Shows will fly without a pilot

So, who's right? The answer may not be clear-cut. Zucker is correct when he says that the pilot process has led to many expensive failures that "never see the light of day." But as McPherson argues, it's unreasonable to expect many great series to blossom without an R&D phase that involves a lot of misfires, snafus and heartbreak. That's what happens with novels, plays, movies and, yes, cars. Why should TV shows be any different?

Yet there may be lots of ways to approach development without shelling out $10 million for a pilot. It's really a case-by-case decision. Some projects may not require the full Monty -- especially those, like "Kath & Kim," that already exist in overseas versions. Others may look great on the page, but there may be no way to evaluate the series prospects until you see how the director, cast and crew interpret the material.

What matters more than programmers' attitude toward pilots is their attitude toward, well, programming in general. To be successful over the long term, programmers have to be passionate about great shows. Sometimes they seem much more preoccupied with the state of the industry than with what makes the industry run, which is . . . great shows.

To me, the great pilot debate seems like the self-conscious vibrations of another media business rattled by audience declines and technological change.

So if executives need a manifesto, here's one: Viewers don't care what a network's business model is. They don't care how many media "platforms" the programs are on. They won't notice whether a network makes a lavish pilot or orders straight to series based on a treatment communicated telepathically from a guru in an ashram. Viewers just want good shows. Will they always line up for them? No. But good shows have better odds than lousy ones.

And as for the groundbreaking question of whether you can really make hits without shooting pilots? Well, we're all about to find out.

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Channel Island runs every Monday in Calendar. scott.collins@latimes.com.