What the Hell is Michael Jamin Talking About?

What the Hell is Michael Jamin Talking About?

Professional Tips

What's the difference between a pilot, put pilot, backdoor pilot, and presentation?

Advice from a TV writer

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Michael Jamin
Feb 27, 2025
∙ Paid

PILOT

When a writer comes with an idea for a TVG show, they’ll pitch to a network. If the network thinks it’s right for them, they’ll commission a script. If they like the script, they’ll whether or not to shoot a pilot episode.

This is a big financial commitment because they have to hire actors, hire a crew, build sets, etc. Once it’s been shot and edited, they’ll decide if they want to air it, and how many more episodes they want to buy.

PUT PILOT

If the pitch is really hot, various platforms might get into a bidding war. In this case, one platform might agree to take the idea straight to series. In other words, they don’t need to read the script first.

This is called a “Put Pilot” because they agree to “put”the pilot on their schedule or platform.

So this is a guarantee that the show makes it to air, right?

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