To celebrate 15 years of “TV Camp for Grown Ups” and 20 years of Friday Night Lights, ATX TV Festival is hosting a special event to honor the Texas made classic. The series has been featured at the festival numerous times throughout the years and we are excited to see it return.
Friday Night Lights Cast Reuniting for 20 Year Reunion
It’s no secret that Austinites are big fans of FNL. The series, which premiered in 2006 and aired for five seasons, shot exclusively in Central Texas. Many of the filming locations still exist. You can find them all here.
The ATX TV Festival will honor Friday Night Lights with the Festival’s 2026 “Texas Made” Award presented with Media for Texas. As part of the award presentation, there will also be a marquee reunion panel with cast and creatives.
Who’s Attending the FNL Reunion
Confirmed participants include cast members Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton and Adrianne Palicki. Also taking part are 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. More cast and events to be announced.
“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,” said showrunner and executive producer Jason Katims.
We spoke with cast member and Austinite Adrianne Palicki at the recent African Children’s Choir gala in Austin and briefly chatted about the series. We actually asked her about the difference between FNL and Varsity Blues. “They both have their positives and negatives. I just thing that, you know, Friday Night Lights is based on a true story. It’s grounded in real people. I do think Varsity Blues is fun to watch,” Palicki said. “But I think there’s nothing better than Friday Night Lights, and the fact that it lives on through time.”
The ATX Television Festival is happening May 28 through 31 in Austin, Texas. Tickets are on sale now.
Featured photo via NBC/ Universal.
