- As part of our Curated Watchlist, we're highlighting current shows one degree from ATX TV! For more curated Watchlists, go to our Profile! We saw the names Shawn Ryan, Adam Arkin, Jon Hamm, Kristoffer Polaha… and immediately thought, we know these guys! This series is a great example of the incredible ATX TV community continuously making its way onto our screens. We love getting to watch people we’ve met and worked with over the years continue to make great television together. It’s like an ATX TV Reunion made just for us!
One Degree from ATX TV: So many alumi!
- As part of our Curated Watchlist, we're highlighting current shows one degree from ATX TV! For more curated Watchlists, go to our Profile! We first screened the pilot for Tommy & Tuppence at Season 15, so we’ve had it on our radar for a while. We loved having Antonia Thomas (playing Tuppence Cowley) and Josh Dylan (playing Tommy Beresford) giving us exclusive behind-the-scenes stories before the show has even aired! There’s something deeply fun about seeing and discussing a show before the rest of the world gets to watch it—and then finally getting to share it with everyone.
One Degree from ATX TV: Season 15 Premiere
- As part of our Curated Watchlist, we're highlighting current shows one degree from ATX TV! For more curated Watchlists, go to our Profile! Team ATX TV LOVES Reacher, so we’ve been looking forward to Neagley. It’s action packed, compelling characters, and we love seeing badass women on screen! But this has an extra connection for us..... Maria Sten was one of our 2017 ATX TV Pitch Finalists. We’ve been cheering her on for years, and it’s beyond special to watch someone we met early in their career do such AMAZING work.
One Degree from ATX TV: Pitch Competition
- As part of our Curated Watchlist, we're highlighting current shows one degree from ATX TV! For more curated Watchlists, go to our Profile! This week creator Andrew Law & co-showrunner Matt Murray joined ATX TV Members for a Coffee Chat, and it was exactly the kind of conversation we love having: talking careers, getting behind-the-scenes stories, and, naturally, going deep on what everyone is watching. We’re excited to see what they’ve created with this very funny, very messy sibling story. Fun side note: Andrew is an only child!
One Degree from ATX TV: ATX TV Member Q&A
- As part of our Curated Watchlist, we're highlighting current shows one degree from ATX TV! For more curated Watchlists, go to our Profile! Austin on screen is always a wonderful thing -- but Brothers hits particularly close to home. With support from the Austin Film Commission, this series brings together the local production community that we’re always proud to call our own. Add in hometown boys Matthew McConaughey & Woody Harrelson as co-leads, the city we love, and the people who make great TV getting their moment right here at home. Win, Win, Win. (Watch, Watch, Watch). Bonus: ATX TV alum Maggie Phillips is the Music Supervisor!
One Degree from ATX TV: Filmed in Austin
- (Jenn, Head of Programming) "Sticking the landing" is a notoriously difficult endeavor. As a TV fan, the concept of neatly wrapping up years of storytelling in a way that satisfies the audience, the critics, and the creative team has always seemed like a near-impossible task (and thus, I tend to give a fair amount of grace on final episodes/seasons). Hacks creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky have said they always knew the endpoint -- but regardless of best laid plans, a series finale only works if it feels true to the characters we fell in love with. "Hacks" (Finale) is a perfect example of what makes the show one-of-one. It remained true to Deborah and Ava, at their best and worst, through the very last scene. I'll be thinking of that club scene, and the conversation after, for a long, long time -- and I would love to see our Hacks trio recognized for pulling off the near-impossible in such beautiful, bittersweet fashion.
JENN’S PICK: Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
- (Karen, Programming Manager) So many things would be cool about this win. 1. Jean Smart would tie the record held by Julia Louis Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for 8 Emmy Wins for Acting. 2. She would be the first person to ever win for ALL seasons of a show. 3. In true Jean Smart form, she cites that JLD would still have won more because Veep ran longer and she won 6 out of 7 seasons, so she’s proving how gracious she is already. 4. Jean Smart gives really lovely, funny speeches. Hacks ended perfectly and in the last season Smart showed us that she had had even more to give (which seems impossible to believe) as Deborah Vance in this silly leaning (think clown make-up and lesbian hijinks, but not at the same time) yet emotionally vulnerable pitch perfect season. I am so so glad she had 5 more hours in her (IYKYK) and I can’t wait to see what happens at the Emmys!
KAREN’S PICK: Jean Smart, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
- I’m rooting hard for Noah Wyle to win the Emmy for directing this episode. It's one of those episodes that just stayed with me—not just because of what happens, but because of how beautifully it unfold. The Pitt is often chaotic and intense, but this episode finds so much humanity in the quieter moments. I loved the way Noah trusted the performances and knew when to stay close, when to pull back, and when to just let a moment breathe. For me, great directing is about knowing exactly where you want the audience to look, capturing the tone, the pacing—and when to simply get out of the way. This episode encompasses all those things that make The Pitt so great. It was emotional, impactful, and, at times, just gorgeous to watch. AND Noah's performance is still top notch. So, yes, while The Pitt should win many Emms, I’m rooting for Noah Wyle for this one specifically because it feels so deserving.
EMILY’S PICK: Noah Wyle, Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
- (Laura, VP of Operations) What a wild year it’s been for late night, y’all. Goodness. There’s also a bit of a shake up on the Emmy side of things as well – the Outstanding Scripted Variety Series and Outstanding Talk Series categories have been merged back together into the Outstanding Variety Series category – and it’s now an area award, which means it could result in multiple Emmy winners (see more HERE: https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/awards-news/260128-emmys-variety-rules) So I guess that means I don’t have to pick just one winner and I get to predict that both Last Week Tonight with John Oliver AND The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will be winners at the Emmys this year! I am a die hard Last Week Tonight fan – where else would I learn about incredibly depressing topics in such a fun way?? – but also want to give Colbert his flowers after a TOUGH year. I also really enjoyed The Late Show, but format-wise, a more traditional late night format isn’t as much my jam. But luckily, this year, everyone can be a winner! What do y’all think about the merging of categories to get all the late night folks in one place again? How are we feeling about multiple winners?
LAURA’S PICK: Outstanding Variety Series
- (Cait, Co-President) Matthew Rhys can do anything. It may just be an opinion, but it is one I think a lot of people share. That said, I’ve never seen him do what he does in Widow’s Bay. He walks a line of comedy, drama, and horror with ease – transitioning from one to another seeming ease. My only fear for him in this category is it being considered “comedy” when it is so much more than that. I also REALLY want to hear this acceptance speech.
CAIT’S PICK: Matthew Rhys, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
- (Victoria, Operations Manager) Hosted by Alan Cumming in some of the most fantastic Scottish/murder themed outfits I’ve ever seen, The Traitors brings together celebrities to compete for a cash prize by completing a myriad of mental and physical changes. Along with completing the challenges, the contestants must also identify the “traitors” in the group who plot to take the prize pot for themselves by getting rid of the “faithfuls” through nightly “murders” until there is only one or more traitors left in the finale. This past season had such a fun cast with some of my personal reality TV favorites (i.e. Lisa Rinna and Candace Dillard Basset ala Real Housewives), created some truly iconic moments that either had my jaw on the floor or had me cackling with laughter, and a finale that kept me on my toes till the very end. No show balances competition, suspense, drama, and comedy quite like The Traitors and therefore has my vote for Outstanding Reality Competition Program.
VICTORIA’S PICK: Outstanding Reality Competition Program
- (Kaelyn Montoya, Social Media Manager) It’s no secret that Gossip Girl became a pop culture staple for us younger millennials; we were HOOKED immediately by one of the most iconic teen drama pilots ever. (It’s not everyday a socialite from the Upper East Side is spotted at Grand Central Station after a mysterious boarding school trip… or is it?) Accompanied by great music, an unknown gossip columnist and the comforting voice of Kristen Bell, the show was set to be legendary from the get-go. The friendship between Blair and Serena is not something I would necessarily love in my own life but BOY did it give us messy, juicy drama especially during those first few seasons. I think part of what grounds Gossip Girl as a show is that anytime an “outsider” threatens or tries to “take down” any of the main characters, they put aside all their inner fighting to show up for each other, especially Blair - who also reminds us who the Queen B of the Upper East Side will always be. It’s a Fall comfort re-watch show for sure. Xoxo!
The ultimate 2010s Pop Culture Classic!
- (Jenn Morgan, Head of Programming) Broad City and its central duo Abbi and Ilana remain one of TV’s all-time great texts on friendship -- due in large part to the real-life friendship between creators/stars Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, and their comedic cadre of UCB collaborators, including Hacks trio Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky, The Good Place's D'Arcy Carden, Mythic Quest's Naomi Ekperigin, and of course, thee Amy Poehler. It's a good thing, too, because the heightened nature of BC requires Abbi, Ilana, and their recurring/guest cast to frequently put themselves in situations that I assume are only possible through the power of friendship and a shared comedic language. So, in honor of Abbi, Ilana, and their cohort of sickos (affectionate): What is the most relatable-yet-unhinged BC moment you've had with your own best friend? (Or, just share your favorite Abbi & Ilana moment below. Personally, hulked-out Abbi carrying Ilana out the restaurant mid-allergic reaction in the Season 1 finale is friendship at its finest.)
Relatable-yet-unhinged!
- (Emily, Co-President) One of the things I love about Adults is that it completely embraces the idea that growing up doesn’t necessarily mean having everything figured out. These twenty-somethings are navigating jobs, relationships, money, family, and each other—while making plenty of questionable choices along the way. And honestly, the friend group might be the best part. They can drive each other absolutely crazy, give terrible advice, and make decisions that have you yelling at the screen, but underneath all the chaos is a real sense of loyalty and affection. They’re figuring out adulthood together, even when they have no idea what they’re doing individually. We also loved having creators Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw with us at ATX TV Festival Season 15 to talk about the show and the wonderfully messy world they've created. So let's talk: Which Adults character would you want in your friend group—and which one would you absolutely not trust to give you life advice?
How adult are you really? 👀
- Scott Porter on filming this iconic episode: "I’ve not often been as nervous for a moment on set as I was before we “broke the banner” and ran onto the field in “Homecoming”. As a character, Jason had been isolated for the first third of Season 1 in a large way, and I felt that as an actor as well. It was the first time I was back on that field since the pilot episode many months earlier. Production wanted Jason to break through with one hand first…but the banner was too tough and they had to cut it open and reseal it so I could finally do that. When the team burst through the banner with Jason out front everything went silent. It was a truly impactful moment. Having Taylor at my back and Gaius and Zach alongside me and seeing the stands in front of me…goosebumps and tears to this day."
Scott Porter (Jason Street) on the “Goosebumps & Tears” of Homecoming
