Great little tidbit from The Hollywood Reporter.
They have put together a pilot blog that tracks all the developments leading up to television’s “Pilot Season.” Tracking which pilots are greenlit, which are picked up and which ones might actually go to series. They’ve been doing this for a couple of years now. Used to be that you had to read the trades and pick out all this info yourself. But now it’s all bunched together in a fragrant bouquet of future television goodness.
This is how your favorite (even your not so favorite) TV shows are born, folks.
The producers pitch their show ideas to a network, and a network can order a “pilot,” or first episode of a series as a way to see how it will all play out and whether or not the show works. Some pilots actually make it on the air where you get to see them. But that practice is not as common as it once was. Most pilots are evaluated in house or through linited screenings. Sadly, some pilots get shot, edited and then dropped by the network to never be seen again. But pilot season is where these shows see their first life.
If you are a fan of TV shows, this is a chance to take an inside look at how they get on to the air, and just how competitive that process is.
If you work in production and are looking for a job, this blog will give you hints on who to call and where you can send your resume (and if the show gets picked up, you have a shot at some steady work).
If you are a writer, you can get a heads up as to what shows may be coming, and what you may be able to write for. You can target these shows early, and know what specs to have ready for when any of these shows get picked up for writer’s “staffing season.”
not to be outdone, Variety has a pilot watch section too.
You can find it here. No flash. Just links to their own articles, indexed for your convenience.
