It’s a convenient excuse for saving money. But broadcast networks figure to greenlight way fewer pilots this year. At the height, each network is projected to make four dramas and four comedies, and most won’t even make that many (especially comedies). A couple of networks claim they now make pilots year round. Yes, but how many and how often?
And here’s the thing: When you develop fewer pilots you wind up with a Fall schedule that crashes and burns.
How do I know? Because networks have experimented with this forever. They’ll skip pilots and go right to series, they’ll just do ten-minute presentations, etc. And they always go back to the pilot model the following development year. Why? Because every single one of those experiments have failed.
Networks box themselves into a corner. They have very little new product to choose from and when those shows tank they have nothing substantial in the pipeline to replace them with. Does this take Einstein to figure out?
So what do they think is going to be different this time? The fact that they’re all doing it and not just one network? With audiences leaving in droves anyway, is this perhaps not the time to go with a model that has historically failed? It’s almost like the plot of THE PRODUCERS.
Add to that the network and studio (usually under the same ownership) interference and the chances of even making a great pilot under these circumstances is shockingly low. “Do we need the ‘Springtime for Hitler’ production number? We don’t think so. Take it out.”
As someone who grew up on network television and made his living in network television, it pains me to see how far it’s fallen and how little they’re doing to save themselves. I’d love to see a breakout hit on one of the Big Four. It would thrill me to have people make a point to watch a particular show on the night it airs. Yes, you can watch it anytime, but if you really like it you’ll want to watch it as soon it’s available. Streaming services can’t provide that. Networks can… or at least they could. And sorry to say, at the rate they’re going they’re never going to see that again. If they want to blame the pandemic, well... it's their fault for being anti-vaxers.
from By Ken Levine
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