Pilot Season Bloodbath: NBC Chooses Krause & Boreanaz, Dumps Wayans Jr. & Deschanel

It is officially May, which means NBC executives have emerged from their ivory towers to tell us which pilots are moving into our living rooms and which ones are being tossed into the woodchipper. In what can only be described as a "Homecoming" for people who haven't updated their DVR settings since 2012, the network has handed out series orders to four new projects. Meanwhile, four other shows, including some heavy-hitting star vehicles were told to pack their bags. It is a classic case of "too many cooks in the kitchen," or as NBC Chairman Pearlena Igbokwe called it, an "embarrassment of riches." We have a few other words for it, mostly involving the phrase "playing it safe."

First, let’s talk about the big winner: the chin that launched a thousand procedurals, Peter Krause. His law enforcement drama, Line of Fire, is officially a go. He will be joined on the fall schedule by David Boreanaz, who is leading a reboot of The Rockford Files. Because if there is one thing NBC loves more than a gritty badge, it’s a gritty badge attached to a legacy IP. We also have Jake Johnson bringing his "relatable mess" energy to the private eye comedy Sunset P.I., and the multi-cam Newlyweds starring Téa Leoni and Tim Daly. It is a lineup that screams "we know exactly who watches linear television at 9:00 PM."

The most awkward part of this development cycle? The Bones divorce. While Boreanaz secured his spot, his former partner-in-crime-solving Emily Deschanel saw her pilot, Key Witness, get the axe. Deschanel was set to play Georgia Ryan, a psychologist who focuses on victims rather than perpetrators. Apparently, NBC decided they only had room for one Bones alum on the payroll this year. Word on the street is that Key Witness was actually a strong contender and might have made the cut if the network had one more drama slot. Don't cry for Georgia Ryan just yet, though, the project is reportedly being shopped to other networks.

Joining Deschanel in the "thanks but no thanks" pile is Damon Wayans Jr. and his pilot Puzzled. The premise involved a pro sports gambler who gains genius-level math and pattern recognition skills after a brain injury. It sounds like Rain Man meets DraftKings, which apparently wasn't the vibe NBC was going for. Also scrapped was the Jane Lynch and Katey Sagal sitcom Jill & Ginger. You would think putting two TV legends together as therapist best friends would be a slam dunk, but the Peacock decided to pass. Finally, Taylor Schilling’s What the Dead Know, where she played a medical examiner helping the NYPD is also dead on arrival, though there are whispers about retooling the project specifically around her character.

NBC claims these cuts were strictly a numbers game, but it’s hard not to notice that the shows moving forward are the ones with the most predictable DNA. While it is great to see veterans like Krause and Johnson back in the mix, we can’t help but feel a little robbed of the "big swings" Igbokwe mentioned. Stay tuned to The TV Cave as we track where these rejected pilots land because in the age of streaming, "canceled at NBC" is usually just the first chapter of a much longer story.

What do you think of the new lineup? Are you team Rockford or are you mourning the loss of the Wayans Jr. math-gambling-procedural we never got to see? Let us know!