TV Production Schedule Explained for Writers and Producers

Photo Credit: Lisa Blue

By Jessica Mathis

Although the landscape of television has shifted since streaming platforms became a major player in broadcast entertainment, this side of the industry still operates on a recognizable schedule that will help writers and producers gauge the best time to expect pitching opportunities. 

You may have heard the terms “pilot season” or “sweeps week,” and wondered what they meant. Here’s a breakdown of the annual television schedule and cycle to help you understand how it all works.

Key Takeaways:

1. The traditional TV calendar still plays a critical role in pitching and production cycles, with key moments like pilot season (Jan–Apr) and green-light week (late May) shaping the year.

2. Upfronts in May is a pivotal advertising event where pilots are showcased to secure funding and fall premieres.

3. While streaming platforms allow for more flexibility, understanding the legacy broadcast schedule gives writers and producers a strategic advantage in planning their careers.

Pilot Season

January through April is when studios are busy ordering and green-lighting pilots and it’s the key season when cast, crew and writers are in demand. It involves casting, hiring writers and starting to stockpile scripts for pilots that may premiere in the fall. New series usually hear if they have been ordered to produce a pilot sometime in January. A pilot serves as a test to see how audiences and advertisers respond, which allows studios and streamers to evaluate how the show may be beneficial for them to pick up for a full season.

Upfronts 

This is the next step in production that takes place in May. It becomes a real showcase where networks start enticing advertisers to get them excited about upcoming shows. This is how they get the advertisers to commit to enough advertising “up front” instead of paying throughout the year by offering them special deals or perks. While streaming has shifted the landscape, the demand for advertising is still high. Remember, streamers offer basic plans for the lowest price with the added “cost” of commercials built into your programming.

An interesting fact is that car dealerships heavily influence this calendar. Fall is the time when most people buy cars, so the pilots need to be ready to premiere so the dealership advertising comes in right on time. Advertising money determines which shows are green-lit from pilot to series and sets the stage for the upcoming year.

Green-lighting

The last week of May is when pilots are green-lit to go to series. That means May is a time when a lot of shows are staffing. You can often look in the trades to see what has been green-lit and who’s making the show. This is the time the writer’s room is established and pre-production and production begin.

Pitching and Development

Once the mad dash for the year’s production slate is over, pitching season starts the cycle all over again in late May to early June. Pilots that weren’t green-lit go back to pre-development (or are indefinitely shelved). If this happens, all hope is not lost. Depending on the contract, many pilots that aren’t picked up then become free game for other networks or streamers to pick up. This is when agents, writers and producers go back to pitching, but this time they have a full pilot added to their presentation.

Sometimes things get picked up by a new network for a full season. Sometimes nothing ever comes of it. For example, the hit Netflix show You was originally green-lit as a pilot for Lifetime. The pilot was not green-lit to go to series. It was shopped around, until Netflix picked it up and it ran for five successful seasons and became a hit. You never know.

Premiere

September through November is when many of the new series air, engaging an audience enough to hopefully pick up a significant following for sweeps week. This is when the networks are busy marketing and gauging their shows. Sweeps week is when showrunners put forth the best or most exciting episodes to attract holiday advertisers. This is also when many series are evaluated for the upcoming awards season.

Shutdown

Most of the industry shuts down through the holidays, and many crew members know the lament of the December/January and even February slow period. This is a great time to focus on revising resumes, updating reels and networking to prepare for March when things tend to pick back up again. 

While some streaming platform executives may adhere to this schedule, many platform series have the benefit of more flexibility to align with a longer term strategy. Still, understanding the above schedule will help you understand how much of the industry operates throughout the year, as well as the best times to prepare and have your materials ready.

Jessica Mathis (AKA Divinity Rose) is an award winning screenwriter/performer/producer from Louisville, Kentucky. She is the CEO of She Dreams Content Development and Production, which focuses on female-forward projects in comedy, docustyle and genre entertainment.

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