No More Pilot Seasons For Fox, According To Kevin Reilly

Eschewing decades of tradition, Fox chairman Kevin Reilly announced at the Television Critics Association press tour that the network is done with a common practice in television. “RIP pilot season,” Reilly said in the opening remarks on Monday (Jan. 13). According to the exec, current scheduling and pilot procedure is the product of a bygone era. "It’s nothing short of a miracle that talent is able to produce anything of quality in that environment," he said.

Instead, Reilly indicated that Fox will be placing orders for new shows throughout the year -- shifting focus to pick up series rather than just order pilots -- and producing them on a wider schedule as well. Proven by shows like "The Following" and "Sleepy Hollow," Reilly is also a fan of abandoning the accepted notion that a network show must run 22 episodes per season. He's found great success with shorter seasons, which are ideal for what he calls mythos-rich, serialized shows.

Critics have long decried the broadcast networks' failure to adapt as quickly to the changing medium of television. It looks like Fox is ready to get the ball rolling. Who's next?