Reboots are all the rage these days and the entertainment industry is always looking for something with name recognition, but sometimes they only need to look as far as their own trash heap. Quite a number of pilots are made each year which offer a sample or intro episode for a potential series, and network execs watch these to decide which new shows they will pick up for the coming season. Sadly though, many of these end up never going to series if they don’t pique the interest of the right corporate decision-maker. Over the years, that has left plenty of shows that had potential cancelled before they began, but many of those pilots are still floating around out there. Here are five that I believe could have turned into good television shows and some network somewhere should consider revisiting them.
The Time Tunnel (FOX, 2002)
This pilot offered a reboot of the 1960’s Irwin Allen series which was probably the best of the four sci fi shows he produced during that era (you can read more about the original at this link). The 21st century update eschewed the campiness of the ’60s show and went with a darker, more science fiction-heavy take on the concept as it followed a team that is assembled to go back in the past to deal with the impacts of a “time storm” that has disrupted the time stream. The show was probably a year or two ahead of its time, though. (If only they had a time machine that could have rectified that!) The Sci Fi Channel’s Battlestar: Galactica reboot succeeded in delivering a dark take on a former campy series, but that arrived over a year later and FOX was not willing to take a chance on The Time Tunnel in 2002 (they actually picked up Firefly instead, and we all know what happened with that one). The pilot is available on YouTube, and it still holds up today. It certainly seems like one of the streaming services could take a flier on this and possibly turn it into a good science fiction television series. And it would probably work well with the current streaming template of three-to-four seasons with eight-to-ten episodes per season. You can read more about the pilot at this link.
Genesis II (CBS, 1973)
I regularly dig out this ’70s Gene Roddenberry pilot when talking about reboots that should happen, and I will continue to do so until they finally turn it into a television series. A scientist experiments with suspended animation and wakes up in a future where civilization has collapsed and a group named PAX is trying to rebuild society using scientific principles and peaceful means. They have access to a system of underground sub-shuttles that can take them to all parts of the Earth where new societies have formed on a ravaged planet. This pilot kicked off the mini-trend of “Land Trek” shows in the ’70s and ’80s which took the Star Trek formula of encountering different societies each week and grounded it on post-apocalyptic Earth (more on that at this link). CBS passed on Genesis II in favor of the Planet of the Apes TV series (which also counts as one of the “Land Trek” shows) and a second pilot–titled Planet Earth–was attempted at ABC that tweaked the idea a bit and brought in a new lead. That didn’t fly either, but this is a concept that definitely has potential and with Gene Roddenberry’s name attached it should be a saleable property. Read more about Genesis II and other failed Roddenberry pilots at this link.
The War of the Worlds (1975)
There have been several television shows that draw from the famous H.G. Wells novel including the 1980s entry (more on that one at this link), and the recent modern-day reboot that is airing on EPIX. But none of these match up to the planned ’70s series that was proposed by George Pal himself, the man who produced the classic 1953 movie. His series would have seen the people of Earth taking the fight back to the invaders as they build six starships to travel to space and confront the aliens. One ship would get separated from the rest and learn that the aliens who attacked Earth were actually controlled by a much more powerful race that wants to rule the galaxy. They learn the location of these aliens and decide that they need to launch an attack before it is too late. A full pilot was never made, but the presentation film explains the premise and sets up what could have been a great science fiction television series. It was a bit ambitious for television budgets at the time, though, and when George Pal passed away in 1979 this idea was scrapped. But this is definitely a series worth revisiting and would give us a much better show than the one currently on EPIX which appears to be mostly linked to the Wells novel for name recognition purposes. You can read more about George Pal’s proposed series at this link.
Virtuality (FOX, 2009)
Yet another failed FOX pilot, this space-based adventure starred Nikolaj Coster-Waldau before he became famous for his role as Jaime Lannister on Game of Thrones. In this realistic take on space travel, Coster-Waldau’s character leads a ten-year mission to the Epsilon Eridani star system. The very dense plot also involved a malfunctioning virtual reality system and a conspiracy that could potentially subvert the mission, and this was probably far too heady for the network execs at FOX. The pilot film was buried on the Summer schedule in 2009 and never found much of an audience (it did at least get a DVD release). It would probably be mostly forgotten if not for the fact that it was created by Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar: Galactica, For All Mankind). If he were to put some effort into reviving the property, there just might be some venues interested in taking a flier on what could be the next big RDM show. It would almost certainly be a complete reboot with a new cast, but there is plenty to unlock from this premise and it would surely interest sci fi fans. This is another one that would fit well with the streaming template of three-to-four seasons, and maybe if fans of the original were to make a push, it could find a new life. Read more about the pilot at this link.
Earth Star Voyager (1988)
Not all pilots are good, but the premise may have potential and a reboot could be exactly what they need. 1988’s Earth Star Voyager tried to take advantage of the popularity of Star Trek: The Next Generation (which premiered to big numbers in syndication the prior year) by delivering yet another space-based series. Earth is dying and a group of young people is sent to survey the planet Demeter to see if it presents a good option for colonization (the crew is young because of the long duration of the mission). The pilot aired as part of The Wonderful World of Disney and it had many of the YA tropes common to Disney properties at that time. It was also fairly cheesy, not afforded the same budget that TNG enjoyed at that time. But the basic premise had some good ideas, and the entertainment industry has since learned how to make YA properties appeal to a broader audience. This one could slot in nicely with the other originals on Disney+ and could work its way into a notable sci fi TV series. Read more about the pilot at this link.
Read about more Sci Fi TV pilots that did not fly at this link.
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