TVSquad

If you're interested in a list of failed pilots of the '90s that actually saw the airwaves, check my 2005 Aug post: http://trivialtv.blogspot.com/2005/08/tommy-lee-takes-us-to-school.html

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Someone needs to compile those for download or DVD.

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I think there actually could be a market for failed pilots out there. I know there was quite a feeding frenzy around Global Frequency when it hit the internet. I think the rub is probably in the contracts. In order to sell the pilots, or make them available to the public in some form, everyone involved is going to need to get paid. Add to that the fact that the networks don't want to look foolish if a passed up pilot develops an internet following while they green-lit some pile that disappears in two episodes because nobody will watch it.

Plus, excellent Riptide reference Bob. Well done!

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I remember Joe Penny's name from the opening credits of "Jake and the Fatman" (had to IMDB it cause I was young at the time), although maybe they were repeats of "Riptide". And for some reason, I would always think of Joe Penny when we first saw Jimmy Smits on NYPD Blue. They don't even look that much alike.

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Bravo or Trio or one of those semi-artsy cable channels had a series of pilots on a few years ago, including the Clooney one (not 'all that' at all) and the Sutherland one (VERY well done), along with the famous Conan O'Brien/Adam West pilot "Hopewell" and a comedy from the 1960s starring John Astin as a black-hatted gunfighter.

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Too bad one of the smaller networks or cable channels doesnt buy them up and have an ongoing series 'Failed Pilots'. I think it would be very interesting.

There is also a lot of failed movies, movies that were made and never released in the theatres or on dvd/tape. And a lot were big name, large budget ones, not just independently made. [Like there is a Jennifer Love Hewitt one that she made about 3 years ago that has never been out.] Does anyone know a website that has a list of failed tv pilots and movies?

Walter

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When I was a kid back in the 60's, the major networks would run summer programs such as the CBS Comedy Playhouse, which consisted of failed sitcom pilots. There was a lot of short lived summer programming back then, some of which was actually very good.

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My husband and I saw one about 20-22 years ago in a marketing research study. It pretended to be about the sitcom "Love Long Distance" (I think) with Austin Pendleton and the girl who played Devon Sheppard on All My Children in the early 80s. The questions after ward were about 2-3 about the show and then the remainder were about the COMMERCIALS they had shown during the show. That was all I ever heard of that show. The commercials weren't so hot either.

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I actually remember Samurai. I was into chop sockey martial arts and ninja films in the 80's. I think it debuted the same time as the summer replacement series, The Phoenix.

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Well, if you think about it the biggest pilot to come back from the dead so to speak, would have to go to Family Guy. Fox had the show cancelled and it took off like a wildfire both on AdultSwim and in the sales of their DVDs. Fox brough the show back and so far its been good times and lots of fart jokes. I think that's a record in and of itself. At least, that's the only show I can think of that it happened to.

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There used to be a show just of pilots that didn't get picked up I used to love to watch... I'm thinking it was in the late 80s. There was a pilot for a tv series of "Adventures in Babysitting", and I remember another where a guy was merged with a robot that was supposed to be used to explore other planets. When he felt certain emotions it would activate - for instance - when in traffic, the programming recognized the stress as danger and activated a laser defense.

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If anyone knows how I can see the Dark Shadows pilot that was done for a WB revival last year using a writer fvrom Smallville please let me know, I can be contacted at fantasyva@aol.com
Mitch
www.fantasyva.com

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