B&C's Upfront Central: The Latest News From the 2014 Upfronts and Beyond

May 6, 2014 Top Stories Pilot Season Is Dead. Long Live Pilot Season "The last I heard, a prototype is still a pilot." CW president Mark Pedowitz's comment was a dig at Fox, which set the agenda for any discussion about next season's broadcast programming when, in January, Fox Entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly addressed the Television Critics Association winter press tour with a declaration of "R.I.P. pilot season," and announced that this year his network would bypass the traditional process by which programming options for the upcoming season are evaluated. He added, "It's nothing short of a miracle that the talent is able to produce anything of quality in that environment." Reilly's was the first broadcast executive session at TCA, and every network head who followed fielded questions about his remarks— some responding with thinly veiled bemusement. "Perhaps pilot season for them is more challenging," said CBS Entertainment chairman Nina Tassler. Four months have passed. The networks are now preparing for their upfronts, and comments by Pedowitz and other executives surveyed by B&C prove that Fox's competitors have not exactly come around to Reilly's way of thinking in the time since his very visible stand. More» Fox Orders Batman Prequel 'Gotham' Days before it delivers its upfront presentation to advertisers, Fox has given a series order to Batman prequel series Gotham. The network is aiming to eliminate pilot season and order more full series, execs have said. Gotham, from Warner Bros. Television, will explore life in Gotham City in the years before Bruce Wayne became Batman. Gotham marks the third drama series ordered by Fox for the coming season, joining Backstrom and Hieroglyph, both of which received straight-to-series orders. A trailer has already been released and more footage is expected to be shown at the network's Monday upfront in New York. More» More News from B&C Discovery Reports Flat Earnings for First Quarter» NPD Study: 21% of Pay TV Subs Use TV Everywhere Monthly» Disney Earnings Jump on Movie Success» Around the Web Tribune CEO Has a Plan to Make WGN Famous (AdAge)» Survival Odds for Your Favorite TV Shows (Adweek)» Can the Internet Make TV Less Boring? (The Verge)» Calendar May 8 A+E Networks Park Avenue Armory 5:30 p.m. May 12 NBC Javits Center North Hall, 655 W 34th St 11 a.m. Fox Beacon Theatre (2124 Broadway) followed by party at Wollman Rink (59th St, Central Park) 4 p.m. Click here for a listing of more upcoming Upfront presentations

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