NBC’s surprising return to its traditional pilot season may be making some TV people feel nostalgic. But despite the desire to turn the clock back to a more fruitful era in network TV history, this isn’t an exact replica of past pilot seasons.
Peacock Network has so far ordered six pilots (five dramas and one comedy) for 2026, and sources say more orders are planned. Even with six already scheduled, this is the most pilots NBC has ordered since pre-COVID-19 and doubles the number of pilots ordered in 2025.
But actors, don’t book your pilot season apartment at Burbank Oakwood just yet. First, there’s no indication that NBC or other broadcast networks will completely abandon the year-round development model they’ve adopted in favor of a regular pilot season. Before the streaming revolution, the Big Four had ordered, crewed, cast and shot more than 50 pilots in the months leading up to May’s upfront. The situation is not completely back to normal, but NBC is keen to continue working within the normal pilot window.
According to NBC executives who spoke with Variety, the network wants to return more to the pilot season model. This is the first year that external factors such as the coronavirus and the 2023 double strike did not impact the ability to welcome pilots within the traditional time frame.
“There’s a reason this process has worked so well for so long, and we’re still very committed to it,” an NBC executive said.
Almost all of the pilots NBC has ordered this winter have problems with police procedurals. It also includes NBC’s only comedy pilot, an untitled PI single-cam from “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” alums Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici.
NBC’s drama pilots include a reboot of “The Rockford Files.” “What the Dead Know” is about a death investigator from Wolf Entertainment, directed by Dick Wolf. and “Puzzled,” the story of a brain-damaged star athlete who becomes a crime-solving expert.
Even one (slight) outlier, “Protection,” from writers Josh Safran and Jenna Bush Hager, is about a law enforcement family targeted by a mysterious assassin.
In recent years, demand for high-budget, highly serialized works has been sluggish, so demand for weekly time slots has increased recently. NBC’s current lineup is dominated by procedurals, including two “Law & Order” shows and the “One Chicago” drama.
Regarding the enduring power of procedurals, an NBC executive said, “You can dip into something that has a really satisfying beginning, middle, and end…and that’s very appealing. Or you can watch five seasons in a row without leaving your couch, and that’s very appealing.”
NBC isn’t the only company hiring pilots based on traditional pre-booking calendars. ABC is preparing a spinoff, The Rookie, starring Jay Ellis and a comedy starring Rachel Bloom. CBS has the comedy “Eternally Yours” from the “Ghosts” team and “Regency” with Tara Hernandez. (As we knew, Fox is still avoiding pilot season).
Like many other aspects of the TV industry that have been unfairly maligned in the streaming era, series pilots can be a valuable tool for evaluating the potential of a TV series. The pilots mostly fell by the wayside as everyone started following the “order first, work out the details later” Netflix model.
But now even streamers are relying more on pilots. Hulu (and primarily John Landgraf’s FX team) has ordered several pilots recently, while HBO Max is deep into pilots for the Greg Berlanti, Bash Dolan, and Robbie Rogers cop drama “American Blue” and family drama “How to Survive Without Me.”
And then, you know, there’s Netflix, the streamer that helped explode the network strategy. Netflix has largely avoided pilots in its development process. However, after ordering a pilot in early 2025, the A Different World sequel series was recently set to air. In the world of television, maybe the world isn’t so different after all.
