'The Pitt' and the Return of TV Pilot Season: A Cautious Comeback
By
Michael Schneider
Crisp on the outside, thoughtful on the inside. A keeper.
Summary
The article discusses how HBO Max's 'The Pitt' is reviving nostalgia for the traditional TV pilot season format. It notes that NBC ordered eight pilots this year, signaling a return to the old primetime formula after streaming services largely abandoned the practice. However, the author cautions that this is still far from the era when broadcast networks would each order around 20 pilots per season.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledOne of the hottest trends to come out of the network upfronts this year was the return of pilot season.
NBC ordered a total of eight pilots this year — ordering half of them to series. Primetime's back, baby!
I give a ton of credit to NBC for producing pilots this year, a practice that was so maligned that the pendulum wound up going too far the other direction.
But we're still a long away from the days when the broadcast networks would each order around 20 pilots, all within a
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