ATX Festival Announces ‘West Wing’, ‘Rescue Me’ and ‘Ugly Betty’ Reunions

ATX Television Festival has announced a new of new (and awesome) events – including Opening and Closing Night events – along with new panels and programming for this year’s festival, which returns for a fifth year June 9-12, in Austin, Texas.

USA Network’s upcoming new series Queen of the South will kick things off on Opening Night with a premiere screening and panel featuring the cast and creators. The reimagined drama, based on the global bestseller “La Reina Del Sur” by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, follows Teresa Mendoza (Alice Braga), a woman who is forced to go on the run and seek refuge in America after her cartel boyfriend is murdered.

The festival will host “The West Wing Administration” panel, featuring creator/executive producer Aaron Sorkin and director/executive producer Thomas Schlamme, along with the following cast members who have committed so far – Bradley Whitford, Dule Hill, Joshua Malina, Richard Schiff and Janel Moloney. The panel marks the 10th anniversary of the The West Wing finale, and will delve into the series storylines, characters and fandom. More details and panelists to come.

As previously announced, Entertainment Weekly will present a 10 year reunion celebration of Ugly Betty on Closing Night of the festival, with cast members America Ferrera, Eric Mabius, Becki Newton, Michael Urie, Ashley Jensen, Ana Ortiz, Tony Plana, Mark Indelicato, Vanessa Williams and Rebecca Romijn confirmed to attend.

In addition, ATX will also host a screening and panel of America Ferrera’s newly renewed NBC comedy Superstore, featuring Ferrera, who stars in the series along with serving as a producer, together with fellow cast members Ben Feldman, Lauren Ash, Colton Dunn, Nico Santos and Nichole Bloom, and creator/executive producer Justin Spitzer.

Denis Leary will return to ATX this year with a panel both for his FX comedy Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, featuring fellow cast members Elizabeth Gillies, Elaine Hendrix, John Ales and Bobby Kelly, and also will be part of a special Rescue Me reunion, with fellow creator Peter Tolan, along with cast members Callie Thorne, Andrea Roth, Michael Lombardi, James McCaffrey, Lenny Clarke and Larenz Tate. Additional panelists will be announced at a later date.

Starz will host the season three premiere of its comedy Survivor’s Remorse, featuring creator Mike O’Malley and director Ali LeRoi, along with cast members RonReaco Lee, Jessie Usher and Teyonah Parris.

WGN’s new series Outsiders will host a panel with executive producers Peter Tolan and Peter Mattei, discussing season one and where the show is headed in season two, and will screen never-before-seen footage. Participating cast members will be announced at a later date.

AT&T Audience Network will be part of ATX for the first time, with a panel for their original series Kingdom, produced by Endemol Shine Studios, featuring creator/executive producer Byron Balasco and cast members Jonathan Tucker, Joanna Going and Matt Lauria. Additional panelists will be announced at a later date.

ATX will screen the upcoming TBS series “Search Party,” followed by a conversation with Alia Shawkat, who was previously announced as part of the “State of Grace” reunion, along with creators Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers.

These panels join The O.C. Writers Room reunion with creator Josh Schwartz and the show’s writers, along with a script reading of the pilot episode, presented by CW Seed; a Friday Night Lights High School Reunion on Panther Field, with surprise guests and events; a special Everybody Loves Raymond 20 year reunion with cast and producers; The Shield Writers Room reunion with creator Shawn Ryan and the show’s writers; a State of Grace reunion with cast Mae Whitman and Alia Shawkat, along with creators Brenda Lilly and Hollis Rich; a panel of First Time Showrunners and Creators; a panel featuring TV Stunt Performers and Actors; a panel discussion of the (New) American Family with Nahnatchka Kahn, Casey Johnson & David Windsor; a Conversation with David Simon and Tom Fontana moderated by Beau Willimon; a Conversation with Norman Lear moderated by Jerrod Carmichael; a Conversation with Noah Hawley moderated by Beau Willimon; series panels and screenings for Hulu’s Casual, Lifetime’s UnREAL, TV Land’s Younger and The Jim Gaffigan Show, FX’s Tyrant, AMC’s Preacher, and Freeform’s Dead of Summer; a script reading of the never-picked-up pilot Big with creators Kevin Biegel and Mike Royce, along with surprise cast; and panelists Betsy Beers, Kurt Sutter, Jennie Snyder Urman, Hart Hanson and Krista Vernoff. Norman Lear will also receive this year’s ATX Award for Achievement in Television Excellence.

We’ll keep you posted as more ATX Festival news surfaces!