Why is the first episode of a TV show called 'Pilot'?
What is the meaning of the word 'Pilot', as used for the first episode of a TV-show, implied here? Does it have anything to do with a smooth take-off?
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1 Expert Answer
Rex R. answered • 07/21/19
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MFA in Film with 10+ Years' Professional Experience
The first episode of a series is called a pilot because it leads what is to follow, and establishes its tone and pace. The following is the wikipedia entry for the parallel term relating to vehicles:
An escort vehicle, also called a pilot vehicle in most areas, is an automobile used to escort[further explanation needed] trucks with large loads, convoys of large vehicles, guide motorists through construction sites, and assist aircraft in taxiing from the runway to the tarmac at many airports.
John D.
Q: Why is the first episode called a "pilot". A: Its not. A pilot episode is made before the show is approved as a pitch. Sometimes it is released as a first episode but most of the time it is scrapped because it often compresses the entire first season into a rushed mess to sell the point. You clearly need to do some due diligence. Where did you get your MFA?
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11/11/21
Rex R.
You are confusing a spec pilot with an official pilot. Television studios green-light more pilots per season than they have air time for. After screening the pilots, network executives decide which to order for a full season. The ones that aren't selected never air. But the pilot dictates the series' direction, and the director of a pilot episode (per Director's Guild of America union guidelines) receives residuals for the remainder of the series, whether s/he directs another episode or not. I worked on the pilot episode of The Minister of Divine, which you can look up on IMDb if you like. And I went to Art Center College of Design. What middle school do you go to?
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11/11/21
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John D.
Q: Why is the first episode called a "pilot". A: Its not. A pilot episode is made before the show is approved as a pitch. Sometimes it is released as a first episode but most of the time it is scrapped because it often compresses the entire first season into a rushed mess to sell the point. You clearly need to do some due diligence before writing misleading articles.11/11/21