Starting this catch all thread on the topic of unsold pilots. Did some Internet research lately, any additional information of the topic is appreciated.

Goodbye, Charlie. Unsold Suzanne Sommers/John Davidson pilot for ABC in 1985.
https://youtu.be/UwDyGl8gwUw
Not saying this should've been picked up but it could've been paired up with a hypothetical second season of Three's A Crowd on Fridays. Kinda a catchy theme tho.

https://youtu.be/ZN1ItEZhp68
Another unsold pilot from 1985. Staff from Bosom Buddies wrote/created this pilot starring michael richards as the kramer-esque bumbling city cop and dana carvey as the easily impressed country cop.

https://youtu.be/Ws6EBXbie80
Unsold US adaptation of the UK's New Avengers for CBS. Written by the same guy and produced by quinn martin productions.

https://archive.org/details/TheNerd1989Pilot

The Nerd, which was an unsold pilot from 1989 for NBC. The series was not optioned, but it was eventually broadcast in March 1996. John Dye, Harley Jane Kozak and Robert Joy were the cast members.

Starting this catch all thread on the topic of unsold pilots. Did some Internet research lately, any additional information of the topic is appreciated.

Goodbye, Charlie. Unsold Suzanne Sommers/John Davidson pilot for ABC in 1985.
http://https://youtu.be/UwDyGl8gwUw
Not saying this should've been picked up but it could've been paired up with a hypothetical second season of Three's A Crowd on Fridays. Kinda a catchy theme tho.

http://https://youtu.be/ZN1ItEZhp68
Another unsold pilot from 1985. Staff from Bosom Buddies wrote/created this pilot starring michael richards as the kramer-esque bumbling city cop and dana carvey as the easily impressed country cop.

http://https://youtu.be/Ws6EBXbie80
Unsold US adaptation of the UK's New Avengers for CBS. Written by the same guy and produced by quinn martin productions.

Those links don't work for me.

Goodbye, Charlie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwDyGl8gwUw

Slickers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN1ItEZhp68

Starting this catch all thread on the topic of unsold pilots. Did some Internet research lately, any additional information of the topic is appreciated.

Goodbye, Charlie. Unsold Suzanne Somers/John Davidson pilot for ABC in 1985.
http://https://youtu.be/UwDyGl8gwUw (https://youtu.be/UwDyGl8gwUw)
Not saying this should've been picked up but it could've been paired up with a hypothetical second season of Three's A Crowd on Fridays. Kinda a catchy theme tho.

Not bad, this could've worked. What were the show(s) that ABC chose instead of Goodbye, Charlie? John Davidson is a better actor than game show host, that's for sure.

Those links don't work for me.


Me neither.

Not bad, this could've worked. What were the show(s) that ABC chose instead of Goodbye, Charlie? John Davidson is a better actor than game show host, that's for sure.

Never mind, a summary of the 72 pilots in contention at ABC/NBC/CBS for the 1985-1986 TV season are listed here:

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-04-14-ca-8075-story.html

Looks like Growing Pains was the one comedy hit for ABC that season. I also remember seeing Jeffrey Tambor as a blind professor in "Mr. Sunshine" when ABC showed the pilot that summer, but don't remember any of the other ABC comedies.

Here is a new link for Escapade:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=Ws6EBXbie80

Here is a new link for Escapade:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=Ws6EBXbie80

Thank you!

Thank you!

No problem!

Goodbye, Charlie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwDyGl8gwUw

Slickers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN1ItEZhp68
I copied it wrong, where the https showed up twice. oops.:lol: i


http://youtu.be/FYaYLwzq-jU
stick around with andy kaufman 1977

Never mind, a summary of the 72 pilots in contention at ABC/NBC/CBS for the 1985-1986 TV season are listed here:

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-04-14-ca-8075-story.html

Looks like Growing Pains was the one comedy hit for ABC that season. I also remember seeing Jeffrey Tambor as a blind professor in "Mr. Sunshine" when ABC showed the pilot that summer, but don't remember any of the other ABC comedies.

Mr sunshine was a summer burn-off. I've seen several promos for it on youtube. Henry Winkler was a producer on it.

Never mind, a summary of the 72 pilots in contention at ABC/NBC/CBS for the 1985-1986 TV season are listed here:

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-04-14-ca-8075-story.html

Looks like Growing Pains was the one comedy hit for ABC that season. I also remember seeing Jeffrey Tambor as a blind professor in "Mr. Sunshine" when ABC showed the pilot that summer, but don't remember any of the other ABC comedies.

Mr sunshine was a summer burn-off. I've seen several promos for it on youtube. Henry Winkler was a producer on it.

That was an intersting article, I'd love to read more of those. ABC should've picked up In Like Flynn, a Romancing the Stone ripoff but a light adventure show with a female lead. Pilot is on Youtube, produced by glenn larson.
http://youtu.be/4sujU9LPc-o

Northstar has an awesome theme with some fantastoc imagery. While I enjoyed the pilot, ABC was wise to pass on this because it would've bombed hard.
http://youtu.be/xi23kQXoggI

http://youtu.be/bS-Uy1zoNJM
She's With Me, 1986 for NBC by the future creators of Married With Children. Awful. Dinah Manoff is fine but Herry Hall is awful---that voice.

http://youtu.be/6hRp_aTEPjU
Mr and Mrs Dracula. 1980 pilot for ABC starring Dick Shawn as Dracula. There was a second pilot in 1981.

Probably my favorite busted pilot, Garry Marshall's US adaptation of Are You Being Served for CBS. Croft/Lloyd worked on the US pilot, an adapation of the classic episode 'German Week.' I've always found AYBS to be the greatest britcom and the casting here is inspired. Charlotte Rae as slocombe and jonathan hillerman as peacock. The theme is so low-key opposed to the classic AYBS theme.
http://youtu.be/7rry-zw1buo

Thanks CNNBCBS! I never knew there was a US pilot of AYBS. This feels both cool and strange at the same time. John Hillerman and Charlotte Rae are good, as always, but they can't replace the originals. And the show is nothing without the real Mr. Humphries.

Review and video of Poochinski, a dog of a pilot (nyuk nyuk nyuk ;) ) featuring a cop who's killed in the line of duty but whose mind lives on inside of a dog. Peter Boyle (later of Everybody Loves Raymond) is the star. I haven't watched the pilot yet, but it sounds craptastic!

https://tuneintonight.wordpress.com/2017/06/07/poochinski-1990/

LytgLZDzzAY

https://youtu.be/Rd1qxT7UOrg
Tickets Please. 1988, CBS. With Cleavon Little, Marcia Strassman, Harold Gould and Bill Macy.

https://youtu.be/f_wXFI4Ihm0
Baby On Board. CBS, 1989(?). Terri Hatcher is in the cast.

https://youtu.be/sIaC7omXihc
King of the Building. 80s? Richard Lewis and Billie Bird. A James Komack production.

https://youtu.be/dIxo0VuunuY
Acting Sherrif. Robert Goulet. Touchstone Television for CBS, 1991. Would've made a fun show.

https://youtu.be/ZN1ItEZhp68
Another unsold pilot from 1985. Staff from Bosom Buddies wrote/created this pilot starring michael richards as the kramer-esque bumbling city cop and dana carvey as the easily impressed country cop.

https://youtu.be/Ws6EBXbie80
Unsold US adaptation of the UK's New Avengers for CBS. Written by the same guy and produced by quinn martin productions.

“Slickers” wasn’t Carvey’s first attempt at a sitcom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MaZ2G6ra3Y

https://youtu.be/7it-GI9jj0Q
Elvira Show. CBS, 1993. Would've paired well with The Nanny. Comedy vets Anne Beatts and Peter Bonerz behind the scenes. A post-WTB Katherine Helmond co-stars.

https://youtu.be/7it-GI9jj0Q
Elvira Show. CBS, 1993. Would've paired well with The Nanny. Comedy vets Anne Beatts and Peter Bonerz behind the scenes. A post-WTB Katherine Helmond co-stars.

Watched this a few weeks ago. Fun show, definitely would have watched it during its original run had it got picked up. Definitely feels like it was inspired by the comic book Sabrina The Teenage Witch.

https://youtu.be/7Cl8uZJlRGI

Harry's Battles, based on a UK formats starring Dick van Dyke and Connie Stevens as a married couple with joe regalbuto (spelling?) as the foil, which would differ from episode to episode. Passed on by ABC in 1981.

“Goodbye Charlie” came very close to being picked up, to the point where ABC started making publicity plans for it. Suzanne said she was heartbroken when ABC passed on it at the last minute.

It could have worked with some funnier writing and a different co-star than John Davidson. Suzanne was very good in it.

“Goodbye Charlie” came very close to being picked up, to the point where ABC started making publicity plans for it. Suzanne said she was heartbroken when ABC passed on it at the last minute.

It could have worked with some funnier writing and a different co-star than John Davidson. Suzanne was very good in it.

Agreed, IIRC Davidson was better known on tv as a talk/variety personality. Richard Kline would've worked in the role.

I thought John Davidson's acting was fine but yes, he already had a long TV career that defined him a bit. Richard Kline's history with Suzanne and Three's Company might also have presented a similar problem, plus I thought he was already a lead in another pilot with Shelley Fabares at the time.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-03-24-ca-293-story.html%3f_amp=true

Pilots in development for the 1989-90 television season.

https://youtu.be/q8OUvALSfDE
Lesley-Anne Downey as a sexy ghost who doesn't want people living in her house. CBS, 1989

https://youtu.be/0resWEGA_9Y
Microcops, probably inspired by the movie Interspace. Also CBS, 1989.

https://youtu.be/RXfcfO7Jwgg
CBS, 1988

https://youtu.be/UVauQ9GmQA4
CBS, 1987

https://youtu.be/pvcTbgRVvBc
Chuck Lorre pilot for Fox, 1998.

Here's Anything for Love, a failed pilot for CBS in 1985 starring Vicki Lawrence, Lauren Tewes, Marsha Warfield, and Rebecca Arthur. Only Arthur's scenes are shown in the clip below.

ZPEpyKRodNo

^^^Good performers, horrible material. I can't believe Vicki Lawrence signed on for that.

Here are a couple more articles about old television pilots:

TV Pilots Ready for an Air War (LA Times, 3/24/1989)
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-03-24-ca-293-story.html

TV Pilots That Never Got Off the Ground (LA Times, 4/3/1988)
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-04-03-ca-824-story.html
From the adventures of a samurai D.A. to the creation of a half-man, half-satellite secret agent, Lee Goldberg details the industry's wacky, hilarious and ambitious flops over the last 35 years.

Here's Anything for Love, a failed pilot for CBS in 1985 starring Vicki Lawrence, Lauren Tewes, Marsha Warfield, and Rebecca Arthur. Only Arthur's scenes are shown in the clip below.

ZPEpyKRodNo

If that would've succeeded then I guess we never would've gotten Mama's Family (the first run syndication years) and Roz from Night Court and Mary Anne from Perfect Strangers would've been played by different people.

CBS had attempted to spin-off "How I Met Your Mother" before "How I Met Your Father" finally launched on Hulu.

"How I Met Your Dad" was expected to launch in 2014, but CBS did not pick it up. The unaired pilot was narrated by Meg Ryan and starred Greta Gerwig.