Pilot: Difference between revisions

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'''Jules''': Well, the way they pick the shows on TV is they make one show, and that show's called a pilot. And they show that one show to the people who pick the shows, and on the strength of that one show, they decide if they want to make more shows. Some get accepted and become TV programs, and some don't, and become nothing.|''[[Pulp Fiction]]''}}

A pilot is a "test run" of a series concept, filmed and assembled to give the network an idea of what it will look like, how it will play, and (via viewer testing) what kind of demographic it will appeal to. Usually the network will turn down the pilot. Sometimes it will throw it back to the producers and say, "try again". There are probably ten pilots made for every series that actually makes it on the air, at least in American ~~TV -- some~~ insiders have snidely claimed that Hollywood is more about making pilots than actually making shows.

A pilot is a "test run" of a series concept, filmed and assembled to give the network an idea of what it will look like, how it will play, and (via viewer testing) what kind of demographic it will appeal to. Usually the network will turn down the pilot. Sometimes it will throw it back to the producers and say, "try again". There are probably ten pilots made for every series that actually makes it on the air, at least in American TV—some insiders have snidely claimed that Hollywood is more about making pilots than actually making shows.

(The term "pilot" is used in this sense outside the entertainment industry; a "pilot plant", for example, may be a smaller-scale power plant that's used to test some new generation technology.)

Even when a show is picked up and given a timeslot, there is no guarantee that a pilot will ever reach the air. They often do, usually as the [[Premiere]]. ~~Sometimes -- usually~~ with those shows whose producers were told "try again", [[What Could Have Been|the original pilot is so different from what reached the air]] that they don't try to use it (as is the case with ''[[Gilligan's Island]]''), or they reuse it in an innovative manner later in the series. (A good example of the latter would be "The Cage", the pilot episode of ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'', which was recycled into the two-part episode "The Menagerie".)

Even when a show is picked up and given a timeslot, there is no guarantee that a pilot will ever reach the air. They often do, usually as the [[Premiere]]. Sometimes—usually with those shows whose producers were told "try again", [[What Could Have Been|the original pilot is so different from what reached the air]] that they don't try to use it (as is the case with ''[[Gilligan's Island]]''), or they reuse it in an innovative manner later in the series. (A good example of the latter would be "The Cage", the pilot episode of ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'', which was recycled into the two-part episode "The Menagerie".)

Pilots often have somewhat larger budgets than a typical episode of the series, but fewer purpose-built sets. A hospital or school or graveyard in a pilot is likely to be the real thing - no sense building an elaborate set for a pilot that probably won't be picked up. As such, if the series is picked up and purpose-built sets are built to replace these locations, then eagle-eyed viewers might be able to spot differences between the characters' base of operations from the first week to the second.

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* Following its 1975 cancellation, ''[[Jeopardy!]]'' made two pilots for a revival under original host Art Fleming. The first, in 1977, used a much different format which started off with each player playing as many questions as possible in 30 seconds apiece (with no penalty for wrong answers) before finishing off the rest of the board normally. After that, the lowest-scorer was eliminated, the two remaining contestants played an unaltered Double Jeopardy! Whoever had the higher score after this moved on to a [[Bonus Round]] with a 5x5 board, and had to get five right answers in a row within 90 seconds for a bonus or $100 per clue.

** The 1978 pilot omitted the timed portion of the first round and eliminated the time limit from the bonus round (but also ended the bonus round if three wrong answers were given). Under these radically changed rules, ''Jeopardy!'' aired just five months.

** The current Alex Trebek version, which began in 1984, also had two pilots. Both returned to the original format of straight-up answer-question gameplay that's still in use today. The first (1983) used the same set layout and music cues as the 1978 version, plus pull-card clues in the maingame and whiteboards in Final Jeopardy! like the first Fleming version and Jay Stewart announcing. The second (1984) had the familiar video wall for the maingame and light pens for the Final Jeopardy!, along with current announcer Johnny Gilbert. Both pilots, however, had much lower clue values — the first used the 1978 value of $~~25-~~$125 and $~~50-~~$150, while the second had $~~50-~~$150 and $~~100-~~$500.

** The current Alex Trebek version, which began in 1984, also had two pilots. Both returned to the original format of straight-up answer-question gameplay that's still in use today. The first (1983) used the same set layout and music cues as the 1978 version, plus pull-card clues in the maingame and whiteboards in Final Jeopardy! like the first Fleming version and Jay Stewart announcing. The second (1984) had the familiar video wall for the maingame and light pens for the Final Jeopardy!, along with current announcer Johnny Gilbert. Both pilots, however, had much lower clue values — the first used the 1978 value of $25–$125 and $50–$150, while the second had $50–$150 and $100–$500.

* ''The $10,000 [[Pyramid]]'' evolved from an unsold pilot called ''Cash on the Line'', whose bonus round became the maingame of ''Pyramid''. Supposedly, the bonus round of the unsold pilot was the only part of the format that execs liked.

** ''Pyramid'' would later have no fewer than '''ten''' pilots recorded between 1996 and 2010 that went unsold (although the last revival aired from ~~2002-04~~). Several of these pilots strayed very far from the format, including one with one celebrity for each category, one with a rock & roll format (perhaps inspired by ''Rock & Roll Jeopardy!'') and two in the late 2000s hosted by Andy Richter.

** ''Pyramid'' would later have no fewer than '''ten''' pilots recorded between 1996 and 2010 that went unsold (although the last revival aired from 2002–04). Several of these pilots strayed very far from the format, including one with one celebrity for each category, one with a rock & roll format (perhaps inspired by ''Rock & Roll Jeopardy!'') and two in the late 2000s hosted by Andy Richter.

* ''[[Wheel of Fortune]]'' had three pilots. The first (1973) was ''Shopper's Bazaar'', hosted by Chuck Woolery. It featured a vertical wheel, a much larger emphasis on prize-buying over gameplay (even in comparison to the shopping rounds used until 1989), a phone that delivered clues to the contestants, no Bankrupts, a confusing scoring system, and a way-too-easy bonus round. The second and third (1974) were much closer to what made it to air, but were hosted by a drunk Edd "Kookie" Byrnes. When the show finally made it to air in 1975, it used the Byrnes format with Chuck as host, who of course was replaced by Pat Sajak in 1981. More info on these pilots can be found [http://gscentral.net/wof/1974.htm here.]

* ''[[Match Game]]'' had one for the staid 1960s format and two for the more-familiar 1970s format (all hosted by Gene Rayburn), a week for a 1990s revival that lasted one season (Bert Convy hosted the pilot week, but his death from brain cancer forced Ross Shafer to take over when it sold), and an unsold 1996 pilot with Charlene Tilton and a radically-altered bonus round. The last one evolved into a shorter-lived 1998-99 revival hosted by Michael Burger.

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== [[Live Action TV]] ==

* ''[[Babylon 5]]'': Name a problem a [[Pilot Movie]] could have, and it's there. The creator re-edited it several years later to make it stink less. (The radical changes in characterization and the transformation of Delenn from an androgenous [[Uncanny Valley]] dweller to [[Green-Skinned Space Babe|exotically attractive female]] are the major differences.)

** The latter was required by a [[Special Effects Failure]] ~~-- Delenn~~ was originally supposed to be a ''male'' Minbari who became female as a side effect of the process that turned him into a [[Half-Human Hybrid]], but they were unable to make the male Delenn (still played by actress Mira Furlan) look and sound believable.

** The latter was required by a [[Special Effects Failure]]—Delenn was originally supposed to be a ''male'' Minbari who became female as a side effect of the process that turned him into a [[Half-Human Hybrid]], but they were unable to make the male Delenn (still played by actress Mira Furlan) look and sound believable.

* ''[[Being Human (UK)]]'': Notable in that two of the three main characters, as well as the big bad of the first season, were recast between the pilot and the start of the series.

* ''[[Bones]]'': Notable in a bad way, with dialogue that clunks like a jackhammer and lead characters that come off as completely psychotic. These problems rapidly improve in the regular episodes.

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** "Invasion of the Bane", the first episode of another [[Whoniverse]] series, ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'', aired as a stand-alone story ''like'' a pilot, but, again, the BBC had already agreed to make the first season.

* ''[[ER]]'': Written in 1974 and filmed in 1994 with only minimal changes to the script, this is an extreme example of the gap between pilots and regular episodes. A male doctor was even changed into a woman - without altering his dialogue.

** Notable also in that it ends with the suicide of a ~~character--Nurse~~ Carol ~~Hathaway--who~~ would turn up alive and well in the fall and stay with the show for six seasons.

** Notable also in that it ends with the suicide of a character—Nurse Carol Hathaway—who would turn up alive and well in the fall and stay with the show for six seasons.

* ''[[Lost]]'': One of the most expensive pilots ever made, but worth every penny for both the critical reaction and the ratings success.

** Also notable for being one of the few times "Pilot" has independently made sense as an episode title.

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** And Kramer's name is "Kessler," which was used as an [[In-Joke]] later in the series.

* ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' had two pilots, which was unusual back then. The first one ("The Cage") didn't sell because Gene Roddenberry produced a dramatic show instead of the action show he had promised. It was later worked into the two part "The Menagerie". The second pilot "Where No Man Has Gone Before" lacked Dr. McCoy and was aired (in a slightly re-edited version) as an early episode of the series.

** One of the things that changed between the pilot and the regular series was the design of the ~~Enterprise-- due~~ to the high cost of special effects and the low resolution of 60s televisions, many of the special effects shots from the pilot were re-used in the series, even though the ship looked subtly different.

** One of the things that changed between the pilot and the regular series was the design of the Enterprise—due to the high cost of special effects and the low resolution of 60s televisions, many of the special effects shots from the pilot were re-used in the series, even though the ship looked subtly different.

** By the time of the spinoffs, the franchise was so large that any pilot was pretty much guaranteed a green light for a season. In fact, ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine|Deep Space Nine]]'' was picked up for multiple seasons right off the bat.

* ''[[30 Rock]]'': Rather mediocre pilot and quite possibly the worst episode of the whole series. [[Tina Fey]] herself has said "if I never see that pilot again, it will be too soon". Also notable in that the scenes with Jenna were refilmed before it aired, [[The Other Marty|replacing Rachel Dratch with Jane Krakowski]].

** Ironically, ''[[Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip]]'', [[Dueling Shows|another NBC show that started in 2006 and takes place behind the scenes at a sketch comedy show]], is generally considered to have had a great pilot and quickly gone downhill from there.

* Incidentally, in her book ''Bossypants'', [[Tina Fey]], while proclaiming her own negative opinion of the ''30 Rock'' pilot, cited ''[[Cheers]]'' as an example of a sitcom with a great pilot.

* ''[[Kids Incorporated]]'' shot a pilot featuring most of the actors who become the first season cast but very different sets and a radically different format, using only the flimsiest of plots to link together not entire songs, but a series of medleys, mostly not by the main cast. The pilot was never aired, but it was intercut with some new footage in the form of bridging sequence with Rassan Patterson (who had not been cast for the pilot) and released as a direct-to-video feature with a framing story of how his character came to join the ~~band -- in~~ the final sequence, quite obviously filmed much later than the rest of the episode, we're offhandedly told that three members of the pilot cast had suddenly moved out of town, leading to the Kid's invitation to join the band (No similar explanation is given for Stacy and Renee, who in the pilot had clearly been meant as supporting characters rather than band-members).

* ''[[Kids Incorporated]]'' shot a pilot featuring most of the actors who become the first season cast but very different sets and a radically different format, using only the flimsiest of plots to link together not entire songs, but a series of medleys, mostly not by the main cast. The pilot was never aired, but it was intercut with some new footage in the form of bridging sequence with Rassan Patterson (who had not been cast for the pilot) and released as a direct-to-video feature with a framing story of how his character came to join the band—in the final sequence, quite obviously filmed much later than the rest of the episode, we're offhandedly told that three members of the pilot cast had suddenly moved out of town, leading to the Kid's invitation to join the band (No similar explanation is given for Stacy and Renee, who in the pilot had clearly been meant as supporting characters rather than band-members).

* ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]''' pilot was an hour and a half long, and many of the "lost" scenes and characters that didn't make it into the premiere were recycled in modified ways (the Terrorist character of The Engineer was changed to the neurotic Ted Sprague, for instance).

* The pilot of ''[[Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development]]'' was shot in an actual model home which featured an elegant sweeping curved staircase leading to a barren unfinished attic.

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** One segment that never made it into the actual show but was heavily advertised even before the street segment was set in stone was [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/The_Man_from_Alphabet "The Man from Alphabet"], a spoof of detective shows. It failed in testing due to the lesson never getting across to the kids.

* The 6 minute test pilot of ''[[Walking with Dinosaurs]]'' has never been made public in its entirety, as it was merely meant for the execs at [[BBC]] to watch and decide if they should fund the project. It featured (to modern eyes) rather crude animations of the dinosaurs ''Eustreptospondylus'' and ''Cetiosaurus'', a flock of flying ''Rhamphorhynchus'' and a swimming ''Liopleurodon'' that later gets beached. Although most of the animal designs and the special effects quality differed greatly from those in the finished product, apart from the ''Cetiosaurus'', just about every element of the pilot was carried over into the series' third episode. A few of these clips can be watched on the ''[[Walking With Monsters]]'' DVD.

* ''[[The People's Court]]'' had its first pilot episode taped in October of 1980 (a bit under a year before the first episode aired), as well as a second pilot episode which was taped in January of 1981.

* ''[[The People's Court]]'' had its first pilot episode taped in October 1980 (a bit under a year before the first episode aired), as well as a second pilot episode which was taped in January 1981.

== [[Western Animation]] ==

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* The Pilot Episode of ''[[Aqua Teen Hunger Force]]'' was 16Min instead of the usual 11. Frylock was more robotic & subservient to Shake.

** Following ATHF's success, the shelved ''[[Space Ghost Coast to Coast]]'' script ''Baffler Meal,'' featuring the original conception of the Aqua Teens was dusted off and made into [[What Could Have Been]] a [[Poorly-Disguised Pilot]] had the script been used when it was originally written. Shake is even bossier (but humorless), Frylock is a completely different design and personality with a chipper high pitched voice, and Meatwad, looking closest to the actual character is less naive and much more an exaggerated [[The Eeyore]].

* The pilot for ''[[The Ren and Stimpy Show]]'' is "Big House Blues". Unlike most pilot episodes, pretty much everything, from Ren and Stimpy's designs, voices and personalities to the animation is fine-tuned from the get-go. [[Nickelodeon~~|Nickelodeonit~~]] several times, albeit with some sexually-suggestive footage removed.

* The pilot for ''[[The Ren and Stimpy Show]]'' is "Big House Blues". Unlike most pilot episodes, pretty much everything, from Ren and Stimpy's designs, voices and personalities to the animation is fine-tuned from the get-go. [[Nickelodeon]]it several times, albeit with some sexually-suggestive footage removed.

* The Pilot Episode of ''[[The Drinky Crow Show]]'' is the only episode not in HD.

* ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]'': The famous opening sequence where Batman foils some bank robbers is similar in the general style of their animated pitch.