discussing their egregiously large or small DVD and VHS collections, The Hollywood Reporter’s Daniel Feinberg and Alamo Drafthouse’s Sarah Pitre discussed how the lack of physical media in TV and film is eroding the art of criticism and preservation. When seeking discussions on today’s works, one tends to look back on former trends and other works that may have influenced current creators. Unfortunately, in the age of streaming, this important aspect of oral and visual history is lost in a digital abyss, never to be seen again. It’s a situation many never quite saw coming, and solutions are few and far between.

Photo credit: ATX TV Festival