When Almost Isn't Enough
The 1970s were a wild time for television experimentation. Networks spent fortunes testing unusual concepts, recruiting famous actors, and filming pilots that audiences never got to see. Some disappeared completely, while others were reworked into successful series. These forgotten productions reveal just how differently television history might have unfolded. Here are 27 original pilots that never reached their intended broadcasts.
The Barbara Eden Show (1974)
Fresh from her success on I Dream of Jeannie, Barbara Eden filmed a sitcom about a toy designer living with her widowed father and grandmother. Originally titled The Barbara Eden Show, the project was renamed The Toy Game. ABC never broadcast it.
The Fireman's Ball (1974)
This comedy followed the chaotic lives of firefighters and attracted enough interest to receive further development. ABC even considered launching it under the title Where's the Fire? However, the original pilot remained unseen, although a second version eventually aired in 1975.
Shirts/Skins (1974)
Six businessmen playing weekly basketball games might not sound like obvious sitcom material, but MGM Television thought otherwise. Following a 1973 television movie, another pilot was produced with John Pleshette and Oliver Clark. ABC rejected the series, leaving the new pilot unaired.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
Only In America (1974)
Actor Topol, already famous for Fiddler on the Roof, starred in this proposed family comedy. He played a carpenter raising his family in New York City. Despite his international recognition, ABC declined the project, and the filmed pilot never reached viewers.
Ilan Bruner, Wikimedia Commons
Lampoon (1974)
Producer George Schlatter developed this hour-long variety pilot for ABC. Unfortunately, its title created an unexpected obstacle when National Lampoon challenged the production's use of the word. The company obtained a court injunction, and the proposed show never reached television.
Screenshot from Lampoon, ABC (1974)
Up The Toga (1972)
British comedian Frankie Howerd attempted to bring his successful Roman-era sitcom Up Pompeii! to American audiences. ABC commissioned a pilot titled Up The Toga, but it remained unbroadcast. Remarkably, a surviving copy was recovered and publicly screened in 2023.
Allan Warren, Wikimedia Commons
Bird Alone (1974)
The BBC recorded this comedy pilot on April 2, 1974, featuring Liz Smith and Yootha Joyce. It was intended for the broadcaster's Comedy Playhouse series. Despite featuring two accomplished performers, the completed episode never received a television broadcast.
George Wilkes Archive, Getty Images
The Orson Welles Show (1979)
Orson Welles developed a talk show featuring Burt Reynolds, Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and Angie Dickinson. Filming began in 1978, and the completed production ran approximately 74 minutes. Nobody purchased the proposed series, leaving an extraordinary celebrity gathering unseen on television.
Paul Masson vinery, California, Wikimedia Commons
Mister Dugan (1979)
Norman Lear's sitcom starred Cleavon Little as a newly elected congressman. CBS planned its premiere for March 11, 1979, with three episodes already filmed. However, criticism following a screening for the Congressional Black Caucus prompted the producers to withdraw it.
Screenshot from Mister Dugan, CBS (1979)
Three's Company (1976)
John Ritter originally played David Bell rather than Jack Tripper in the first pilot. Valerie Curtin and Suzanne Zenor portrayed his roommates, but ABC wasn't satisfied. Two more pilots followed before the familiar version finally reached television in March 1977.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
The Bob Newhart Show (1972)
The original pilot presented Bob Hartley's workplace differently, with Jerry working as an experimental psychologist. Producers subsequently changed the arrangement and introduced familiar supporting characters. Material from the original production was reworked into a later episode, but the initial version remained unaired.
Screenshot from The Bob Newhart Show, CBS (1972)
Hunter (1976)
Before CBS launched Hunter in 1977, producers filmed a considerably different pilot starring James Franciscus. His character had supposedly spent eight years imprisoned after being framed. That backstory disappeared before the series launched, although the original pilot later surfaced on home video.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons, Modified
The Numbers Game (1975)
Richard Dawson hosted this unsold game-show pilot before becoming the face of Family Feud. ABC daytime executive Michael Brockman reportedly admired Dawson's performance despite rejecting the concept. That favorable impression helped Dawson secure the hosting job that made him a television institution.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
Cash On The Line (1972)
Dick Clark hosted this experimental quiz featuring Bill Cullen and Peggy Cass. Contestants and celebrity partners worked together to identify categories. Although the pilot failed, producer Bob Stewart recycled elements of its format into the enormously successful The $10,000 Pyramid.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
Equal Partners (1976)
Game-show veteran Bill Cullen participated in this unusual couples quiz, recorded in August 1976. Husbands initially decided which spouse would answer easier or harder questions, with wives later making those choices. The concept remained an unlaunched television experiment.
NBC Television, Wikimedia Commons
Caught In The Act (1975)
Bob Stewart Productions recorded two versions of this celebrity guessing game for ABC. John Gabriel hosted one, while Jim Peck handled the other. Bill Cullen joined a panel helping contestants identify categories through clues, but the network never developed a regular series.
ABC Television., Wikimedia Commons, Modified
Decisions, Decisions (1978)
Bill Cullen hosted this NBC game-show experiment featuring celebrity partners and difficult multiple-choice questions. David Letterman appeared in one pilot alongside Joyce Bulifant. Despite the recognizable personalities and elaborate scoring system, the proposed program never became a network series.
Screenshot from Decisions, Decisions, Video Arts (1978), Enhanced
The Choice Is Yours (1970)
This ABC pilot invited a studio audience to vote on hypothetical situations while celebrities predicted the majority's opinions. Bill Cullen hosted the November 1970 experiment, which even included prerecorded sketches. The interactive format never secured a regular broadcast slot.
Screenshot from The Choice Is Yours, ABC (1970), Enhanced
Says Who? (1971)
Another forgotten game-show experiment featured celebrities trying to predict one another's responses. Geoff Edwards hosted, while Bill Cullen, Betsy Palmer, Anne Meara, and Peter Lawford participated. The May 1971 pilot never developed into a regularly televised program.
NBC Network, Wikimedia Commons
Fantasies Fulfilled (1979)
Producer Stu Billett developed a guessing game in which celebrities identified contestants who had already experienced their personal dreams. Cesar Romero participated in a memorable filmed segment. Despite the unusual premise and recognizable guests, the project remained an unsold pilot.
You Must Be Joking! (1974)
This British comedy experiment featured young performers from Anna Scher's Children's Theatre. Thames Television filmed a pilot in 1974 but never broadcast that original version. The concept survived, however, becoming a children's sketch series that premiered in 1975.
Evening Standard, Getty Images
Love Thy Neighbour (1972)
Before this controversial British sitcom became a television success, its creators filmed a pilot that wasn't broadcast. The production explored conflicts between two neighboring families. The original episode eventually became available as an extra on a home-video release.
Lucky Feller (1975)
David Jason starred in an unbroadcast pilot recorded on June 3, 1975. Its supporting cast included Elizabeth Spriggs, Nicky Henson, Burt Kwouk, and Sylvester McCoy. The subsequent 1976 sitcom retained Jason while changing several supporting performers.
Screenshot from Lucky Feller, ITV Network (1975)
Sadie, It's Cold Outside (1974)
Jack Rosenthal's domestic sitcom began with an unbroadcast pilot before ITV introduced the series in 1975. Rosemary Leach played a frustrated wife whose husband preferred watching television. The first transmitted episode reworked material from the earlier production.
Screenshot from Sadie, It's Cold Outside, ITV network (1975)
Spooner's Patch (1978)
Writers Ray Galton and Johnny Speight created this police-station comedy and filmed an original pilot starring Ian Bannen. That version never aired. When ITV launched the series in 1979, Ronald Fraser had replaced Bannen as Inspector Spooner.
Screenshot from Spooner's Patch, ITV network (1979–1981)
You Me And Him (1979)
This forgotten BBC sitcom attempted to extend the world of The Liver Birds. Michael Angelis returned as Lucian, who considered leaving home and encountered eccentric prospective roommates. The completed pilot was never broadcast or publicly released.
Screenshot from The Liver Birds, BBC (1969–1996), Enhanced
Not The Nine O'Clock News (1979)
The BBC recorded its original sketch-show pilot in March 1979, with Rowan Atkinson among the performers. Concerns about political material during an approaching general election prevented transmission. The production was substantially reworked, and the successful series finally premiered later that year.
Screenshot from Not The Nine O'Clock News, BBC (1979), Enhanced
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