Editing Television pilot (section)

===Backdoor pilot===
A backdoor pilot is a film or miniseries that serves as a [[proof of concept]] for a full series,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://complicationsensue.blogspot.com/2005/02/backdoor-pilots.html |title=Alex Epstein on Backdoor Pilots |publisher=Complicationsensue.blogspot.com |date=2005-02-04 |access-date=2016-03-05}}</ref> but may be broadcast on its own even if the full series is not picked up.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=slanguage_result&slang=backdoor+pilot&x=0&y=0 |title=Slanguage Dictionary |publisher=Variety |access-date=2016-03-05}}</ref>  The term may also be used for an episode of an existing television show that serves to introduce a potential or already planned [[Spin-off (media)|spin-off]]. Such backdoor pilots commonly focus on an existing character or characters from the parent series who are to be given their own show.

For example, to introduce ''[[A Different World]]'', built around ''[[The Cosby Show]]'' character Denise Huxtable ([[Lisa Bonet]]), the ''Cosby Show'' episode "[[Hillman (The Cosby Show episode)|Hillman]]" was devoted to the Huxtable family visiting Denise during her freshman year at Hillman College though no characters from the upcoming series were introduced. A 2018 episode of ABC's 1980s-set sitcom ''[[The Goldbergs (2013 TV series)|The Goldbergs]]'', titled "1990-Something", heavily featured teachers who were recurring characters on the series and served as the backdoor pilot to ''[[Schooled (TV series)|Schooled]]'', which debuted in early 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/05/the-goldbergs-series-gets-title-first-image-abc-adam-f-goldberg-1202389081/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180512045558/http://deadline.com/2018/05/the-goldbergs-series-gets-title-first-image-abc-adam-f-goldberg-1202389081/|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 12, 2018|title='The Goldbergs' Spinoff Series Gets Title & First Image|first=Denise|last=Petski|date=May 11, 2018}}</ref>

In other cases, an episode of the parent show may focus on one or more guest characters who have not previously appeared in the show. For example, the ''[[JAG (TV series)|JAG]]'' season eight episodes [[NCIS backdoor pilot|"Ice Queen" and "Meltdown"]] introduced the characters for what would become ''[[NCIS (TV series)|NCIS]]'', while the ''NCIS'' season six two-part episode "[[NCIS season 6#ep135|Legend]]" introduced the characters for what would become the ''NCIS'' spin-off series ''[[NCIS: Los Angeles]]'', and the ''NCIS'' season 11 two-part episode "[[NCIS season 11#ep252|Crescent City]]" introduced the characters for what would become ''[[NCIS: New Orleans]]''. ''NCIS: Los Angeles'' itself also included a backdoor pilot for a potential further spin-off – ''NCIS: Red'' – but the series was not picked up.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/ncis-failed-spinoff-ncis-new-orleans.html/|title = 'NCIS:' the Failed Spinoff That Eventually Gave Us 'NCIS: New Orleans'|date = 18 February 2019}}</ref>

Similarly, the backdoor pilot for the television sitcom ''[[Empty Nest]]'' was an episode of ''[[The Golden Girls]]'', which relegated that show's regular stars to supporting characters in an episode devoted to new characters who were introduced as their neighbors. Feedback on the episode resulted in ''Empty Nest'' being extensively reworked before its debut; while the concept and the "living next to the Golden Girls" setting was retained, the series ended up featuring different characters from those in the original ''Golden Girls'' episode.

An 1972 episode of ''[[All in the Family]]'', "[[Maude (All in the Family episode)|Maude]]", centered on the Bunkers visiting their cousin Maude Findlay at Maude's house in Tuckahoe. [[Norman Lear]] was so impressed he wanted to make Maude as a separate show. ''[[Maude (TV series)|Maude]]'' would debut 5 months after the episode aired, in September of 1972.

An 2011 episode of the [[TV Land]] original sitcom ''[[Hot in Cleveland]]'' focused on the wedding of the character Elka (played by [[Betty White]]). Boyce Ballentine ([[Cedric the Entertainer]]), an R&B singer-turned-preacher, was introduced as the pastor for the wedding, with the intention of Boyce eventually having his own series on the network. That came to fruition in 2012, when TV Land introduced ''[[The Soul Man]]''.<ref>{{cite web|author=Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com |url=http://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2012/04/tv-land-brings-back-i-love-lucy-in-june.html |title=TV Land Brings Back I Love Lucy in June 2012; Good Morning America's TV Reunion Blowout: One Day at a Time, Laverne & Shirley, and More – SitcomsOnline.com News Blog |publisher=Blog.sitcomsonline.com |date=April 23, 2012 |access-date=June 7, 2012}}</ref>

A historically important venue for backdoor pilots has been the [[anthology series]]. They have variously been used as a place to show work still being actively considered for pickup, and as a venue for completed work already rejected by the network. With the decline of anthology series, backdoor pilots have increasingly been seen as episodes of existing series,<ref>[https://www.avclub.com/tonight-s-special-guests-the-cast-of-a-whole-new-show-1798219928 "Tonight's special guests? The cast of a whole new show!: 21 TV episodes that tried and failed to spawn spin-offs"], from The AV Club</ref> one-off [[television film]]s, and [[miniseries]]. As backdoor pilots have either failed to sell or are awaiting audience reception from its one-time broadcast, networks will not advertise them as pilots, only promoting them as a "special" or "movie". It is thus often unclear to initial viewers of backdoor pilots that they are seeing a pilot of any kind, unless they have been privy to knowledgeable media coverage of the piece.

Not all backdoor pilots lead to a series. The ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'' episode "[[Assignment: Earth]]" was a backdoor pilot for a spin-off of the same name, featuring a human named [[Gary Seven]] (played by [[Robert Lansing (actor)|Robert Lansing]]), taken from Earth's far past and raised by aliens to be sent to watch over Earth in the 1960s; while the series was not picked up, its characters have appeared in numerous non-canon ''Trek'' productions set in the 20th century.<ref name="Dutton">{{cite web|last1=Dutton|first1=Scott|title=Assignment: Earth|url=http://www.assignmentearth.ca/|website=assignmentearth.ca|access-date=28 February 2016}}</ref> The third season two-part episode "Terra Firma" of ''[[Star Trek: Discovery]]'' is generally regarded as a backdoor pilot for a series featuring the character Philippa Georgiou.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://meaww.com/amp/star-trek-discovery-season-3-episode-10-philippa-georgiou-guardian-of-forever-cbs-all-access |title='Star Trek: Discovery' Season 3 Episode 10: Where was Philippa Georgiou sent by the Guardian of Forever? | date=2020-12-17 | website=meaww.com}}</ref> The final two episodes of the CBS sitcom ''[[Green Acres]]'' (1965–71) were both backdoor pilots. With CBS being pressured by advertisers to develop more urban-themed shows (ultimately at the expense of the network's [[Rural purge|rural-themed programs]]), ''Green Acres'' creator [[Jay Sommers]] was given an opportunity to develop two series ideas, both of which were rejected.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.metv.com/stories/the-last-two-episodes-of-green-acres-weren-t-really-episodes-of-green-acres | title=The last two episodes of Green Acres aren't really episodes of Green Acres | date=2020-09-09 | website=metv.com |access-date=2020-12-16}}</ref>

ABC attempted to create a spin-off of ''[[Charlie's Angels]]'' in 1980 called ''Toni's Boys''.<ref>Condon, Jack and David Hofstede, ''Charlie's Angels Casebook,'' Pomegranate Press, Ltd., 2000 pgs. 254=256</ref> The backdoor pilot that aired near the end of season four was simply titled "Toni's Boys" and guest starred [[Barbara Stanwyck]] as Antonia "Toni" Blake, a wealthy widow and friend of Charlie Townsend's who ran a detective agency she inherited from her late husband. The agency was staffed by three handsome male detectives: Cotton Harper ([[Stephen Shortridge]]), Bob Sorensen ([[Bob Seagren]]), and Matt Parrish (Bruce Bauer). The three took direction from Toni and solved crimes in a manner similar to the Angels. The show was not picked up as a regular series for the following season.<ref>Di Rocco, Gian-Luca. ''The Angel Factor: A Critical Appraisal of [[Charlie's Angels]] 1976-2019'', Independently published, 2021.</ref>

The series finale of ''[[One Day at a Time (1975 TV series)|One Day at a Time]]'' in May 1984 served as a backdoor pilot to a spin-off featuring [[Pat Harrington Jr.]]'s character Dwayne Schneider in a new setting, but CBS ultimately passed on the potential series.<ref>[http://tvland.tumblr.com/post/21786131504/what-you-didnt-know-about-one-day-at-a-time "What you didn't know about One Day At A Time,"]''TV Land'', 25 April 2012.</ref> Similarly, the 1988 two-part series finale of ''[[The Facts of Life (TV series)|The Facts of Life]]'' ("The Beginning of the End" and "The Beginning of the Beginning") also served as a backdoor pilot that focused on the decision Blair Warner ([[Lisa Whelchel]]) made in using her trust fund to purchase the financially troubled Eastland Academy. Blair became headmistress and opened enrollment to male students for the first time in Eastland history. Up-and-coming actors [[Juliette Lewis]], [[Mayim Bialik]], [[Seth Green]], and [[Meredith Scott Lynn]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/bp/facts-of-life-dvd-box-set-trivia-202115869.html |title='The Facts of Life': 23 Things You Never Knew About the Classic Teen Sitcom |first1=Kimberly |last1=Potts |date=2015-01-13 |access-date=2020-04-08| website=yahoo.com}}</ref> were featured as some of Eastland's new students. NBC did not pick up the new series.

''[[The Dukes of Hazzard]]'' aired two episodes, named "Jude Emery" and "Mason Dixon's Girls", which served as a backdoor pilot complete with the Dukes cast interacting with the new characters. Ultimately, CBS passed on the two series in favor of a [[Enos (TV series)|series]] starring Hazzard County deputy [[Enos Strate]].

A pair of ''[[Married... with Children]]'' episodes aired as backdoor pilots that would not be picked up. The first, ''Radio Free Trumaine'', featured [[Keri Russell]] as a college student who winds up working at the campus radio station, with [[David Garrison]] set to reprise his role as Steve Rhoades. The other was ''Enemies'', which was intended as an antithesis to ''[[Friends]]'' in the same way the flagship ''Married... with Children'' was for ''[[The Cosby Show]]''. The pilot featured a guest appearance by [[Alan Thicke]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://splitsider.com/2011/06/the-lost-roles-of-married%E2%80%A6-with-children|title=The Lost Roles of Married… with Children - Splitsider|work=Splitsider|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141214102028/http://splitsider.com/2011/06/the-lost-roles-of-married%E2%80%A6-with-children/|archive-date=2014-12-14}}</ref>

In June 2010, [[Lifetime (TV network)|Lifetime]] pursued a spinoff procedural drama of ''[[Army Wives]]'' featuring [[Brigid Brannagh]]'s character, police officer Pamela Moran.<ref name="spin off1">{{cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |title='Army Wives' Spinoff Gets Green Light for Embedded Pilot & Taps Gabrielle Union |url=https://deadline.com/2010/06/army-wives-spinoff-gets-green-light-for-embedded-pilot-taps-gabrielle-union-46631/ |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |access-date=August 6, 2012 |date=September 1, 2010 }}</ref> The fourth-season episode "Murder in Charleston" was intended to serve as a backdoor pilot for the proposed spin-off.<ref name="spin off1" /> The episode sees Moran teaming up with an Atlanta-based detective on a murder that is related to a case she has been working on for the past three years. At the end of the episode, the detective encourages Moran to take a detective's exam, and to look for her if she is in Atlanta.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Murder in Charleston |credits=Writers: Zimmerman, Bruce; Mitchell, T. D.; Director: Liddi-Brown, Alison |series=Army Wives |network=Lifetime |airdate=August 15, 2010 |season=4 |number=17 }}</ref> In September 2010, however, Lifetime declined to pick up the project to series.<ref>{{cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |title=CABLE NOTES: 'Memphis Beat' Looks Good for Renewal, 'Army Wives' Spinoff A No-Go, 'Facing Kate' Order Trimmed |url=https://deadline.com/2010/09/cable-notes-memphis-beat-looks-good-for-renewal-army-wives-spinoff-a-no-go-facing-kate-order-trimmed-64539/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=August 6, 2012 |date=September 1, 2010 }}</ref>

In 2013, [[The CW]] announced there was a spin-off of their genre hit ''[[Supernatural (American TV series)|Supernatural]]'' in the works. The 20th episode of [[Supernatural (season 9)|season nine]] titled "Bloodlines", served as a back-door pilot, revealed in January 2014 to have been titled ''[[Supernatural: Bloodlines]]''. The series was set to explore the "clashing hunter and monster cultures in Chicago". The show was not picked up by the CW for the 2014–2015 season due to dismal overall reception by viewers. The ''[[Gossip Girl]]'' episode "[[Valley Girls]]" was supposed to be a backdoor pilot for a [[prequel]] spin-off series starring [[Brittany Snow]] as a young [[Lily van der Woodsen]], however the show was not picked up. "[[The Farm (The Office)|The Farm]]" was an episode of [[NBC]]'s ''[[The Office (American TV series)|The Office]]'' that was supposed to act as a backdoor pilot for a spin-off series starring [[Rainn Wilson]] and focusing on his character, [[Dwight Schrute]].<ref name="variety">{{cite web |url=http://weblogs.variety.com/thevote/2012/07/greg-daniels.html |title=Greg Daniels and the Future of 'The Office' |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |publisher=[[Penske Business Media]] |first=Jon |last=Weisman |date=July 5, 2012 |access-date=July 12, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120709092927/http://weblogs.variety.com/thevote/2012/07/greg-daniels.html |archive-date=July 9, 2012 }}</ref> Upon review, the spin-off was not picked up by NBC<ref name="eonline">{{cite web |last=Bricker |first=Tierney |title=Rainn Wilson's Office Spinoff, The Farm, Not Picked Up by NBC |url=http://www.eonline.com/news/358277/rainn-wilson-s-office-spinoff-the-farm-not-picked-up-by-nbc |publisher=[[E! News|E! Online]] |access-date=October 30, 2012 |date=October 30, 2012 }}</ref> and the original version was never aired; instead it was reworked with additional material shot later, as the original version contained "certain aspects that were appropriate for a pilot of a new show".<ref>{{cite web |last=Roots |first=Kimberly |title=''The Office'' Boss: Retooled Spin-Off Episode Will Still Air – and Change Up the Dwangela Plan |url=http://tvline.com/2012/12/26/the-office-season-9-the-farm-episode-dwight-angela/ |publisher=TVLine |access-date=December 26, 2012 |date=December 26, 2012 }}</ref>

The [[Arrow (TV series)|''Arrow'']] episode [[The Scientist (Arrow)|"The Scientist]]" served as a backdoor pilot for the spinoff series [[The Flash (2014 TV series)|''The Flash'']], introducing Barry Allen as a CSI searching for super-powered people in an attempt to find his mother's murderer.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Mitovich |first1=Michael Ausiello,Matt Webb |last2=Ausiello |first2=Michael |last3=Mitovich |first3=Matt Webb |date=2013-09-13 |title=Arrow Casts Glee Villain as The Flash |url=https://tvline.com/2013/09/13/arrow-the-flash-grant-gustin-cast-season-2/ |access-date=2022-07-20 |website=TVLine |language=en-US}}</ref> This episode also created the [[Arrowverse]], a [[shared universe]] of interconnected [[DC Comics]] superhero TV series. The "[[Heroes Join Forces]]" crossover was a two-part backdoor pilot for another spinoff series set in the Arrowverse called ''[[Legends of Tomorrow]]'', featuring a team of heroes and villains originally introduced in ''Arrow'' and ''The Flas''h. The penultimate episode of ''Arrow'', "[[Green Arrow & The Canaries]]" served as an unsuccessful backdoor pilot for a [[Green Arrow and the Canaries (TV series)|series of the same name]]. ''[[The 100 (TV series)|The 100]]'' episode ''"''[[The 100 (TV series)#Cancelled prequel series|Anaconda]]''"'' also served as an unsuccessful backdoor pilot for a prequel series.