# 2014 TV Pilots-Flying high, or crash landing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 20, 2014, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-tv-pilots-flying-high-or-crash-landing/681806 "2014-02-20T17:29:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2014, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-tv-pilots-flying-high-or-crash-landing/681806/1 "2014-02-20T17:29:20Z")
_Variety_ has come out with [a list of proposed television shows for the upcoming season.](http://variety.com/cable-tv-pilot-season-list-network-scorecard/#networktype-1/page-1) More repetitive dreck than usual, in my opinion, but _iZombie_ looks interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2014, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-tv-pilots-flying-high-or-crash-landing/681806/2 "2014-02-20T19:22:25Z")
No one interested in either the CSI or NCIS spinoffs? How about the animated _Gilligan’s Island_ remake? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2014, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-tv-pilots-flying-high-or-crash-landing/681806/3 "2014-02-20T21:01:12Z")
The “Supernatural” spinoff could be good. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2014, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-tv-pilots-flying-high-or-crash-landing/681806/4 "2014-02-20T21:09:25Z")
That’s a lot of shows. How does this work exactly - are these the shows where the network will pay for a pilot to be produced before deciding on whether to go on with the project? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2014, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-tv-pilots-flying-high-or-crash-landing/681806/5 "2014-02-20T21:11:42Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > That’s a lot of shows. How does this work exactly - are these the shows where the network will pay for a pilot to be produced before deciding on whether to go on with the project? Pretty much for most of them, yes. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2014, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-tv-pilots-flying-high-or-crash-landing/681806/6 "2014-02-20T21:38:53Z")
Katherine Heigl’s show, _State of Affairs_, is going to crash for sure. It’s a cross between _Homeland_ and _Scandal_! And co-produced by Heigl. An unoriginal show, with an actress who destroyed her fan base and has a terrible track record as a producer. (_One for the Money_ anyone?) And trying to imitate _Scandal_, which is produced by the same people as her former employers at _Grey’s Anatomy_? Nice touch. (OTOH, I thought _Brooklyn Nine-Nine_ would be cold and dead by now.) ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-tv-pilots-flying-high-or-crash-landing/681806/7 "2014-02-21T16:37:54Z")
Galavant sounds like James Marsden’s character from Enchanted. Sea of Fire sounds like it could be interested. I might like Hieroglyph, I like me some historical drama. Interest in Salvation depends if they go for scandalous drama or try to play it 7th Heaven-style. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2014, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-tv-pilots-flying-high-or-crash-landing/681806/8 "2014-02-21T18:50:22Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > That’s a lot of shows. How does this work exactly - are these the shows where the network will pay for a pilot to be produced before deciding on whether to go on with the project? Exactly. They will shoot many pilot series and then they are screened before random groups of people and rated. Those that score the highest are (usually) picked up for a series order. Sometimes they might re-shoot a pilot if they think there is promise; perhaps changing the actors or fiddling with the script or basic premise. This is more common if there is a “name actor” involved and they don’t want to lose the chance to hire them. My guess is The Michael J. Fox Show and Sean Saves The World were two shows last season that might not have gotten rave reviews by test audiences, but NBC couldn’t resist hiring Michael J. Fox and Sean Hayes. (Sean Saves The World has since been cancelled and I think they haven’t decided to keep keep Fox’s show yet.) ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2014, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-tv-pilots-flying-high-or-crash-landing/681806/9 "2014-02-21T19:11:20Z")
That’s a lot of single camera comedies. I’m kind of surprised. Is that typical for there to be so many (and presumably rejected?) and this stage? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-tv-pilots-flying-high-or-crash-landing/681806/10 "2014-02-22T02:04:20Z")
_The Visitors_ (ABC) could be good. Based on “Zero Hour” by Ray Bradbury. It’s short–needed to be padded to put on radio–but with interesting ideas. Could be fun. The rest? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-tv-pilots-flying-high-or-crash-landing/681806/11 "2014-02-22T02:29:11Z")
Supernatural: Tribes > [@](#): > > A spin-off of SUPERNATURAL that will explore the clashing hunter and monster cultures of Chicago. The _what the what_ now? Maybe it’d help if I ever saw Supernatural.