Pilots That Don't Fly -- What Happens to the Shows?

Remember the live-action pilot for The Tick produced by Barry Sonnenfeld, based on the animated character? How about the Ben Stiller-produced Heat Vision & Jack, a terminally hip action parody? And, what about David Lynch's Mulholland Drive, starring an eclectic cast including Ann Miller? None of these shows sound familiar? That's not surprising since none of these TV pilots ever aired in the U.S.

Each year in the U.S., TV networks, studios and producers dump cash into pilots that could be the next West Wing, Will & Grace or CSI. Of course, they could also be the next Tick.

Studio representatives don't want to talk about pilots that weren't picked up by the U.S. TV networks. They won't even put calls through to the producers. But there is great fan interest in those shows.

Lee Goldberg, television writer and producer, authored the definitive work on the subject Unsold Television Pilots 1955 through 1988, published by McFarland and Company Inc. in 1990. The book chronicles over 3,000 unsold (not necessarily unaired) pilots. It now needs an update.

So what happens to those commissioned yet unsold pilots? "Most times, nothing," Goldberg exclaimed. "Many shot pilots are never seen on TV. There was the era when busted pilots would get a one-time shot in the summer, the time when networks burned off their unsold pilots.

Are all unsold pilots basically junk? "Not at all," Goldberg replied. "While there are some absolutely awful shows that never make it on air, there are also some very intriguing ones. Recent examples are The Invisible Man pilot ... not the show currently airing on The Sci Fi channel. This one starred Kyle Maclachlan and was produced by Law & Order's Dick Wolf. The updated Hawaii 50 with Gary Busey was also intriguing." So after all that time, money and energy ... "the studios just write off the cost. It's really no different from Halston throwing out dress designs that don't work. All industries spend money on R and D (research and development); the only difference is that TV airs its R and D so everyone knows about it!"

Do any of these unsold pilots ever air? "Just a few months ago NBC aired a TV movie called Semper Fi. It was actually an unsold pilot Steven Speilberg did a few years ago. Often a pilot just airs as a regular episode of a pre-existing series. Spin-offs are the easiest way to get a green-light for a new series. That's why there are so many of them. To the veteran TV viewer, a discarded pilot masquerading as something else is pretty easy to spot.

The studios and networks may want to forget these pilots but according to Goldberg, "most writers and producers will gladly tell you about their aborted babies. Even the most successful writers have unsold pilots in their pasts, and many have a particular favorite that didn't make it on air. They'll be happy to tell you why that was wrong." The son of a television news anchor and a gossip columnist, Goldberg began his writing career as a reporter, then broke into television by co-authoring a script with Bill Rabkin for a Spenser: for Hire episode. He is now a writer and producer, working on such series as Diagnosis: Murder and Martial Law.

"I'll tell you about my failed pilots," Goldberg offered. "I penned a pilot called "The Chief," which aired as a Diagnosis Murder episode. It starred Fred Dryer as the chief of L.A. Police, a tough, charismatic leader who brings the department under control through sheer force of will. Unfortunately, it didn't work. Diagnosis Murder targets a very specific audience and we were actually trying for a different demographic. I also wrote a pilot called "If You Knew Sammy," which aired as an episode of Spenser: for Hire about a cowardly con-man.

Unsold pilots can go on to great acclaim. "The short film My Diary starring Bebe Neuwirth won an Oscar a few years back. It was originally a pilot. Miami Vice producer Michael Mann shot a pilot called L.A. Take Down. When it wasn't picked up, he turned it into his movie Heat with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Besides the actors, he barely changed a thing!" The award-winning Heat Vision and Jack pilot initially rejected by Fox is reportedly being made into a feature film of the same name.

Some pilots initially rejected by one network are later picked up by another. CBS rejected a pilot called Law & Order for the 1988-1989, season but NBC picked it up for 1990-1991. A new pilot with the same cast was shot, and the original pilot ultimately aired as a regular episode later in the series. Another famous example is the original Star Trek pilot "The Cage" starring Jeffrey Hunter as the Enterprise's Captain Pike. Hunter and the rest of the cast (save Leonard Nimoy) got the ax, but the second Star Trek pilot starring William Shatner as Captain Kirk was picked up. "The original pilot of Perfect Strangers starred Louie Anderson in the role that eventually went to Mark Linn-Baker. The original Gilligan's Island pilot also boasted a somewhat different cast," Goldberg continued.

The list of unsold pilots seems endless. The book TV Creators (reviewed on pg. 18) reveals how prevalent this phenomenon is. The tragedy of unsold pilots is a subject close to the hearts of international TV buyers. Programmers often become excited about a prospective series from reading the synopsis, then are disappointed when the show does not become a product that can be purchased.