16Hit the Sweet Spot
TV pilots are always creative experiments. There is no guarantee that the series is going to work based on the first prototypical episode. And even if the pilot is totally brilliant, there is no guarantee that the series will be able to sustain that level of writing week after week.
The fact is, despite best efforts and good intentions by smart, talented showrunners, the vast majority of new series get cancelled. The networks don’t know why—and if they did—they’d course correct and fix the maddeningly inefficient, hyper-expensive process called pilot season. Extenuating circumstances, disclaimers, and excuses abound when a new series fails to connect. Was it:
- right series/wrong time slot?
- weak lead-in show?
- too much competition ...
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