One And Done: A List Of Big-Name Series That Never Got Past The Pilot (And One That Did)

TV & Film

Jan 5

Scene from How I Met Your Father — Image Source: IMDb

Every single series has to start somewhere before it becomes a memorable story for its fans. Usually, these stories begin with a pilot episode, something to give the audience a taste of what to expect. Unfortunately, not all projects receive the green light, and all that is left is the only pilot episode. Here is a list of interesting and intriguing series that never got past the pilot (or did they?)

The Selection

Based on Kiera Cass’ novel series, this story is set 300 years in the future. Twenty-five young women are chosen to compete for the future king’s hand. This epic story follows America, who initially has no interest in the competition. However, the more she gets to know the prince, the more she questions her decisions.

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The pilot was shot twice by The CW, making it somewhat obvious they wanted the project to work. Sadly other projects at the time (in 2013) were more promising and The Selection was put aside. Netflix picked up the project back in April 2020. It has yet to receive a green light, though, despite the project having a script, director, and a team of producers (according to the producer Pouya Shahbazian).

The After

It is hard not to look forward to a new project by the creator of The X-Files. Chris Cater’s The After was promoted as a post-apocalyptic drama where eight strangers must band together to survive.

Amazon bought the production and was supposed to have eight episodes for the first season. However, creative differences and other minor disagreements between Carter and Amazon eventually killed the project.

Welcome To My Life

Welcome to My Life is an animated mockumentary with a very beautiful take on the life of a teenager. But this is no ordinary teenager. Doug, or T-Kesh as his friends call him, is a monster living in a city of humans. He attends high school, hangs out with his friends, plays football, and faces difficulties as any other teenager. The animation work and blends of different styles were reminiscent of The Amazing World of Gumball, except Welcome to my Life lacked the fantastic scenarios that Gumball and Darwin find themselves in. After all, both series were produced by Cartoon Network so the similarities are not that surprising.

The monster may be considered a metaphor for the discrimination some kids face just for being who they are, as shown in the 9-minute pilot. T-Kesh faced Ian, a classmate who found it disgusting when the monster compared himself to his classmate. The episode told us clearly what the series was about: the life of a kid trying to fit in, which in essence, is what every teenager tries to do at some point.

How I Met Your Dad

The original spin-off to How I Met Your Mother was created by the show’s original creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas. The story follows Sally on her journey to meet her daughter’s father as told through a set of letters written to her daughter. The series was expected to debut in 2014 but it was put aside until 2021.

In 2021, Hulu picked up the project and renamed it How I Met Your Father. This time the pilot was based on the rewrite by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger. The spin-off saw the light or at least a version of it, as the series’s second season is scheduled to air by the end of January 2023.

Hazbin Hotel

Every year the demons in hell face a cleanse designed to reduce the overpopulation of the place. That is until Charlie Morningstar opens a hotel to give demons a shot at redemption. The pilot presents a series of lovable but strange and complex characters, such as Alastor or Angeldust, who let themselves be and enjoy their existence as the free demons they are. There are certain doses of brutality, profanity, and comedy in the story that aligns perfectly with the animation style, reminding us that “animation is not a genre but a medium,” as Guillermo del Toro has said.

Vivienne Medrano’s animated project made a huge impact on the community and amassed a very loyal and gigantic number of fans. The series features a 30-minute pilot with over 82 million views on YouTube, not counting all the other channels and media that broadcasted the episode. Unlike others on this list, Hazbin Hotel is confirmed to air in the summer of 2023, without any rebranding or studio change.

This short list showcases some promising pilots, some of them more interesting than others. A number of projects do end up getting the green light. Any project has a chance at reviving and becoming a new sensation for the viewers.

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