An Evening with Bill Lawrence & Friends
Details
If your streaming queue is basically a shrine to Scrubs, Ted Lasso, Shrinking, and whatever Bill Lawrence dreams up next, An Evening with Bill Lawrence & Friends is your Super Bowl.
This special ATX TV Festival event brings the hit-making showrunner back to Austin for a late-night hang that feels part insider masterclass, part comedy show, and part love letter to television.
When: Saturday, May 30, 2026 – doors at 9:00 pm, show at 9:30 pm
What it is: A live onstage conversation with Bill Lawrence and a rotating roster of friends and collaborators from his past and present series.
Why it matters: Lawrence is the creative force behind shows like Scrubs, Cougar Town, Spin City, Ted Lasso, Shrinking, Bad Monkey, Rooster, and more — basically, half the TV you quote with your friends.
Expect a fast, funny, and surprisingly heartfelt dive into how modern TV gets made. The conversation will roam from writers’ room chaos to on-set stories, from crafting gut-busting jokes to landing those emotional moments that punch you right in the feelings.
On the table:
- Behind-the-scenes stories from Scrubs, Ted Lasso, Shrinking, Cougar Town, Spin City, Bad Monkey, Rooster, and more
- How a showrunner actually runs a show (and stays semi-sane doing it)
- Why comedy is often the best way to talk about the serious stuff
- The evolution from network sitcoms to streaming hits
Special guests: Writers, actors, and collaborators from Bill’s shows — official lineups are still under wraps, so surprise appearances are very much in play.
Format: A loose, conversational panel with plenty of banter, stories, and likely some audience Q&A.
This year’s event also doubles as a celebration: Bill Lawrence will receive the ATX TV Festival’s 2026 Showrunner Award, honoring his massive impact on television and his reputation for fostering collaborative, supportive creative spaces. In other words, he doesn’t just make great shows; he builds great teams.
Perfect for you if:
- You’ve ever ugly-cried to a Scrubs episode and then rewatched it for the jokes
- You quote Ted Lasso like it’s a self-help book
- You’re curious how writers’ rooms actually work
- You just love hearing smart, funny people talk about the shows you binge at 2 am
Come for the comedy, stay for the storytelling craft, and leave with a whole new appreciation for the people who build your favorite TV universes. An Evening with Bill Lawrence & Friends is one of those festival nights everyone talks about later — you’ll want to be in the room when it happens.