TCA14 Pilot Hits: FOX ditching old models may have caused Murder Police cancel; Other Nets Say No to Changes.

Last year (2013) was an interesting one if you are a fan of animated television and getting to watch new pilots. We saw it done a couple of different ways from cable and internet mediums and from the sounds of it the broadcast networks are staying put with the traditional model of doing a series with the exception of FOX’s Kevin Reilly whom announced this week at the TCA’s that FOX is doing away with the traditional model of picking up TV shows and doing it a different way.

Ordinarily, every summer TV networks receive hundreds and I mean HUNDREDS of TV pitches for new programming only for 95% of them to end up in the trash heap. The shows that the networks DO like get script orders in the fall and if the higher ups like what they see they order about 20 or so episodes. The nets then use the Upfronts in like May of every year to show advertisers all of its new toys with the hopes of selling all of the ad space for the following Fall season where new shows will premier. This past week at TCAs, CW, CBS, and all of the other networks confirmed that this system works for them and that they will continue to go this route.

With animated shows the process is a bit longer, because you now have to account for what could be an up to 9-month production cycle for one episode (although present-day technology has allowed shows like Archer to finish episodes in about 3 months). With animated shows you more often get ‘pilot presentations’ where if an animated script gets picked up they order one episode to be produced so that the network execs can see it and make changes. For example, when Bob’s Burgers’ pilot episode was shown to FOX there were a lot of gruesome ideas left on the floor like the family taking customers into the basement, grinding up their bodies, and serving them to new customers. The characters also looked different and more over the character ‘Tina’ was at one-time a character named ‘Dan’. Fast forward how many seasons, and Bob’s Burgers is one of the best shows on TV.

Lately cable and internet channels have started doing more creative approaches to introducing new animated shows to fans. For example, last year IFC and Comedy Central have both showed pilots to upcoming animated shows months before they premiered. Amazon and Adult Swim both ran contests for their animated pilots with both the CW Network AND Comedy Central having launched online networks of their own where they green-light animated shows, show them to fans, and the ones that are popular get an opportunity for a half-hour pickup on TV.

From the sounds of it FOX is going with the aforementioned model that IFC and Comedy Central did with their new shows and what may have been a tragedy of the sudden shift in pilot culture is the Murder Police animated series that none of us got to see. Evidently, a whole bunch of episodes were ordered to start THIS month only for Kevin and FOX to change their minds and cancel the series before any of us got to see it. From what I hear, the series order of 13 episodes is still being completed and being shopped, but no word yet as to where Murder Police is going to air if at all.

That said, FOX successfully launched a new animation lineup called ADHD which has so far introduced four new shows, all of which not only got their standard late-night Saturday slots, but also received prime-time sneak peeks following Family Guy on Sunday Nights. FOX then proceeded to cancel both The Cleveland Show and American Dad and then pick up a brand-new Seth MacFarlane series called Bordertown which will begin airing later this Fall on FOX.

So, maybe Kevin Reilly is on to something here with the new pilot model, but I still wanna watch me some Murder Police.  However, what are YOUR thoughts? Do you guys prefer the one episode to get a taste of a new series before you get a whole batch? Or do you like the Adult Swim model where YOU choose what gets to be on TV? Tell us in the comments below.