I haven't posted here since the last episode aired five years ago. I binge-watched on Netflix when I learned it was being pulled. I finished with the last episode earlier today, and immediately went right back to the pilot episode just to see how things changed.
Does anyone know how far in advance the pilot was filmed before NBC picked it up? Or how much time elapsed between the filming of the pilot and episode 2? Thanks.
I don't know for certain, but the pilot was released on September 24, 2007 and then the subsequent episode on October 1, 2007. My guess is the pilot was filmed in Spring 2007 since it was given the green light order in January and wasn't cast until February 2007. So it probably filmed in Spring because we know it was previewed at the 2007 Comic-Con (with cast members present) which would have been in July. So somewhere between March and July the pilot was likely filmed and then premiered in the USA on September 24, 2007. So in answer to your question, assuming the pilot was filmed in the Spring (probably April or May) and the second episode that followed was filmed in August (usually Fall series shows begin filming in July/August)...only a matter of 1-4 months between seems likely.
Thank you tkalstein! Your timeline makes sense. I was interested in the visual changes in the characters as well as the thematic changes in production between episodes and seasons. You can actually see that when taking these dates into consideration. Cool
shareTypically a pilot will be filmed months before the rest of the series because the pilot needs to be approved before moving forward. And typically, you want the pilot to be good, but not too good. Otherwise, you'd struggle to follow it up with great episodes after that, basically becoming a victim of your own high standards.
This also explains why pilot episodes tend to have a different feel than the rest of a series.
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And sometimes the pilot reveals a do-over, like it was in the case of Charmed back then.
Actors being replaced, scenes, story and effects made better and such things.
You should try to watch the unaired pilot and compare it to the eventually aired pilot.
The aired pilot delivers the same feeling and look as the rest of the season have, the unaired pilot does not.
The aired pilot delivers the same feeling and look as the rest of the season have, the unaired pilot does not.
Charmed is also a CBS show, so obviously they give second chances if they see that it might be something who has potential.
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