Stars dish on the secrets of TV pilot success
Why do some shows hook viewers, while others get shelved after premiering?
Fall is when TV shows do or die.
Having already received the green light from networks, each series’ pilot episode moves on to the ultimate test: debuting for the viewing public, which could quickly determine its success or failure. Some shows immediately hook viewers — as was the case with The Sopranos, Lost and Game of Thrones — while others get the axe soon after premiering ( Anchorwoman, Emily’s Reasons Why Not, we hardly knew ye).
“I think what matters with a pilot is a bold premise that insists that you watch the next episode, that introduces characters but doesn’t give everything away,” says Toronto native Eric McCormack, star of the upcoming Showcase sci-fi series Travelers, which premieres Oct. 17.
“It has to be tantalizing and it has to stand out in the pack.”
A TV pilot is first presented to a network in hopes of getting picked up as a series. If it gets the green light, it usually serves as the first episode of a show. If a network passes, it dashes the hopes of all the cast and crew involved.
“I did one last year that, on paper, was daring and it pushed the envelope. It was very daring for a major American network,” says McCormack, former star of the hit series Will & Grace.
“In the end, honestly, they watered it down so much that even they didn’t like it.”
David Eigenberg, star of Chicago Fire on Global, says he’s “been on a bunch” of pilots that weren’t picked up.
One of them was for a law show co-starring Michael Weatherly of NCIS fame. It was presented to ABC up against the pilot for another legal drama, The Practice starring Camryn Manheim, which went on to great acclaim.
“Camryn was like, ‘When you get your (pilot) tape, let’s watch them,’ ” recalls Eigenberg, who played Miranda’s spouse Steve on Sex and the City.
“I watched it at her place and we watched the show that we did, and I was like, ‘You guys win.’ There was only one slot, so The Practice got picked up and we got shelved.
“Pilots are hard to make. It’s really, really hard.”
As Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines explains, a pilot can often change because writers “get notes from so many people.”
“I think that’s the challenge of a great pilot, is to stick to your guns, stand up for what you think is creatively the right choice and then hopefully have that made,” says Hines, who stars in the new liveaction/animated hybrid comedy Son of Zorn, which airs on City. Damon Wayans says when he was creating the pilot for his sitcom My Wife and Kids, which ran from 2001 to 2005, he got advice from a fellow star.
“I reached out to Will Smith, who had a very successful TV series, and I asked him, ‘What’s the key to this?’ and he said, ‘Heart,’” recalls Wayans, star of the new series Lethal Weapon, airing on City.
“He said, ‘As a comedian, you’re going to hate when people go, “Aww” . . . but that’s your show. Never shy away from those moments, because they’re connecting with you, even in a sitcom.’ And he was right and that also works in dramas.
“You want to feel something for these characters; you want to identify with what they’re struggling with and see them overcome these obstacles.”
Former Heroes cast member Milo Ventimiglia, who stars in This Is Us, agrees.
“I feel like just about every story has been told; it’s just how you tell it, it’s your execution, it’s your delivery,” he says.
“It’s choosing to hold on to a quiet moment as opposed to pushing through and jumping to the next story-driven plot line. I think successful pilots are about character, they’re about what that character is experiencing or that series of characters is experiencing, and how you relate to it and how you can connect to it. And I think that’s what makes a successful show.”
The problem is, Hollywood executives sometimes “package crap” just so they can get a “major player” in a pilot, says Eigenberg. That can lead to bad chemistry between the actors.
Some series even have to recast key characters after a pilot gets picked up. Michael Fishman’s D.J. Conner character from Roseanne, for instance, was originally played by Sal Barone in the pilot. Canadian actress and former MuchMusic VJ Amanda Walsh was cast as the female lead in the original unaired pilot for Big Bang Theory before she was replaced by Kaley Cuoco.
“Because there’s money at play — I probably shouldn’t be talking about any of this at all — but they put in actors that might not be the right actor for the part,” says Eigenberg. “Because they’re packaging director, writer, executive producer and three of the lead actors, it doesn’t always make for a good product.
“That’s the big secret in Hollywood. I’m never going to work again for saying that.”