Dropping Pilots

[Geekyfanboy]

Hey Rico.. you mentioned the lack of pilots in your latest podcast... Well looks like NBC is going one step further.

NBC To Stop Producing Pilot Shows

Source: © BBC

US network NBC is to stop making pilot episodes of TV series - a move that could change how new US shows are made.

The networks spend millions of dollars each year turning scripts into single episodes to test audience reaction.

But NBC Universal chief executive Jeff Zucker thinks he can save $50m (£25.6m) each year by scrapping them.

"We will still market those scripted series. We are just going to go straight to air with them and cut out the pilots," he said.

The move has partly been prompted by the writers' strike, which has led studios to scale back on new productions because of a lack of scripts.

Soaring costs

The cost of producing a pilot has soared over the last three years from $3 million to $7 million.

Last year NBC commissioned eight new drama series after pilots were produced. The system is supposed to weed out failures.

"I think there were a tremendous number of inefficiencies in Hollywood and it often takes a seismic event to change them, and I think that's what's happened here," Mr Zucker told the Financial Times.

Among the shows dropped by NBC after one series is Journeyman, a time-travel series featuring Scottish star Kevin McKidd.

The future of Bionic Woman - starring former EastEnders actress Michelle Ryan - is uncertain after it suffered low ratings. Only eight episodes were aired before the writers' strike affected production.

NBC says it will still commission one or two pilots a year, but other series will go straight into production. It is not clear whether other studios will follow.

[Darth Gaos]

So Journeyman is officially dead?    Lame. 

[Rico]

It was basically canceled - yes.  There are some save "Journeyman" efforts going on.  Do a search for them on the forum. 

As far as pilots, that's too bad.  I still think they should be using the power of the internet and testing some concepts out or something.  Going straight to series sounds like a bad idea.

[billybob476]

Everyone will turn into Fox.

"Let's hype this series like there's no tomorrow!"

"Uhhh..ratings are ok and might get better with time. Should we give the show a chance? Naw, cancel it."

[jedijeff]

I agree that they should be able to gauge interests of a show better then they do at times and leverage the internet to do so.

They still need to give Journeyman another shot