ATX TV Fest to Host First-Ever 'Everwood' Reunion

The festival circuit never rests. No sooner do the fall festivals wrap up than the next year's programming starts to leak out.

We've already heard a little out of the March behemoth of South by Southwest Film, but next down the line is the summer's annual ATX Television Festival.

The ATX Television Festival was launched in 2012 by co-founders Caitlin McFarland and Emily Gipson. After a successful first year, the fest got bigger and better when it returned for season two this past June. From these first looks at the 2014 slate, they're looking to outdo themselves yet again.

Highlights from the first round include the first-ever Everwood cast reunion, plus Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman Palladino, and the creators of Bates Hotel. Perennial favorites from Friday Night Lights will also be returning. Check out the full first round below:

Confirmed Guests
• Amy Sherman Palladino, Creater/Writer: Gilmore Girls, Bunheads
• Graham Yost, Creator/Executive Producer/Writer: Raines, Boomtown, Justified, Hey Dude
• Carlton Cuse, Executive Producer/Writer: Bates Motel, Lost
• Kerry Ehrin, Executive Producer/Writer: Bates Motel, Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, The Wonder Years, Moonlighting
• Ben Blacker, Nerdist Writers Panel
• Kyle Killen, Creator/Writer: Lone Star, Awake, Mind Games
• Liz Tigelaar, Creator/Writer: Bates Motel, Life Unexpected, Nashville
• Julie Plec, Creator/Writer: The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, The Tomorrow People
• Richard Hatem, Writer: Grimm, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
• Andrew Miller, Creator/Writer: The Secret Circle
• David Hudgins, Executive Producer/Writer: Parenthood, Friday Night Lights, Everwood
• Bryan Seabury, VP of Drama Development at CBS
• Paul Scheer, Creator/Writer/Actor: The League, NTSF:SD:SUV::
• Tim Doyle, Executive Producer/Writer: Last Man Standing, Roseanne, Ellen
• Arielle Kebbel, Actor: The Vampire Diaries, Gilmore Girls
• Scott Porter, Actor: Hart of Dixie, Friday Night Lights
• David Semel, Director/Producer: Hemlock Grove, Homeland, Intelligence, American Dreams, Dawson's Creek

Confirmed Series
• Bates Motel from A&E
• Rectify from Sundance Channel
• Everwood (including David Hudgins, Rina Mimoun, Chris Pratt, Emily Van Camp, Gregory Smith, Tom Amandes, Treat Williams, Scott Wolf, Stephanie Niznik, Vivien Cardone, John Beasley, and Merrilyn Gann in attendance)
• Hey Dude (including Graham Yost, Alan Goodman, Lisa Melamed, Debrah Kalman, Kelly Brown, David Lascher, Geoffrey Coy, and David Brisbin in attendance)

Including Programming From
• ABC
• A&E
• AMC
• BBC America
• FOX
• FX
• Hasbro Studios
• Sony Pictures Television
• Sundance Channel

Also announced: The second annual Pitch Competition, in which competitors film themselves giving a 90-second scripted series pitch. Twenty-five semifinalists will advance to a judging round by a panel of industry experts, who narrow it down to 10. Those 10 finalists pitch live to a panel of judges at the Festival; the winner gets a meeting to explore their idea and get notes from an expert.

The ATX TV Fest runs June 5-8, 2014. Badges (currently $175) and complete details on featured guests and the Pitch Competition are available at www.atxfestival.com.