Think of the Paley Center for Media's early January announcement regarding PaleyFest as the compelling teaser at the end of an episode that promises what's ahead for your favorite TV characters.
But the reveal, which comes soon after the new year starts, doesn't tell the whole story; instead, television fans learn of a few shows ready for their Dolby Theatre centerstage spotlight. It gets people jazzed, and talking, and by the time the full curtain is pulled back two weeks later, buzz has built.
And the Paley Center pulled the proverbial curtain back on Tuesday, Jan. 20, revealing a flurry of new to new-ish series. Joining "Scandal" and "The Good Wife" during the mid-March multi-night run are "Jane the Virgin," "Outlander," "Key & Peele," and "Broad City," just to name a few.
A few more: "American Horror Story: Freak Show" and "Workaholics." Plus? "Teen Wolf." Plus? "Glee."
If you're rubbing your chin right now and acquiring a thinky face as you attempt to recall what the deal is regarding the 32-year-old PaleyFest is, it is just this: Cast members sit in chairs next to tables holding little bottles of water on a stage and answer questions from a moderator and the audience.
So, you bet: It's the Super Bowl for TV fans, or the Comic-Con International for lovers of the small screen, or some other big thing that compares nicely to the very big thing PaleyFest has become. The venue bears it out: While the Paley Center for Media, which is in Beverly Hills, couldn't hold the crowds that show, the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, home to the Oscars, can.
Tickets, you can guess, go as fast as "The Flash" (another show on the 2015 PaleyFest line-up). And there's a lot to know about pre-sales, passes, members-first dealies, and such. If your show is in the line-up, and you must, must, mustmustmust see it, this is the moment to think about membershiping-up with the Paley Center.
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It's pretty nifty and nostalgic beyond its biggest, flashiest event, so consider that.
And consider this: Stars do show up, in droves, or drove-y type bunches, if they can and they're not on a set somewhere, and series creators appear, too. No-shows are fairly rare or at least well-explained. You'll see big people from your big show, and you won't even need to be holding your remote.
