Latest in Primetime Pilot Panic

The first two broadcast networks to unveil their 2021-22 schedules, Fox and NBC, had one thing in common, neither featured live-action comedies in the fall. Once a broadcast staple, sitcoms are getting harder to launch and get traction, leading to a scaleback in the genre. ABC is bucking the trend, sticking with its…

ABC last week canceled four series, ranging from veteran American Housewife, which had run for five seasons, to rookie Rebel, whose cancellation came after only five airings. In-between them were sophomores Mixed-ish and For Life. “They are all unique shows who on their own specific timeline where they are creatively…

It came down to the wire for three long-running ABC series that had been rumored to potentially be nearing the end their runs, Grey’s Anatomy, The Goldbergs and black-ish. All were ultimately renewed for next season, black-ish for an eighth and final installment. The upcoming seasons of Grey’s Anatomy and The Goldbergs…

EXCLUSIVE: Mo Marable, who directed Hulu comedy Woke, is set to direct and exec produce the pilot of Freeform’s None of the Above, a single-camera comedy from Black-ish’s Kenny Smith. This comes after the youth-skewing Disney cable network ordered the project to pilot in April. Marable’s other credits include Brockmire…

In an industry often criticized for its obsession with youth in front of the camera, it has been nice to see accomplished veterans Catherine O’Hara, Judith Light and Katey Sagal attracting multiple offers at the onset of the 2020 broadcast pilot season. Sagal already made her choice, committing to play the lead in ABC…

Camille Hyde (American Vandal) and Lucien Laviscount (Scream Queens) have joined the cast of Katy Keene, the CW's Riverdale spinoff pilot from Riverdale creator/executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. TV. Written by Aguirre-Sacasa and Michael Grassi and directed by Maggie…

Nikki Amuka-Bird (Quarry) is set as a lead opposite Hugh Laurie, Zach Woods, Suzy Nakamura, Rebecca Front and Josh Gad in Armando Iannucci's HBO space comedy pilot Avenue 5 (tentative title). Created, written and executive produced by Iannucci, Avenue 5 is set in the future, mostly in space. Amuka-Bird will play Rav…

Lou Diamond Phillips, Aurora Perrineau and Frank Harts have been cast as series regulars in Prodigal Son, Fox’s police drama pilot from Deception creator Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver, Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros TV. In addition, Lee Toland Krieger (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) is set to direct the pilot and…

As we close the book on a wild upfront, with a lot of drama, some last-minute pickups, many cancellations and one resurrection, here is Deadline's annual honor roll of those who excelled at the 2018 upfronts. Also included is a list of pods and independent production companies with multiple series on broadcast and…

This is the time of year many TV actors, producers and crew fret about the most: The broadcast networks are putting together their fall schedules ahead of Upfront Week in Manhattan — which means a bunch of current series are being canceled. This year’s batch thus far includes a number of veteran shows including Fox’s B…

While reading pilot scripts, picking up and casting pilots this winter, Fox also has been actively buying drama and comedy pitches in a renewed effort to develop projects for off-cycle pilot and straight-to-series orders. The idea is not new — broadcast networks have been talking about switching to year-round…

We are a month and three days away from the broadcast networks’ upfronts, three days into the current round of negotiations between the WGA and producers and three weeks from a potential writers strike. The prospect of a possible work stoppage is casting a shadow over this year’s pilot season as producers are looking…