That pesky Internet, what is it good for? Apart from TV Scoop, obviously. Well, checking out some of the most anticipated autumn pilots from America’s top TV networks apparently. Shows including the much hyped Bionic Woman, The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Lipstick Jungle (the new Sex and the City but with 3 ladies instead of 4) have been made available from illegal download sites since last Friday.
Other titles include Pushing Daisies, Cavemen, Reaper and Chuck. The quality of the files is said to be reasonably high, while the actual shows themselves have had a mixed response from curious members of the public. On watching Connor, the Terminator spin-off show, one viewer posted “This baby is real and nice quality. Wish I could say more about the content, but there is potential.”
The leaks (is that what we call them?) are almost to be expected, with so many screeners despatched to interested press. However, the networks have been keen to control their release of content and are working hard to combat piracy. One studio representative elaborated: “We’re doing everything we can to fight piracy. Our piracy department is playing whack-a-mole with these things.”
Away from the legal issues of getting your hands on these shows ahead of schedule, I feel conflicted on such leaks. Sure, like everyone I enjoy getting my sticky mitts on something new and shiny, but sometimes it’s better to wait and experience the buzz and thrill of anticipation. What do you think?
[via TV Week]
When it comes to pilots being 'leaked' as opposed to just the first episode of already commissioned shows, it's not always as cut and dried as one thinks.
There have been incidents of producers and show runners that know they have a good show, but are struggling with the network to get a series, leaking them themselves to try and generate a word-of-mouth buzz in the internet community. Also remember that not every pilot made gets aired. There's a brilliant pilot based on Warren Ellis' Global Frequency comic series that never even got shown on TV out there in internet land.
Likewise a lot of the buzz about Studio 60 came about not just from the star names attached, but that the pilot was 'leaked' around this time last year.
When it comes to creating a media buzz these days, the masses of TV reviewing blogs and such out there are just as important as getting stories and reviews in the trade mags and papers, and 'leaking' a pilot is one way of getting the content into the hands of bloggers without sending them all individual DVDs.