What to Expect from Pilot Season 2017

From Campaign US: In the age of Netflix and Amazon, when straight-to-series orders are increasingly becoming the norm across the TV landscape, the need for the traditional TV pilot has diminished. For the upcoming season, an estimated 70 pilots are in contention, which is about 20 fewer than last year. In earlier years, the norm was over 100 pilots.

So if the quantity is going down, the quality must be going up, right? I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
But before a single scene has been made public, the upcoming 2017-18 season offers some surprises. For one, you might have assumed the success of NBC’s “This Is Us” would have produced a batch of pilots centered on relationship drama, blended families and/or time shifting. But instead the major trends for next season appear to be procedural crime solvers, military dramas, and family-themed sitcoms. There are also a number of scripted entries – both comedy and drama – with a space theme. And, as always, there are reboots of past hits vying for a comeback.

While I try not to judge shows I haven’t seen, it’s hard not to get excited about a new show from “Desperate Housewives” creator Marc Cherry. Starring Reba McEntire as the sheriff of a town in Kentucky, this untitled ABC soap flirts with political sensitivities by introducing a young FBI agent of Middle Eastern descent who arrives to help solve a horrific crime. This sounds completely unique.

Otherwise, let’s take this category by category. For more, click here