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NBC executives Lisa Katz and Jeff Bader wowed some of their younger colleagues earlier this year with stories of past pilot seasons.
I said: We used to Twelve dramas,” and they went, “What?!” ” Katz, president of scripted content for NBC and Peacock, said in a pre-NBCUniversal upfront conference call on Monday. Bader, NBC’s head of program planning strategy, added, “We used to do six-for-one [open] time period.”
Those days are long gone, but NBC has ordered more scripted pilots — eight — than any single network since 2022. Those eight projects have resulted in four anthology series: Dramas Line of fire and Rockford Files And comedy Newly married couples and My sunset Line of fire and Newly married couples It is scheduled to premiere in the fall, while Rockford Files and My sunset — both of which, coincidentally, focus on private investigators — will launch in early 2027.
Katz had pushed to increase the number of pilots ordered by NBC this season, and NBCUniversal had budgeted to increase the volume. While NBC will also continue to develop shows throughout the year — which is the default for most networks and streamers now — Katz expects to continue ordering and producing pilots in the first few months of 2027.
“We were looking at the potential slots we were going to get and wanted to have options for those slots, which we fortunately did,” Katz said. “We had a lot of great choices and really tough decisions. We believe in the pilot season, so when we see what shows are successful and what our needs are next year, I would support that.” [for it] once again.”
The advantages of creating a pilot, Katz sees it, include allowing each NBC division to see the finished product long before the show goes on the air. “It’s a way of marketing and scheduling, where everyone looks at it and decides together — where they can actually see what the show is and how it can work.”
As for the four pilots carried by NBC — three dramas and one comedy — Badr said the decision was more about specific needs than the quality of those shows. (Universal Television, which produced all of NBC’s pilots, may try to find other homes for the shows that passed.) “It was more about which shows we thought would fit best with the shows. [already] “On schedule. It was a very difficult decision,” he said.
As for continuing the mini-revival of the traditional pilot season, Katz said, “We want to do it again.” “I hope these shows are successful that we don’t have so many needs. But I think being able to have options and being able to try out some different concepts, and have everyone look at it and see what works best, is a privilege. So I really hope we get the opportunity to do it again.”
