Imagine a world in which the NFL, the NBA and Major League Baseball all decided to move their seasons to the same time of year. It would be chaos, for fans and the professional sports business alike. And yet, in television, that's essentially what happens during pilot season.
The broadcast networks traditionally order pilots during the first few months of the year. From there, it's a race to find the best actors, hire a crew, build sets and produce a show before May, when the upcoming fall schedules are announced. The field has always been crowded, but this spring, several cable networks and online retailer-turned-programmer Amazon are also developing new shows that they hope will go to series (cable networks typically produce pilots throughout the year, usually avoiding the spring).
read moreShowtime has drafted former Friday Night Lights star Kyle Chandler to star in its new drama pilot The Vatican, the cable network announced Friday.
The Emmy winner formerly known as Coach has taken the lead role as Cardinal Thomas Duffy, a charismatic yet...read more
Is the end of Dexter nigh?
The serial killer drama will return on Sunday, June 30 at 9/8c, earlier than its intended fall premiere, Showtime Entertainment President David Nevins announced at the winter TV previews on Saturday. Dexter will act as a lead-in for new series Ray Donovan at 10/9c, having already proven to be a successful launchpad for Homeland.
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