TV pilot shows?

[flobadob]

Why is it that when a TV pilot show is made and then the show gets commissioned, why do they not reshoot the pilot. I've noticed that a lot of shows change things from the pilot to the second episode, such as changing characters names, personalities or even totally taking a character out. Why is it that they don't just reshoot so that there's consistency?

[cazzz1975]

cost I would imagine, they always make a reference to the show being a pilot as well so people expect it to be 'subject to change'

[dotty.]

A pilot show is used to guage audience reaction to the characters, plotlines etc. Pilot shows are meant to help the production company fine tune their product to appeal to the greatest audience, and to sell their product to a network.

[boxtops]

Pilots of anything are just that, to test the water to see if the planned concept works - the actual thing can then be tweaked to make it more attractive to its planned audience.

[TTG]

If you are a fan of Blackadder, the pilot (not available for on the net) is interesting. The story follows the plot of the episode "Born to be King". Edmund acts like Blackadder in series 2 and Baldrick is a different actor.

[BenDToy]

Interesting and topical. There is a show called something like "The Incresingly Bad Decisions of Todd Margaret" currently on More4. This apaprently includes a re-shoot of the pilot (shown in the uK last year) because one of the key characters was unavailable for the filming of the rest of the series. He was replaced by Blake Harrison. one of the actors from The InBetweeners. (Neil)

[dotty.]

Of course he whole idea is nothin like new. Back in the 1970s they seemed to start as far as I can recall, US TV studios would try formats and if they worked then a series was commissioned. Into the age of videos and then dvds, when old shows have been rediscovered, a pilot episode is often the first episode of a dvd boxset.
When the UK only had 3 channels, US TV shows were massive on all channels, the Starsky and Hutch pilot was so hyped at the time and so was Kojak, before that there was the Alias Smith and Jones pilot that was advertised for weeks,