Television Pilots Get New Life on YouTube

Have you heard of a television pilot for the coming fall season that you were stoked about, only to find out that it didn't get picked up by a network? The odds are good that you have, because, of the fifty-four sitcoms ordered up by the major networks, only a few actually made the fall schedule. So, what happens to the ones that didn't make the cut?

It used to be that these sitcoms, along with their hour-long drama counterparts, just went off to TV show heaven, relegated to a warehouse on some big studio lot, never to be seen or heard from again. That's no longer the case. With the success of such online media spots as MySpace, YouTube, and BitTorrent, television pilots that didn't make the cut with the networks are still finding their way to the public.

In the past few years, as these file-sharing sites have taken off, disgruntled creative types, who have been snubbed by the networks, have flocked to the internet to share their visions with the world. A few of these shows have found a fan base on the web, prompting changes of heart for some network executives, and often leaving other execs red-faced.

When the adaptation of Global Frequency, the graphic novel inked by Warren Ellis, failed to find a home with the WB, who had initially ordered the show's pilot, the show's creator and writer, John Rogers, took the show to the internet, releasing it on BitTorrent. The episodes found a wide fan base with the online audience.

WB also passed on a series by the producing team of the popular NBC sitcom, Scrubs. The creators put their failed show pilot out on YouTube for free consumption, and created some specially crafted episodes just for the web. The response of the public, and the over fourteen million viewers drawn by the new material, elicited a favorable response from network executives at NBC. This failed show may now get a second chance at prime time.

When a show isn't picked up by a network, it can be better for the creators than if the show made the lineup, only to be yanked a short time later. When a show isn't picked up, the production company retains the rights to the show, meaning that we, as consumers, have the opportunity to see what the networks passed on. When shows do make the primetime lineup for a period of time, they may not last long. These days, networks are incredibly quick to drop a sitcom or drama that takes too long to build an audience, even despite critical raves. For instance, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which is making its exit with a few final episodes on NBC. When a show is picked up by a network and then goes off the air, the studio now owns all rights to the show, which means that any remaining episodes and the show's premise are lost for as long as the studio owns the copyright.

So, if you want to check out some pilots that the networks passed on, surf through YouTube, MySpace, and BitTorrent for failed pilots of the 2007 season. Catch them now, before they become popular and a network decides to scoop them up. Once a network gets its hands on them, you may never see these shows again. You can find one, the Happy Madison produced pilot, Gay Robot, at http://www.myspace.com/gayrobot.