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A TV pilot is the first episode of a potential series used to test if the idea is viable and marketable. Networks finance the production and use test audiences to gauge interest. Sometimes pilots are held back or changed before a series is produced. Some pilots are longer than regular episodes and some are called backdoor pilots.
A television pilot is a scripted and filmed “first episode” of an anticipated series. It is usually used to test whether an idea for a TV show is viable and marketable. Often a pilot will never air because no network shows interest in the project. Sometimes one network will produce a pilot and another network will “pick up” the show and air it, because the original production network isn’t interested in that.
There is significant competition to actually get airtime for a series. Typically a network greenlights writers and producers and will finance the production of a television pilot. Occasionally, a pilot is produced by non-network individuals and is then distributed to the networks to see if there is interest.
If a network expresses interest in the TV pilot, it can use test audiences to see how likely the pilot is likely to be liked, before committing to producing a series. If a test audience responds favorably to the pilot, the network may choose to create a series, which expands on the premise of the pilot.
Occasionally a TV pilot is held back for a while as the networks scramble to produce popular shows. This can have some interesting results, for example, changes in cast, directors or writers. Most notable are pilots that air and then change something significant, such as a cast member, in future episodes. For example, the Waltons first chose Patricia Neal as their mother. Episodes after the pilot cast Michael Learned as Mama.
Sometimes a TV pilot becomes a starting point for turning things around on a potential series. In the first episode of The CosShow, the Huxtables had four children, not five. Eldest daughter Sondra wasn’t introduced to the show until season one.
A television pilot is usually known to be much longer than regular series episodes. Some pilots for dramas can last two hours. A typical comedy pilot can be an hour long. The longer treatment of the topic allows the network to conclude whether the show can have merit. The networks aren’t always right, however.
Some TV pilots are called backdoor pilots instead. They can be, for example, a miniseries, which proves so popular that it is made into a series, as is the case with The 4400. Other times a popular show will introduce characters who may later have their own series if the reaction to them is favorable .
