For those who don't incessantly follow television timelines like me (nerd alert), the lifeline of a pilot television show is actually quite formulaic and interesting. It all begins when some mid-20s hipster college grad (who is from a fancy prestigious film school, no doubt, and therefore believes he is awesome) pens a script that end up being about 3% of what the pilot episode turns into.
Next, a producer hotshot comes across said script [not personally though. production assistants, aka the bottom of the food chain in television, read tons and tons of pitches for television shows. the producer hotshot, on the other hand, spends their valuable time reading one or two] and engages in a conversation with another tv biz hotshot that no doubt goes something like this:
Hotshot 1: Instead of this cop show taking place in Detroit..... it'll take place in MIAMI! Instead of cops.... the main characters are going to be dancers who also spotlight as models! Opening scene? BIKINIS! HOT GUYS! FANCY CARS!
Hotshot 2: I'll get (insert name of overrated yet outrageously popular actor here) on the phone!
Hotshot 1: Make sure to tell him he'll be paired alongside (insert name of over-sexed flavor of the week actress here)!
Hottest 2: It can be called (insert 2-3 worded title that sounds more like a bumper sticker slogan here)!
Hotshot 1: This is sure to be Fall's HOTTEST new drama!
Hotshot 2: Rich guy fist bump!
After this high in testosterone conversation comes to a close, each hotshot gets in their fancy convertible, making sure to stare at their reflection while exiting the parking lot, and begin to spread the word about this pilot to other producer hotshots.
Now, the next step in the birth of a pilot involves the actors. They don't get any more credit than the hotshots; they care about a one line synopsis of the show and the character they'll be playing, followed by the six-digit number they would be earning.
Once the actors have signed the dotted line and the bank accounts are flushed out so said actors have incentive to show up, the next step involves logistics. Television ain't cheap so any cost-effective method of production is used. It's a tricky balancing game because while the producers of the pilot want to create the best possible work so as to ensure a pick up by a network (i.e. Fox or ABC), they have to stay on budget as well as convince the network head honcho (a la Jeff Zucker at NBC) that their show is not a total money pit (lookin' at you, Lost).
These cost-effective methods include hiring the cheapest, yet talented, crew team. From grippers to directors of photography, pilots look for no-names who have yet to really hone the method of bargaining their worth the way actors do. Finally, after all preparations are complete, shooting takes place. Depending on the length of the show, shooting can take any where from 5 days to 14 days, each day racking in at least 15 hours on set.
After about a week and a half of shooting, pilots only get about a week to finish everything else. That includes: editing the pilot for a network honcho's viewing pleasuring, creating trailers and teasers, submitting storyboards or sample scripts for future episodes, including itemized budgets, etc.
The next couple of weeks are completely out of the hands of the creators of the pilot. The potential for a pilot to get picked up has to do with a lot of factors (i.e. actor chemistry, interesting plot, longevity etc) but what the network guys REALLY care about is that damn little thing that makes the world go round: money.
Tons and tons of meetings occur to discuss not only the pilot episodes they are reviewing but also, planning for the future of the network. It is the network dudes' jobs to understand their audience, therefore it is there job to understand what type of television show will be well received. Because if a show has potential to be well received, that means it is in their interest to funnel money and trust into this infant of a show, because it will lead to economic profitability for the network.
Of course this isn't the timeline for all pilots. For example, spin off shows from an already successful television producer (i.e. Norman Lear, Shondra Rimes, Joss Whedon etc) are handled differently. Similarly, reality television shows require less production planning. BUT all in all, when it comes to the life story of a pilot television show, most follow this model. And although very few are the lucky ones to be picked up (each network picks up 10-12 pilots each year), most of the journeys for pilot episodes end when the camera stops rolling. Even of those few that DO get picked up, the odds of renewal for a second season are very, very slim. Essentially, the key to creating a wonderful television show, with longevity and the support from a network, is to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right network. Other than that, most shows survive out of sheer dumb luck, an ideology that explains the hype behind shows such as Friends, The Office, and even a personal favorite, Glee.
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Excellent article. It makes me wonder, though: if the process is so tough, how do some absolutely shitty shows get the green light?
ReplyDeleteWell it's a combination of things: critical review, audience reception, and (really the most defining factor) profitability. Once a certain brand of show garners enough of an audience to receive media attention, the network begins to churn out shows similar to that show, because they know that if they have the audience, this new show is a shoe-in to be successful.
ReplyDeleteThat's why there's a million L&O's and CSI's, as well as dozens of shows that all have the same one-liner: a situational comedy about six friends who deal with love, marriage, kids, and blahblahblahblah.
Reality television in general is another perfect example. In this day and age, our society just can't get enough of that candid moment. Which is why The Bachelor has had so many runs, and has even lead to a spin off in the Bachelorette. It's also why Bret Michaels and Flava Flav just won't leave my television screen.
Reality television is a little different because it is such a hot commodity. But for the most part, because television is controlled by money, which is controlled by the networks, up and coming writers and producers don't seek to create new and interesting television but instead television that builds off of a previous success story.
This is turn leads to a vicious cycle of television completely lacking any sort of new artistic ideas or vision - because who would want to take that risk? If a certain kind of show has proved that somewhere in America, people will watch it, it is not in the interests of writer/producers or network guys to rock the boat and make anything other than what has already been successful.
Because although I am one of the few who appreciate new and creative thinking, everyone else creating the television really only appreciate the money to be made.
What's funny is that in nearly every other field, innovation is considered a good thing. But in television, it's considered risky, bad business. Funny how that works.
ReplyDeleteAnd LOST is a money pit? I imagined it was costly, but I wasn't aware how much exactly.
Not money pit as in, it's losing a lot of money (it's probably one of the most successful and popular television shows behind the bigwig reality tv shows like American Idol and Dancing With The Stars) but that it's really, really expensive.
ReplyDeleteIt has one of the largest and well paid casts in the television world, and it's shot on location in Hawaii which is NOT cheap. The episodes are so high production they can't run the normal television season (September - June) because each episode takes so much more time to produce than normal television.
But it's worth it! Because every week they successfully make me feel like this: 0_0