Since the dawn of television, pilots have ruled networks. Pilots are the first episode of any television show. This introduction to the audience matters a ton because you want to ingratiate the viewers, so they tune in week after week.
Today we're going to go over a traditional pilot season and talk about how the rise of streaming and cable services has altered the idea.
I mean, is there even a pilot season anymore?
Let's go.
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What Is A Pilot?
A TV Pilot is a stand-alone episode of a series that is used to sell the series to a network. The pilot will run on television as the first episode of the series if it's picked up.
The Cost Of Pilot Production
Because producing a pilot requires building brand-new sets, designing custom wardrobes, casting from scratch, and hiring key department heads, shooting a single pilot can cost double or triple the per-episode budget of a regular series episode.
That high financial risk is a big reason why networks try to be so selective when ordering pilots.
Sometimes, to manage those massive costs, platforms will shoot a pilot presentation instead.
What's A Pilot Presentation?
A pilot presentation is a shorter 10-to-15-minute proof-of-concept reel that tests tone, chemistry, and visual style without spending the full budget on a complete episode.
When Is Pilot Season?
Network pilot season typically runs from January to April of a given year. This is when major networks decide which of the pilot scripts they're purchased will be cast, shot, and given a series order.
However, that is actually just the middle leg of a much longer yearly calendar cycle:
- Pitch Season (August–October): Writers and producers pitch their show ideas across town to network executive teams.
- Script Pickup Season (November–December): Networks select which pitches get ordered to script.
- Pilot Greenlights (January): Networks pick which finished scripts actually get ordered to pilot.
- Pilot Season (January–April): Pilot scripts are cast, shot, and edited.
- Upfronts (May): Final series pick-ups are decided and announced.
Has It Always Worked Like This?
Back in the day, they would put these finished pilots on TV and see who watched what. They would even buy ten shows, shoot ten pilots, and then sit in a room and maybe pick the best three to put to air.
That means there were a lot of pilots shot and then never saw the light of day.
Now things run a little differently.
They may buy a lot of pilot scripts, but they're not shooting them all. They're usually only shooting the ones they'll take to series.
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Actors And Pilot Season
At this time, actors also get a lot of auditions during this period.
Why?
Because each new show needs a new cast. This is an excellent time for actors to get paid. And if their show is a hit, they might be in for a life-changing opportunity.
During peak network pilot season, networks used to place key actors under "holding deals." These were contracts that paid talent a retainer fee to lock them down exclusively while executives decided whether to pick up the show. This kept actors from signing onto rival projects during those crucial spring months.
But now that pilot season has changed, and people are shooting TV shows year-round, there are a lot more auditions, and they're not all concentrated in the same four months.
That can make life easier for actors in some ways, but there are also not as many opportunities as there were during pilot season.
We're still seeing how all this will evolve with the rise of streamers.
So how can you prepare?
Write a bunch of pilots. Or get your acting reel ready.
Or just make a ton of popcorn, because there's going to be a lot to watch.
Network Pilot Season
Typically, Networks buy dozens of projects every year and whittle their list down to the ones they think have the best shot to stay on the air. Since broadcast TV is still ruled by commercials, they need pilots that get people to stay and not change channels.
To lock in hot projects or high-profile creators, networks sometimes issue different types of commitments before a frame is even shot:
- Put Pilot: A contract where the network agrees to pay a massive financial penalty to the studio if the pilot does not actually air. It's a huge show of faith that almost guarantees a project gets made.
- Straight-to-Series (STS) Order: The network bypasses the pilot stage entirely, committing upfront to order a full 8-to-13-episode season based solely on the script, pitch, or attached A-list talent.
The more great shows they have, the more they can schedule them in order. That way, people don't change channels, and they can sell more ad space.
This matters because the shows you pick up need to retain viewers throughout their run and generate ad revenue.
The reason it runs from January till April is that most TV shows debut in the fall. So Networks use the beginning of the year to cast, hire writers, and begin to stockpile scripts so that the pilots they pick can premiere on time.
But how do they choose which pilots make it to series?
The Upfronts.
What Are Upfronts?
In May, after the pilot season has whittled down what shows Networks want to pursue moving forward, Upfronts happen. Upfronts are when the Networks head to New York during the last weeks in May.
This still happens, though it is less popular than it was back in the day.
And now, a lot of game shows and reality shows are sold there, too.
They begin to announce their Fall schedules and add launch dates of their new shows. These announcements usually have clips or trailers to get people excited about them. This has taken off in the digital era, where these clips are shareable on Social Media.
The other part of Upfronts is the casualty section. It's when fans realize that some of their favorite shows may be entering their last season or not coming back at all.
I remember mailing Mars Bars to UPN to try to save Veronica Mars. That was my first Upfronts experience. It changed my life.
'Veronica Mars' Credit: UPN
Upfronts Schedule
So why did the Networks choose May for Upfronts? It's based on advertising history. Again, commercial television makes its money through advertisers. Lots of those ads are about cars. New cars usually debut in the fall and need commercials at that time.
Thus, new TV also debuts in the fall. The season was born out of advertising, and still rules network TV today. But times are changing.
But what about streaming and cable?
Streaming Pilot Season
So pilot season has changed drastically since the rise of the streamers. In fact, for streamers and cable, there really is no pilot season anymore. That's because people are watching TV shows all year round, and all over the globe.
They don't have time to wait for a season to put a show on the air. If they have it and shoot it, it's going up, so it can be part of the way they prevent churn, or people canceling their subscriptions.
Instead of participating in a seasonal buying frenzy, streamers lock top showrunners, writers, and directors into massive multi-year Overall Deals.
These exclusive contracts guarantee that all content created by those big names goes straight to that specific platform whenever it's ready, year-round.
That gives streamers like Amazon and Netflix a ton of flexibility when it comes to debuting shows. In recent years, these streamers have brought several ideas to pilot. They track who's watching what, and make series orders based on that information.
But this isn't old-fashioned, where they sit around watching a bunch of one-off episodes and deciding what gets a series.
If a streamer orders a pilot, it usually means they're going to buy the series or give it a straight-to-series order.
Back in the day, Amazon used to run things with a pilot season where they even let people vote on the shows they would pick up, but that is a relic of the past.
Scheduling Without Advertising
Whether you're Netflix, HBO, Hulu, or Crackle, you don't owe advertisers shows. That means that you can make your schedule and debut shows when it's the right time for you.
When Netflix announced the new season of Stranger Things would come out in the Fall, people had their fireworks ready. They knew that on that date all the episodes would be available and could be binged as they saw fit.
These streaming channels also have a habit of dropping all their content at once, which means people are not beholden to weekly views. That means they don't have the ability to milk one show for 22 or 24 weeks. Instead, they need to constantly churn out new content to keep people on their apps.
The pilot season for streaming content is a thing of the past. Instead, they have a year-long cycle of buying, developing, and debuting shows.
Plus, streaming channels are buying Network shows to also air on their content. While this may get someone interested in a show, like The Good Place, it also downgrades the urgency for anyone to watch during Network airings.
Streaming helped shows like Mad Men and Breaking Bad find new fans in between seasons, and that caused them to become breakout hits and to grow with the storytelling. That saved these shows and kept them on their networks.
But that seems like an outlier.
Many times the availability of a show on streaming means there's no urgency to watch live.
It's All Changing Still
As Networks come of age with the Internet, a lot of content is going to change, and it may become a thing of the past.
I have no crystal ball, but I think we may shift back to the way things were when TV was created. Getting specific companies to sponsor specific shows.
That means you'd have The Goldbergs, presented by Coke. and in the episode, you'd see Adam and company chugging their products at the local Wawa.
We are already seeing this blend of old and new business models take shape. Streamers are launching discounted ad-supported tiers, bringing traditional commercial breaks back into the binge experience.
At the same time, Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV (FAST) platforms like Tubi, Pluto TV, and Roku Channel are reviving linear viewing schedules funded entirely by ads.
And we've seen ads move to Amazon and Netflix and all the other streamers; you have to pay a huge fee to avoid them on most channels.
So maybe it's all going back the way it was anyway.
So... When Is Pilot Season?
It's kind of always....depending on who you ask and where you work.
Prepare your pilots to get an agent or to sell next year. Start with a treatment or a short film.
I can't wait to stream your show!
Let us know what you think the future of pilot season is in the comments!
