unaired pilots (1 Viewer)

[FrosteyV]

I believe the Lyle Waggoner test footage is included in the "Return to the Batcave" special that aired a few years ago.

 

[SilverWook]

Is there a reason why unsold pilots aren't aired during the summer months anymore?
It was always interesting seeing shows that sometimes looked better than what the networks actually thought would be hits.

 

[Derek Miner]

Several people have mentioned the longer length of the unaired pilots compared to the eventual aired episodes. I think this is pretty common to all pilots. Almost any pilot I've seen outside of a regular broadcast has been longer than a typical half-hour or one-hour format.

Also, I will point out that Sony has started selling unaired pilots on iTunes as a kind of series. Last I checked, there were two different pilots with Dane Cook involved, an attempt at turning "Not Another Teen Movie" into a show and a couple other things.

 

[Charles Ellis]

Boy, does that bring back memories- I always looked forward to seeing the unsold pilots each summer to see what might have been. Mind you, a great deal of TV movies made in the 70s were basically 2-hour pilots. Remember, this is how shows like Charlie's Angels, The Waltons, and The Love Boat got started. If the networks (or show producers) had brains, they could easily dump those pilots on cable networks like Lifetime, TBS, TNT, TV Land, and The Hallmark Channel.

 

[Mary_P]

*sigh* I miss Trio. They did some really interesting programming. A few years ago, they aired a bunch of unsold pilots as part of a special week (or so) of programming. Unsold pilots based on successful movies included Edie Falco in "Fargo," Kiefer Sutherland in "L.A. Confidential," James Spader in "Diner" and Louis Gossett Jr in "Black Bart," a TV version of "Blazing Saddles." (I think this was included in the recent DVD re-issue of the movie, wasn't it?) Lots of other interesting stuff featuring well-known stars. Check out this thread:

Trio Airing Unsold Pilots, Labor Day Week - rec.arts.tv | Google Groups

 

[johnnybear]

I wish they'd released the US pilot version of Ultraviolet as an extra on the existing DVD release!!! Anything more is always worth a watch as i loved the six part series from 1998!
JB

 

[ScottRE]

I love unaired pilots. It's always interesting to me to see the process from sale to air. Some shows have drastically different casts and edits other just some music and tightening.

 

[John Sparks]

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