Pilot Season ’16: Scoop on This Fall’s (Possible) New Shows, Who’s In Them

Team TVLine
·3 min read

Pilot season is upon us, meaning the broadcast networks are taking stock of their needs for 2016-17 and getting the ball rolling toward filling any gaps. With things about to get really interesting — meaning it’s time to start booking actors for these wannabe hits! — TVLine presents its annual round-up of who’s planning what, and well as our guide to the lingo that gets tossed around.

Fun fact: Last year, less than half of the pilots on this grid got ordered to series, and six that did have already bitten the dust.

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For easy access: Review the list of pilots for ABC, CBS, The CW, Fox and NBC, and we urge you to bookmark this constantly-updated page for the latest intel.

PILOT | When a network orders (or “picks up”) a pilot, they’re asking its writers/producers/studio to cast and produce a facsimile of what a series’ first episode will look like. Each pilot is reviewed by network brass, then typically put into testing before its fate is decided. (A “put pilot” has a greater guarantee of going to series, as there is a significant financial penalty if it does not.)

PLANTED SPIN-OFF | Also called a “backdoor” pilot, this is an episode of an existing series that sets up a prospective offshoot. For example, Chicago Fire took us inside a hospital in Season 3, and that was a planted pilot for Chicago Med. (Free History Lesson: That Brady Bunch episode with neighbor Ken Berry adopting three diverse orphans? That was an ill-fated planted pilot, for the spin-off Kelly’s Kids.)

DRAMA/COMEDY PRESENTATION | Due to time or budget restraints, a network sometimes won’t order a full pilot but a “presentation” of a not-quite-complete drama or sitcom.

CAST-CONTINGENT | Sometimes a network will order a pilot with the caveat that production can’t start until a suitable (read: “name”) actor has been cast in a lead role. (One translation: “The premise is iffy, but a big star could sell us.”) So you’ll sometimes hear that with the casting of so-and-so, “the cast contingency has been lifted” on a pilot. (The sorta flip-side is an “if-come deal,” meaning the major players are pre-signed and rarin’ to go the instant the network picks up the pilot.)

SECOND POSITION | AKA the two words that make fans of “bubble” shows nervous each spring, as stars from low-rated series start booking pilots (provided they get the OK from their current bosses). The term literally means that a pilot role is in second position/priority should their show get renewed. An actor booking a second position gig doesn’t always mean his/her current show is doomed… though it usually does. Variation: A “safe second” means the pilot’s bosses have been discreetly all-but-assured that the actor will be available.

UPFRONTS | The week in mid-May when the networks take turns unveiling their schedules for next season — including the pilots that have been ordered to series. With rare exception, if your show doesn’t make the cut here, it’s officially a goner.

And now, our running update of pilots ordered for the 2016-17 TV season, going network by network….

CLICK HERE FOR ABC PILOTS (PAGE 2)

Launch Gallery: Pilot Photos: 2016-2017 TV Season

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