Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large As networks across the industry pull back on the number of series pilots they order, Fox is taking it one step further: They’ve decided to completely get out of the live-action pilot business.
The network launches its only new live-action comedy of the season, “Animal Control,” on Thursday, and Fox Entertainment’s scripted president Michael Thorn says that show’s development is a case study in how series will be ordered moving forward at the network.
Instead of a pilot, Fox commissioned multiple scripts in order to test the viability of the sitcom. “Script-to-series,” which has been a staple at several cable networks for years, will now be the standard for Fox as well. “On the live action side, we’re out of the pilot business,” Thorn tells Variety. “What we’ve found is that pilots were not a great predictor of success.
Pilots that were high testing and that we all loved didn’t necessarily result in hit series. And they clearly do not work in the business model.
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