Friday Night Lights and the ATX TV Festival have gone hand-in-hand since season one of the local celebration of the small screen, when the fest held a special cast and crew screening. Then in 2016 ATX TV marked the 10th anniversary of the series’ debut with another panel. Now, for its 2026 iteration (running May 28-31), ATX TV is re-running that history with a special 20th anniversary reunion for the show, at which it will receive the Texas Made Award.
Caitlin McFarland, co-president and co-founder of ATX TV explained, “When setting out to program our 15th Season, we are starting with a show that has not only become part of the story of the Festival, but has left an indelible mark on television itself. There was no question which series most embodies both sentiments – Friday Night Lights has been at the heart of ATX TV Festival since year one, and honoring FNL’s 20th Anniversary with our Texas Made award couldn’t be a more perfect fit. This series serves as a beacon to what great production in our state can look like, and as Texas sets out to grow film and TV production through the newly passed historic film and TV incentives, there is no better time to honor this series with some of the greatest cast and creatives we know.”
This year brings together some of the biggest stars of the show including Kyle Chandler (Coach Eric Taylor), Connie Britton (Tami Taylor), and Adrianne Palicki (Tyra Collette), who said, “I’m beyond grateful for Friday Night Lights. To say it changed my life is an understatement. Thank you to ATX TV Festival for ‘getting the team back together’ for our 20th anniversary in Austin!”
The reunion also brings together showrunner/executive producer Jason Katims, executive producer/writer David Hudgins, executive producer/director Jeffrey Reiner, co-executive producer/writer Liz Heldens, and consulting producer/writer Kerry Ehrin, plus more talent to be announced later. Katims said, “The Friday Night Lights family is delighted to return to the ATX TV Festival, and to Austin where the show was filmed. We are honored to be receiving the Texas Made award.”
However, the Texas-made classic isn’t the only show screening at the fest, with Baltimore’s finest heading to the Lone Star State for a Homicide: Life on the Street Retrospective, featuring a conversation with showrunner Tom Fontana, journalist turned show creator and legit TV icon David Simon, and actor Kyle Secor (Detective Tim Bayliss). This will be accompanied by a special screening of one of the greatest episodes in the show’s run and the history of TV, “Three Men and Adena,” in which Bayliss and his partner, Frank Pembleton (the late, great Andre Braugher) have 12 hours to get a confession for murder from a street vendor (Broadway legend Moses Gunn).
Also announced today for season 15 of ATX TV Festival:
- Ever wanted to be part of a late-night talk show audience but don’t have the time to hang out around Hollywood Boulevard or Lincoln Square for a standby ticket? Join Greg Iwinski, Emmy-winning writer for Last Week Tonight and The Late Show, his own Ed McMahon, Jim Fagan, and the Late Night Invisible Orchestra as he returns with his own for a new episode of his show A Late Night Show with Greg Iwinski, performed live in front of a not-actually-a-studio audience that could include you.
- A 10th anniversary celebration for MTV’s disturbingly and still relevant college sexual assault drama Sweet/Vicious, featuring creator/executive producer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, showrunner/executive producer Amanda Lasher, executive producer Stacey Sher, and producer Emily Levitan, and stars Eliza Bennett and Taylor Dearden.
- ATX TV Festival isn’t just about beloved shows but also a chance to learn about the TV industry, so join Melissa Bernstein (House of the Dragon), Stacey Sher (Mrs. America), Sarah Timberman (Justified: City Primeval), Kathleen McCaffrey (Industry), and Karen Wacker (Lanterns) for Inside Job: TV’s Non-Writing Producers.
- Plus, for those of you really serious about breaking into the business, you can submit your show to the Indie TV Pilot Competition & Showcase: submissions open now at filmfreeway.com.
ATX TV Festival Season 15 runs May 28-31, 2026. Passes and info at atxfestival.com.