Test Pilots: The how & why of TV pilots in Canada

BY Katharine Montagu

The TV pilot wasn’t always a necessary step in the evolution of a series. Back in the day, Canadian broadcasters used to order series directly from scripts by known entities. This gave Canadian television an identifiable familiarity, it gave veteran television writers more job security, and it encouraged some mediocre television. Several successful shows have also skipped the pilot.

Stargate SG-1’s Brad Wright says, “I co-wrote a series premiere for Stargate, not a pilot. We already had sold a 44-episode order for the series. A pilot is a different animal. Generally they're written and possibly produced as a proof of concept. The series proceeds from that point.”

The idea of ‘proof of concept’ is a beguiling one. Canadian broadcasters can’t afford to shoot a hundred pilots only to choose a handful, as Hollywood does. But in the last five years Canadian broadcasters have embraced the idea of shooting a few pilots, and using them to prove (or disprove) the concept both internally and by sending them out to focus groups.

Pilots are more expensive than scripts, but far cheaper than a series no one watches. A shot pilot also provides proof of concept to the American networks, which are buying Canadian series in unprecedented numbers.

Andrew Wreggitt (Mayerthorpe) zeros in on the pitfalls of pilots: “the process has enormous frustrations. You have to do all the work of launching an entire television series without the security of amortizing costs, building a season with a writing department or having the ability to hold cast for more than a short window. Producers are horribly exposed in the pilot scenario and everyone works their asses off for little money and with no certainty there will be any down the line. High stress, needless to say, but that's the nature of the business now.”

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