Backdoor pilots

[Trinity]

May 13, 2021 11:18:46 GMT -5 Tim said:

I have seen a number of backdoor pilots on the CW, but this was state of the art, the absolute best.

Yeah, they actually pulled it off this time.  The Drew Crew did not become second fiddle in their own show (like Dean and Sam did in Bloodline).

Couldn't agree more.

I was fearful it would leave the Drew Crew in the background or just book ending the episode. Thankfully that wasn't the case here.

[Tim]

Looks like the CW learned from the mistake of Bloodlines. 

Anyway, next week, it's just Nancy and her crew again

[Melinda Halliwell]

I just push that episode out of my head.

The CSI and NCIS franchises have done good back story pilots concerning their spin off shows where the new shows stars are the main characters in the episode with the regular cast supporting ones who helped them deal with whatever situation happened then.

[Tim]

The main reason I hate backdoor pilots is because the regular characters get shoved aside for ones for the proposed series.  This is what happened in Bloodlines, in which Dean and Sam played second fiddle to a group of characters I didn't know or cared about.

When I watch SPN, I want to watch the Winchesters boys.

[Squad 51]

The NCIS franchises started originally with JAG. Wow, a long time ago.

[Tim]

I did not know that.

[Melinda Halliwell]

Yes, it did which I knew about but haven't watched any episodes then.

[Squad 51]

Damn, my post was swallowed again. What I said earlier, I even watched the show and the NCIS starting one back then.

[Tim]

From TV Tropes:

An episode in which the show's primary characters take a back seat to brand new characters in order to test the waters for a separate show. Whereas the traditional Spinoff involves main/recurring characters becoming popular enough to break out on their own, the characters described here are clearly jammed in there just for the sake of the new show. Rarely do these pilots get picked up by the network, however.

Another common term for this is "backdoor pilot"; however this can refer to other things as well, such as a traditional spin-off if the character(s) involved are given a send-off within the parent show, or a pilot broadcast as a special or Made-for-TV Movie that will be picked up as a series only if the ratings are good enough.

Much like any pilot, the version of the series that makes it to air may have actors or settings changed. For instance, the version of Empty Nest that made it to TV was much different than the Poorly Disguised Pilot on The Golden Girls, and the proposed Aquaman series would have starred a different actor than the one who guest-starred on Smallville.

As a general rule, if you're watching a show and you find yourself asking questions like "Where did everybody go?", "What are we doing here?", "Who are these people?", or, above all, "What is going on here?", then you're watching a Poorly Disguised Pilot.