Television pilot

A television pilot is the first episode of an intended television series. It is usually longer than normal episodes (often twice the normal length) and is intended to get network programming executives, and later the public, interested in the series. However, pilots are rarely fair examples of what a "normal episode" of a series is like, since they usually set the general background and tell the origin story for the series (e.g., if the series is about two angry roommates, the pilot will probably show how they met).

Origins of a pilot episode

The concept for a pilot is generally "pitched" to network executives by a producer or writer. If interested, the network will fund the writing of a script. This may happen 50 times in a particular year. At this point various stakeholders at the network propose changes, and rewrites occur to satisfy those demands. If a project is unable to meet these changes, it will often be shelved or enter "development hell", a period of perpetual rewrites and recasting that lasts until the pilot is deemed completed or the producers give up on the project.

Related Topics:
Producer - Writer - Development hell

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If the script for a pilot has satisfied the stakeholders at the network and is sufficiently exciting, then the production of the pilot itself can begin. On average, about 10% of the scripts commissioned by Hollywood networks actually get to the production stage.

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