The makers of New York City’s annual Tribeca Film Festival are once again shelving the flicks for a weekend-long spotlight on the best in television.
The Tribeca TV Festival (from Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal) returns this fall for the second year with a lineup packed with world premieres and celebrity chats to help New Yorkers find their next small-screen obsession. Running Sept. 20 through 23 at TriBeCa’s Spring Studios, the fest celebrates “pioneers who have broken boundaries,” according to a release.
This time around, those honored pioneers include the late Anthony Bourdain (of “Parts Unknown”) actor Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”) and Mariska Hargitay (“Law & Order: SVU”), among several others.
Recently added to the lineup: the fifth season premiere of “Empire,” followed by a chat with actor Jussie Smollett (Sept. 22), a “Real Housewives of New York City” panel moderated by Andy Cohen (Sept. 23) and a conversation with “Orange Is the New Black” actress Laverne Cox and Rosario Dawson (tba).
A world premiere of the 12th season of CNN’s food/travel series “Parts Unknown” will stream from the fest, featuring the final episode crafted with Bourdain’s full involvement. The episode, which takes comedian W. Kamau Bell to Kenya, is the last of the series that will feature voice-over by the beloved NYC-born chef, who died on June 8. The premiere, on Sept. 22 at 7:30 p.m., will be followed by a sit-down chat with Bell and the series’ showrunner, director and producer.
Continuing the fest’s ties to NYC is an event celebrating the 20th anniversary of the city-set and filmed crime drama “Law & Order: SVU.” Series creator Dick Wolf will mark the start of season 20 with a festival screening (Sept. 20) and stick around for a talent-packed chat with cast members including Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T.
Other series premieres you’ll want to nab tickets to include CNN’s “American Style,” examining the evolution of the country’s elite through the eyes of fashion expert Tim Gunn, and the fifth season kickoff of “Madam Secretary.”
A few panel chats on the lineup skip the screenings and jump right to the good stuff: actor Bryan Cranston marks 10 years since the premiere of “Breaking Bad” with a Q&A about his career (Sept. 22); “Luke Cage” actress Rosario Dawson will delve into her journey from the big to small screen in Netflix’s Marvel adaptations; and the investors on “Shark Tank,” Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner, will celebrate 10 years of the Emmy-winning ABC series.
The full lineup, with nearly two dozen events, is available at tribecafilm.com. Tickets went on sale Wednesday, and run between $20 and $40 per screening.
