One of the hottest trends to arrive at networks this year was the return of pilot season. NBC has ordered a total of eight pilots this year, half of which have been ordered to series. Prime time is back, baby!
Okay, let’s contain our excitement. I give a lot of credit to NBC for producing a pilot this year. This practice was so maligned that the pendulum swung too far in the other direction as networks and streamers began to avoid the practice almost completely. But the days when each broadcast network orders about 20 pilots each within a few months over the winter are still a long way off. This was an insane practice, as each network competed for the same limited number of cast and crew members and had to have projects in orderable form by May.
Still, I miss it. I miss the cycle of covering screenplays in the fall, trying to find a lease on a monthly Burbank apartment in January for aspiring actors to star in one of 100 pilots, and then parsing out the buzz when a network screens the completed project. Just before the pre-presentation, it was practically a sport to follow rumors about what programs would be broadcast and where.
It was a habit that unfortunately has been lost. ABC picked up only two new series this year (no pilots), but is congratulating itself for renewing its entire prime-time schedule for the first time in its history. (In 2026, where much of the schedule is sports and reality, that’s an easy feat.) CBS staggered its ordering, avoiding regular testing cycles. Fox exited the pilot industry a while ago. Thanks, NBC, for at least trying to bring a little nostalgia to this area.
There was an art to how the show was developed and launched. If successful, entire seasons (usually 22 episodes) were aired weekly from September to May, with repeats, of course. New episodes were released like clockwork, creating a comfortable schedule that we all share as TV viewers.
Honestly, this is one of the reasons why the media, critics, and TV executives continue to be excited about HBO Max’s “The Pit.” The John Wells/Noah Wyle medical drama became an instant hit in its first season, riding the wave to even winning an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series. In the second year, the praise and attention became even more intense. Some would argue that the fandom went a little too far, too much. But “The Pit” means so much to the industry right now, and with the 15-episode series filmed in Los Angeles, airing weekly and scheduled to air each January, its prospects for winning the award are unstoppable.
Few things are certain at the Emmy Awards, but you should definitely not bet on “The Pit” for the time being. For those of us who have been covering TV shows since the original “Emergency Room” began airing (actually, to be fair, I only missed the first season since I didn’t start my career until June 1995), there’s a lot of deja vu about how “The Pit” became a weekly publication as well.
The binge vs. weekly debate became old a long time ago. But the success of “The Pit” and how excited we get when a new episode airs every week reminds me of the way I watched TV in the 1990s. We may not need another pilot season, but I’m definitely looking forward to the return of “must-see TV.”
