Now that Pilot Season is over ...

A little over a month ago I asked how your pilot season was going.  At that point, most people were feeling a bit crappy about the whole thing.  So, now that's it's over and all the pilots are done, I'll ask again, how was your pilot season? 

Mine wasn't busy.  I'd love to be at the point where I was going out for all the series regulars, but I'm not.  I did however book a co-star on a pilot and I am super grateful for that.  But, of course I always want more work and it would have been great to test for a pilot.

Why is Pilot season so tough?  Well, first of all it's the process of casting with all the hoops actors have to jump through.  You have to go through pre-reads, call-backs, producer sessions, and finally the network test.  If you are one of the lucky ones to get to the network test phase, then it's the network producer's choice.  They are more interested in profits than art and it's not always the best actor who wins, but rather the one who they think will bring in the most money.

Who ended up booking pilots this year?  Well, here are a few of the faces of pilot season.  They look familiar, right?  Networks like to cast people who have already proven themselves.  So, they cast Connie Britton in Nashville and Lucy Lui in Elementary.  Or they want those who they think will bring audiences with them, the movie stars.  Now you have Sigourney Weaver starring in Political Animals and Dennis Quaid, who has never done television before, in a western pilot for CBS.

But, it's not all bad news.  Now that the pilots are pretty much shot, they will be shown to test audiences.  The networks will decide which pilots they will make into shows and based on the tests they may end up recasting some of the roles or even rewriting the pilots entirely. 

The Upfronts, where the networks announce their new line-ups, are in May and until then casting will be pretty slow.  So, if you didn't book a pilot, take a bit of a breather or get in lots of classes or work on your own projects for the next couple weeks.  Then get ready to get back into full swing as episodic season starts.

Halfway through Pilot Season

So, how's your pilot season going?

Not great yet?  Yeah, me either.  That seems to be what I am hearing from all my actor friends.  We know there are pilots out there getting cast and none of us are getting auditions.

But, here's the good news:  It's not just us.  In the first month or two of pilot season the people testing for roles are offers and the ones who already have series regular or big movie credits. 

Don't get mad at your agents just yet.  If you aren't already a known entity to a casting department then generally your agent's pitching will have little affect getting you in any office at this point in time.  Much of casting is working of their lists of favorite actors right now.

So, when is your chance?  Don't worry it's coming.  Most people say that unknowns will start getting called into offices in March.  But, don't set yourself on only series regular roles. 

During this pilot season there are episodics still casting.  You may suddenly have a better chance getting in on a co-star or guest star because many actors are holding out for a pilot.

I hope you all a better end to your pilot season and I would love to hear when y'all get called in or when you book something!!!