For years, there have been trends cropping up surrounding network TV that have all but become the Grim Reaper for a long-held aspect of the network lifecycle. While some networks have been able to adapt to the changing landscape of television, viewers have had to adjust to the changes that have come with the addition of streaming platforms into the proverbial mix.
For the last several decades, network TV’s format has taken the same form year after year. New shows have been given pilot orders, which are filmed and tested before being given a season order or moving ahead without being picked up. While this process tended to be more difficult for creatives to work through, getting a pilot picked up meant a network believed in it.
Pilot season, which typically ran from January to April of each year, saw a bunch of shows working through their beginnings with only some making it to the next chapter. As a cornerstone of network TV development, viewers knew that pilot season was the make or break marker of a soon-to-be series, and could cement new shows and new stars.
While the last ten years have been difficult in general for network TV with the rise of streaming shows, pilot season has been a particularly difficult piece of the puzzle to figure out. With the days of the once-predictable pilot season effectively over, things are changing quickly within the world of network TV. Now, getting a pilot order is more concerning than celebratory.
The Network TV Pilot Season Is A Thing Of The Past
It’s Phasing Out For Most Networks
Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw crouching with a gun in Tracker season 2
TV patterns have been changing over the last few years, specifically within network TV, as technology and demand has created a more free-flowing cycle. While network TV still exists, pilot seasons themselves have changed, and the way networks connect with viewers, advertisers, and creatives have all shifted in the newest era of TV production. Especially in the wake of 2023’s strikes, networks have a more flexible approach.
In 2023, after the WGA and SAG-AFTRA both went on strike, Hollywood as it had been came to a grinding halt. Changing the game entirely, the strike made it difficult to get anything done, especially creating a new series. Networks switched their formats to accommodate the strikes, embracing year-round development approaches to content, which ousted annual pilot seasons in favor of flexibility.
Most Network Shows Greenlit As Pilots Never Get Picked Up To Series Now
Networks Aren’t Betting On Pilots, They’re Looking For Full Seasons
While shopping a pilot around used to be a major stepping stone in getting a series order, today, most networks aren’t looking for pilots to place their bets on. Instead, networks are more interested in greenlighting a series order, keeping pilots out of the mix. Before the strikes and the COVID-19 pandemic, networks were commissioning roughly 60 pilots a season, but that’s dwindled down to around 15.
While there have been a lot of high-concept shows full of impressive talent to come out of the streaming era, the difficulties that have stemmed from the way pilot season has collapsed are going to continue to present themselves on network TV for years to come. Rather than having a testing ground for new shows, networks are being more conservative about what they choose to air.
Though getting network TV shows greenlit with a series order does still mean that new shows are being created, it’s become clear that networks are looking for less risky projects to put their money into. Network TV’s quiet elimination of pilot season is a sign that the space for high-risk, high-reward shows has moved over to streaming, which could be a tough blow for network in the future.
Recent Pilots That Got Series Orders Have Been Hits, But Most Haven't
Although There’s Some Success To The New Model, It’s Mostly Failure
Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw looking pensive in a still from Tracker season 2, episode 15.
Throughout the last several years, networks have been far more conservative about what they’re choosing to greenlight, and what’s making it to a series order. Putting their eggs into baskets with high profile names attached, proven formulas, and viewer-approved concepts, networks are trying to limit the possibility of failure. Unfortunately, it’s been tough to find winning shows with the new model.
Sadly, the near-elimination of pilot season has made it so that series without some sort of ace in the hole are being more overlooked than ever, while networks choose to play it safe with things they feel are safe bets. Shows picked up to pilots are now more likely to fade into the background than become a series in the future, bringing network TV to a crossroads.
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