Out of 55 broadcast pilots, only one, CBS/WBSTV’s B Positive from Chuck Lorre (pictured), has been completed. If the coronavirus pandemic isn’t curbed soon, broadcast networks will likely reassess their pilot slates. Between series with firm and blinking orders, networks have enough of a cushion to reduce their dependence on pilots, but after eight weeks networks can enforce their force majeure contract clause and drop any project with no penalty.
How is this for tragic irony? For decades, network executives have been trying to break out of the traditional development cycle with little success. It may take a cataclysmic event like the current global coronavirus pandemic to finally do that. The fast-spreading outbreak has shut down or postponed production on about 50 scripted series across broadcast and streaming; ultimately, all shows are expected to grind to a halt, and some will end up delivering shorter seasons.
As media giants launch their own streaming services, studios are focused on supplying content to their growing roster of platforms rather than focusing purely on broadcast.
Now more than ever, the broadcast networks are feeling the need to change up their typical pilot season strategy. With existing streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus and Amazon and new competitors like HBO Max and Peacock developing shows year-round, the broadcasters are slowly but surely shifting their plans to include more off-cycle pickups.