One of the hottest trends to come out of the network upfronts this year was the return of pilot season. NBC ordered a total of eight pilots this year — ordering half of them to series. Primetime’s back, baby!
Well, OK, let’s curb our enthusiasm. I give a ton of credit to NBC for producing pilots this year, a practice that was so maligned that the pendulum wound up going too far the other direction, as networks and streamers started bypassing the practice almost entirely. But we’re still a long away from the days when the broadcast networks would each order around 20 pilots, all within a few months of each other in winter. It was an insane practice, as the networks had to scramble and compete for the same limited number of performers and crew — and then get their project in order-ready shape before May.
And yet, I miss it. I miss the cycle of covering scripts in the fall, wannabe actors finding monthly Burbank apartment leases in January to try and get cast on one of 100 pilots, and then parsing buzz as the networks screened their finished projects. Chasing down rumors on which shows might go — and where they might air — right before the upfront presentations was practically a sport.
It was a practice that has sadly been lost. ABC only picked up two new series this year (off of no pilots) — and is patting itself on the back for renewing all of its primetime schedule for the first time ever. (That’s an easy feat in 2026 when much of your schedule is sports and reality.) CBS staggered its orders, avoiding a regular pilot cycle. Fox got out of the pilot biz a while back. So thank you, NBC, for at least trying to bring a little nostalgia to the field.
