2026 Sound & Screen Television: Lineup, Panelists, More

The latest edition of Deadline’s Sound & Screen Television event is underway Wednesday evening, bringing into focus one of the most vital and yet often unseen elements of storytelling: music. From sweeping, orchestral themes to more intimate, character-driven pieces, a project’s score and songs are integral parts of the puzzle when it comes to shaping how audiences connect with what they see on screen.

Sound & Screen, which has quickly become one of Deadline’s most popular events, is back at UCLA’s Royce Hall for the 2026 edition, featuring another fantastic lineup of musicians and their scores from this year’s most striking television offerings, with the music performed live with the backing of a full orchestra.

This year’s roster is an excellent one. We’ve got Jeff Russo, a founder of Tonic and previous member of Low Stars, who is the composer behind FX’s Alien: Earth; as well as Emmy-winning composer and musician Amanda Jones, who is behind the sound of Apple TV’s Murderbot. Siddhartha Khosla will also join us onstage to showcase his score for Imperfect Women starring Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington and Kate Mara.

Netflix is in the house tonight with two shows: Beef and Wednesday. Finneas O’Connell, who has already won two Oscars, two Golden Globes and 11 Grammys, is the mastermind behind the score for the much anticipated second season of Beef, and he’ll outline his approach for us this evening in front of the packed house of awards-season voters. Meanwhile, two-time Emmy nominee Chris Bacon, whose credits include Source Code, Heretic and Alpha and Omega, will talk how he’s built on Wednesday‘s gothic score for the show’s latest season.

Renowned composer Jeff Beal, whose credits include House of Cards and The Newsroom, is also in the building, where he’ll walk us through the process of writing the music for Peacock’s hit All Her Fault that stars Sarah Snook and Dakota Fanning.

Meanwhile, Christopher Lennertz and Matt Bowen are returning this year to talk about their approach to composing the score for Prime Video’s wild superhero series The Boys, while Tyler Strickland will walk us through the emotional journey of scoring John Candy: I Like Me, which explores the life and legacy of the iconic Canadian funnyman.

Breton Vivian, who earned an Emmy nomination for his prominent work on Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone, also returns this year to talk composing Sheridan’s follow-up Paramount+ series The Madison.

HBO Max series The Pitt is coming off the back of winning the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series, and composers Gavin Brivik and Andrew Bird are on hand to break down crafting the show’s original song “Need Someone.”

And last, but certainly not least, David Archuleta, Sophie Rose and Michael Blum are here to talk about their original song “Wish That You Were Me” for Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building.

Check back Thursday for our Sound & Screen coverage, and on Monday when Deadline launches the event’s streaming site featuring all the panel videos. In the meantime, here’s the full lineup of who’s hitting the stage.