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Author Topic: Multiple pilots?  (Read 3800 times)

DoorNumberFour

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Multiple pilots?
« on: August 09, 2015, 02:13:11 AM »
Bert Convy taped five pilots for what eventually became Match Game 1990. 1985's failed Concentration revival with Orson Bean taped a full 10 pilot episodes. I'm up at 2 in the morning eating toast with jam and I'm not sleeping anytime soon.

Why did some shows tape such an obscene number of pilots? Aren't those things kinda expensive?
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Matt Ottinger

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Re: Multiple pilots?
« Reply #1 on: August 09, 2015, 11:41:38 AM »
Why did some shows tape such an obscene number of pilots? Aren't those things kinda expensive?

Well, overwhelmingly, the cost is in creating the set and gathering everybody together.  Once you've done that, making additional episodes isn't a lot more expensive, especially if you're shooting it all on the same day.  Besides, especially in those two examples, you're probably looking at what we would more accurately call "test episodes", even if they were all called pilots on the slate.  A pilot is usually something the network gives you money to make, and a network isn't going to ask you for ten episodes in order to make up its mind.

I've seen multiple pilots shot for very specific reasons, such as trying out different hosts.  But in the cases you're describing, it sounds like they're just trying to work bugs out on a full set.  Bean, as we've noted, seemed awkward in a host's role, so it's somewhat logical to guess that part of Concentration was giving him the chance to get comfortable doing it for real.
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chrisholland03

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Re: Multiple pilots?
« Reply #2 on: August 09, 2015, 03:37:16 PM »
What Mr Ottinger has posted is in alignment with what I've heard second-hand about the Concentration pilots - they were working out the bugs with the format and host.  It's a shame they couldn't do something about that set too :D

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JakeT

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Re: Multiple pilots?
« Reply #3 on: August 12, 2015, 08:33:00 PM »
What Mr Ottinger has posted is in alignment with what I've heard second-hand about the Concentration pilots - they were working out the bugs with the format and host.  It's a shame they couldn't do something about that set too :D

That set wasn't ugly...

IT WAS FUGLY!

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alfonzos

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Re: Multiple pilots?
« Reply #4 on: August 13, 2015, 12:42:28 AM »
I sat through one of the tapings on the Bean-hosted Concentration. I have yet seen the episode I witnessed notable by the host and winning contestant running from camera left to camera right to play the Bonus Game before going to commercial.
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