Posted by Jonathan Klotz | Published
One good thing about the rise of streaming is that studios are abandoning back-to-back pilots. Low-episode broadcast shows don't leave much room for a random episode about two college radio DJs, a New York hair salon, a family farm, or a time traveler, all of which have been in the midst of many, many efforts by producers and studios to keep the business going. Back in the day, an episode that didn't feature the main cast and followed a side character, or an entirely new cast, meant that someone was testing the waters to see how the new series would work with existing fans. Sometimes it failed; Nanny's Hair Salon is a bad example, and sometimes it worked, like a little show called NCIS coming out JAG.
Backdoor Pilots in Space
One of the most notable early examples of a backdoor driver appears Star Trek: The Original Series and the time-traveling alien, Gary Seven. Played by Robert Lansing, time-traveling Gary Seven has traveled back to 1968 to prevent World War III, but runs into the Enterprise crew, who later return to conduct research. It was a repurposed pilot, intended to be a series if Star Trek: The Original Series was canceled after its second season, which explains why Kirk and Spock are playing second fiddle to Gary Seven and Roberta (Terri Garr's first TV role).
Star Trek: The Original Series It's not the only show with a back-to-back pilot intended to replace a fan-favorite show. The Highlander team the final season is full of female Immortals being put to the test to see which one the audience would gravitate towards, ultimately ending in a flash. Highlander: Crowfeaturing the character Amanda. Supernatural introduced The Weird Sisters in Season 13, an obvious attempt to recreate the magic of Sam and Dean and the sisters this time, and in retrospect, a huge missed opportunity. Imagine if the Duffer brothers decided to turn around Stranger Things following the launch of Season 2 of Kali? These are the closest kids today will get to what the bosses used to do on the most successful genre shows of all time.
Audiences Hate Back-to-back Pilots
It was always surprising as a viewer when suddenly, a brand new location and a brand new cast became the focus of an episode. It was like that Married With Children aired “Radio Free Trumaine” as part of Season 9. No Al, no Peg, and the entire episode focuses on two college radio DJs, Mark (Andrew Kavovolt) and Oliver (Eric Dane), who are competing against the college's new Dean of Students, Bundy's neighbor Steve Rhoades (David Garrison). Bud gets involved when his attempt to win over April (Keri Russell) is filmed and played on air, but that's it for the regular cast. It's one of the most obvious back-door pilots in history, and like most of them, it led nowhere.
In retrospect, the college sitcom starring Eric Dane and Keri Russell should have been a hit. The fan reaction to this episode was immediate and palpable. In 1995, internet fans protesting the show was brand new. When America Online greenlit it, the producers pulled the plug on the spin-off plans. “Radio Free Trumaine” remains one of the most undercover pilots in history. Ten years later, another sitcom tried the same thing, and the reception may have been better, but the result was the same.
Keeping an Exhibit Past the Expiration Date
Rainn Wilson's Dwight Schrute was one of the breakout actors The office. Everyone worked with Dwight. The Assistant District Manager may be the annoying foil, the show version of Gary Cole's middle manager since Office Locationexcept they're likable and a natural choice for a spin-off. Airing in 2013, the Season 9 episode “The Farm” introduced viewers to Dwight's crazy family. They inherited their grandmother's farm under the condition that they all work together to run it. The base may have an on-screen text in neon that says “This is a backdoor driver.”
The farm it never happened, even though NBC waned and cried for so long that fans were convinced it was coming after the end The office. Rather, it is one of the most recent failed pilots. Not all fail, and sometimes, you can argue that the spin-off is better than the original.
Back-to-back Pilots Didn't Make Broadcasts
It was like that JAG introduced Mark Harmon as Leeroy Jethro Gibbs and the gang to NCISand when The Vampire Diaries he agreed The real thing. The latter is an interesting case, as the family of vampire ancestors were the antagonists of Season 2, but everyone loved them, especially Joseph Morgan's portrayal of Klaus, which turned the Original into a five-season hit on its own. It was so successful that it collapsed Inheritancewhich also ran for four seasons. Not bad for a teenage vampire drama.
Previous generations used a backdoor driver. When the show started approaching Season 7, it was expected that there would be an attempt to resume the show. Today, most shows don't make it past five seasons, and even then, they're lucky to make it that far. The Rookie, The FBI, Land of Fire, they are all the last hold on to the concept of back-to-back pilots, but let's be honest, the generation that watches them is the same one that had to live with “Radio Free Trumaine.”
