On November 27, 1937, NBC presented TV’s first pilot film, Sherlock Holmes (then called an “experiment”). Thousands of pilot films (both unaired and televised) have been produced since. This updated and restyled book contains 2,470 alphabetically arranged pilot films broadcast from 1937 to 2019. Entries contain the concept, cast and character information, credits (producer, writer, director), dates, genre and network or cable affiliation. In addition to a complete performer’s index, two appendices have been included: one detailing the pilot films that led to a series and a second that lists the programs that were spun off from one series into another. (Information on unaired pilot films can be found in the companion volume, Encyclopedia of Unaired Television Pilots, 1945–2018.) Both volumes are the most complete and detailed sources for such information, a great deal of which is based on viewing the actual programs.

Vincent Terrace has been a researcher for ABC television and is the television historian for BPOLIN Productions. He has written more than 50 books about television and radio.

Vincent Terrace
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 370
Bibliographic Info: appendices, index
Copyright Date: 2019
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7874-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3810-2
Imprint: McFarland

• Reviews of the 1st edition:
• “Recommended”—Choice
• “Terrace is arguably the most prolific developer of television reference material, with more than 30 books to his credit”—ARBA
Forces of Geek
• “A comprehensive encyclopedia of aired and unaired TV pilots from 1937 to 2012”—Reference & Research Book News.