Unsold Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror Pilots (1954-present)
Most of these would have been dramas but a few were intended to be sitcoms. Several of them were backdoor pilots.
Some would have been great, some would have been bad and some would have been so bad, they would have been good.
Some would have been great, some would have been bad and some would have been so bad, they would have been good.
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- DirectorCharles F. HaasStarsTom HelmorePaula RaymondFrank M. ThomasLamont Cranston, a psychiatrist on retainer to the police department, is asked to assist in the Case of the Cotton Kimono murder investigation. Lamont and his girlfriend Margot Lane are not satisfied with Detective Harris' analysis and call on the two prime suspects: the victim's voice instructor and her boyfriend. When Harris, convinced that the boyfriend is guilty, frames the young man for the crime, Lamont is forced to assume his secret identity as "The Shadow", and cloaked by his power of invisibility, seeks to force the true killer to reveal himself.This has never been aired but has been released on DVD.
- DirectorMaurice KlineGustav Della ValleStarsDon MegowanRichard H. CuttingBarbara WilsonWhile traveling in enemy waters, Captain Fathom and his crew detect an anomalous reading of radioactivity. The submariners investigate and discover a huge bomb lying on the ocean bottom. While Fathom fastens an explosive to destroy the atomic device, his ship is attacked by an enemy submarine. He orders the vessel to flee leaving the Captain and his team of scuba divers behind with a dwindling supply of oxygen in their tanks.This has never been aired but has been released on DVD.
- DirectorDuke GoldstoneStarsTommy TerrellArthur SpaceBruce CowlingA young boy uses his esp to control a robot created by his wheel chair bound Uncle, and together they combat the forces of evil.This has never been aired but has been released on DVD. It was to have been a spin-off of "Captain Video and His Video Rangers" (1949), the first science fiction television series.
- DirectorCal HowardStarsBilly CurtisRuth DelfinoAngelo RossittoSuper Pup, secretly the intrepid reporter Bark Bent of the Daily Bugle, must save his friend and co-worker Pamela Poodle from the clutches of the evil Professor Sheepdip.This has never been aired on television but has been released on DVD.
- DirectorJames Wong HoweBen ParkerJohn SledgeStarsRichard DerrMark DanielsHelen WestcottLamont Cranston, aka The Shadow, investigates the murder of a New Orleans bandleader.This has never been aired on television but has been released on DVD.
- DirectorCurt SiodmakStarsAnton DiffringHelen WestcottDon MegowanDr. Frankenstein has just finished rebuilding his creation, but the monster is unresponsive. He needs to try something different to make it work, perhaps some new parts. Enter a terminally ill sculptor and his assertive wife.This has never been aired on television but has been released on DVD.
- DirectorJoseph PevneyStarsHarry TownesJohn AgarCharles AidmanFrom space pioneers to modernday missions, it's a thrilling look at man's quest to conquer space.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsRod SerlingOrson BeanHenry JonesAfter losing his job, his car and his apartment on the same day, an eccentric loser gets a new lease on life from his guardian angel, but there is a price for keeping it.
- DirectorGeorge BlairStarsJohn RockwellBunny HenningRoss ElliottJimmy, Clark Kent and Lana Lang's friend, is ashamed that his father works as a doorman at the Smallville theater. His opinion changes when Superboy is able to thwart a robbery with Jimmy's father's help.This has never been aired on television but has been released on DVD.
- DirectorChristian NybyStarsJesse WhiteCarol BurnettHoward SmithInept guardian angel Harmon Cavender is given a chance to earn his wings by helping an unconventional big city woman, the young, awkward Agnes Grep.
- DirectorLeslie StevensStarsBarry MorseCarroll O'ConnorGrace Lee WhitneyA pair of Martians try to understand the human phenomenon of murder.
- DirectorGerd OswaldStarsVera MilesCedric HardwickeScott MarloweTwo disparate women with a body in their car trunk come upon a house by chance wherein a crazed inventor has a time machine that can bring back the dead.The proposed series would have been called "The Unknown".
- DirectorArthur LubinStarsAlan YoungConnie HinesLeon AmesA mischievous Martian visits the neighborhood. He has the power to change an individual's personality.
- DirectorRobert ButlerStarsJeffrey HunterSusan OliverLeonard NimoyCapt. Pike is held prisoner and tested by aliens who have the power to project incredibly lifelike illusions.Easily the best known pilot on the list, this was made in November and December 1964 but was not shown until 1986.
- DirectorBert I. GordonStarsJack AlbertsonJack GrinnageCheryl HoldridgeUnsold TV pilot about a human who plays host to traveling salesmen from Venus. An attempt to cash in on My Favorite Martian's success.
- DirectorHarvey HartStarsLeslie NielsenPeter Mark RichmanJudi MeredithPolice call in occult expert to help solve series of murders.
- DirectorGerd OswaldStarsPeter Mark RichmanWendell CoreyCarl EsmondSecret agent tries to stop a scientist who has devised a bacterium that devours the body from within.
- DirectorGene NelsonStarsAlan AldaPatricia SmithDoreen MillerArnold Barker starts every day by going out on his porch to pick up the milk and the newspaper but on this he brings in something different - an invisible alien baby who's been left on his doorstep.
- DirectorJohn Llewellyn MoxeyStarsDavid GarfieldDerek FowldsJohn RinghamA special force known as the Solarnauts is dedicated to keeping the solar system safe from alien threats.
- DirectorMarc DanielsStarsWilliam ShatnerLeonard NimoyDeForest KelleyWhile back in time observing Earth in 1968, the Enterprise crew encounters the mysterious Gary Seven who has his own agenda on the planet.I really think that we missed out on a great series with this one.
- DirectorRichard C. SarafianStarsMarc StrangeJackie CooperJohn ForsythePatriotic freedom fighters struggle against a fascist dictatorship in a near-future USA.
- DirectorIrwin AllenStarsJames DarrenJohn CrawfordPatrick CullitonOn a blue alien planet, a man stands in an arena, watched by 5 alien beings. They are testing the man's mental and physical abilities. His identity is that of a man 27 years old, born in 1951 on planet Earth.
- DirectorSherman MarksStarsShirley JonesJohn McMartinCarl BallantineAliens from an overcrowded planet are sent to Earth to see if there is suitable for colonization. They meet a friendly physics professor who tries to explain the strange customs of human beings.
- DirectorPaul WendkosStarsLouis JourdanLynda Day GeorgeCarroll O'ConnorA psychiatrist investigates a man possessed by a spirit living in an antique mirror that can bring dead people back to life.
- DirectorWalter DonigerStarsTom SimcoxStephen McNallyKaren SteeleIn the near future, a private eye uses the latest technology gadgets to track down evil-doers.
- DirectorLela SwiftStarsCal BelliniThayer DavidMarj DusayInvestigator Jonathon Fletcher and his assistant Sajeed Rau investigate supernatural incidents that the local authorities either cannot or will not tackle.
- DirectorPaul WendkosStarsLouis JourdanLynda Day GeorgeCarroll O'ConnorA psychiatrist investigates a man possessed by a spirit living in an antique mirror that can bring dead people back to life.
- DirectorRobert DayStarsLouis JourdanAnne BaxterDiana HylandA psychiatrist investigates the death of one of his patients, a young heiress.
- DirectorIrwin AllenStarsStuart WhitmanRosemary ForsythRobert ColbertA group of 21st-century colonists inhabit the underwater city called Pacifica. They find they must defend the city against hostile alien forces.
- DirectorTom GriesStarsGary LockwoodScott HylandsHari RhodesWhen Earth II, an orbiting research space station, is menaced by a Red Chinese nuclear weapon, its 2,000 inhabitants take action to disarm and dispose of the missile without resorting to violence.
- DirectorJohn Llewellyn MoxeyStarsChristopher GeorgeWilliam WindomMarlyn MasonA scientist's experiment could lead to the first man-made, functioning, living organism. An elite escape artist-private investigator is working to stop him.
- DirectorJohn KortyStarsKim DarbyWilliam ShatnerDiane VarsiA teacher takes a job in a small remote community and finds the inhabitants to be strange with unsettling rules imposed on even her young students. On learning more about the people she finds that things are not at all what they seemed.
- DirectorTed KotcheffStarsJoan HackettLaurence LuckinbillLouisa HortonA toymaker develops a method to create dolls that kill.
- DirectorReza BadiyiStarsPeter HaskellJoan BennettBarbara RushA young man inherits the ability to see visions beyond the grave. He helps a girl investigate her brother's alleged murder.
- DirectorDavid GreeneStarsBette DavisRobert WagnerDenholm ElliottA C.I.A. Agent is used as a pawn in an insane woman's plan to steal a Polaris submarine.
- DirectorJohn Llewellyn MoxeyStarsAlex CordMariette HartleyTed CassidyA scientist who has been preserved in suspended animation wakes up to find himself in a primitive society in the future.
- DirectorPhilip LeacockStarsLeonard NimoySusan HampshireRachel RobertsA US racing champion is haunted by intense visions of an American woman in some kind of danger in a English mansion. A British ESP and occult expert believes that his visions will really happen and asks him to help her investigate them.
- DirectorLee H. KatzinStarsGlenn CorbettCameron MitchellSharon AckerAn astronaut finds himself on a planet that's (almost) exactly like Earth.
- DirectorRobert ScheererStarsSammy Davis Jr.Christopher LeeJack KlugmanA young down on his luck resident of Hell (Sammy Davis, Jr.) is given a chance to redeem himself by signing up a down on his luck retail accountant to sell his soul to Lucifer.
- DirectorDan CurtisStarsRoy ThinnesDon PorterAngie DickinsonAn investigative reporter stumbles onto an artist that has made a pact to come back after his death to sculpt a statue of a demon using human blood and clay. Once the demon is awakened he will be granted immortality.
- DirectorRichard A. CollaStarsRobert FoxworthMike FarrellJohn VernonProject Questor is the brainchild of the genius Dr. Vaslovik, who developed plans to build an android super-human. Although he has disappeared and half of the programming tape was erased in the attempt to decode it, his former colleagues continue the project and finally succeed in creating Questor. However, Vaslovik seems to have installed a secret program in Questor's brain. He flees and starts to search for Vaslovik. Since half of his knowledge is missing, he needs the help of Jerry Robinson, who is now suspected of having stolen the android.
- DirectorJohn Llewellyn MoxeyStarsPeter GravesGeorge O'Hanlon Jr.Kathleen QuinlanAfter a catastrophic solar flare decimates almost all life, reducing people to powdery substance, a group of survivors treks across the devastated Earth.
- DirectorMarc DanielsStarsJohn SaxonJanet MargolinTed CassidyA man awakens from suspended animation and finds himself in the 22nd century, where women rule the world and men are slaves called Dinks. He is captured and sold as a slave, but escapes and hooks up with a male rebel movement.
- DirectorRichard A. CollaStarsVictor FrenchWarren VandersHenry WilcoxonIn the last Ice Age, a family of Cro-Magnons battle a tribe of primitive Neanderthals for survival.
- DirectorVincent McEveetyStarsCathy Lee CrosbyKaz GarasAndrew PrineA super-hero uses her powers to thwart an international spy ring.
- DirectorRobert ButlerStarsJohn SaxonKathleen MillerKeene CurtisIn the near future, a group of scientists living in a space ship wake up from a hibernation state and come back to an apocalyptic Earth.
- DirectorJud TaylorStarsKurt RussellStephen McHattieVictoria RacimoTwo young people search for a valuable medallion, which they believe will prove that aliens from outer space visited Earth in prehistoric times.
- DirectorAlexander SingerStarsSam GroomTom HallickFrancine YorkDuring an outbreak of a contagious disease in 1976, two scientists are sent back in time to 1871, when a Chicago doctor apparently had the cure for it.
- DirectorCharles CrichtonStarsBrian BlessedJoanna DunhamNick TateThe crew of the lightship Altares are lost in space when the craft is struck by a meteor shower and goes out of control.
- DirectorMel StuartStarsJill St. JohnJed AllanSorrell BookeA newspaper reporter trying to track down a hermit-like billionaire goes to the Brazilian jungle, where she finds herself in the middle of an extortion plot, voodoo and supernatural occurrences.
- DirectorRichard IrvingStarsDavid AckroydAnne SchedeenA MartinezA professor, who has been paralyzed in an attack by mob hitmen, builds a suit that enables him to walk and fight crime.
- DirectorClive DonnerStarsRobert CulpGig YoungJohn HurtA criminologist and occult investigator recruits an old friend to assist in his current case. A sister of a prominent British businessman believes her brother dabbles in the black arts. The two investigate the matter.
- DirectorNicholas SgarroStarsBob NeillTim O'ConnorVic MorrowA man whose father was an alien from another planet inherits his father's supernatural powers. He is assigned to guard a beautiful Indian princess who is on a state visit to America.
- DirectorJerry LondonStarsGranville Van DusenBeatrice StraightTovah FeldshuhAfter a near-death experience from a vehicle accident, a sportswriter finds that people in the afterlife are able to contact him and cryptically suggest that he help someone they know.
- DirectorDan CurtisStarsEd Begley Jr.E.J. AndréAnn DoranThree horror stories about a vintage car that transports its driver back to 1926, the mistress of an old Victorian mansion who is scared of a vampire and a mother tormented by her dead son who she has brought back to life.
- DirectorJerry ThorpeStarsJames FarentinoHarrison FordClaudette NevinsA former priest, now an exorcist, battles the Satanic forces that are threatening the students at a girls school.
- DirectorPaul WendkosStarsDack RamboElyssa DavalosRichard LynchA writer, Andy Stuart, teams up with an exorcist, Father Kemschler, to battle Satan, and a group of Devil worshipers led by Mr. Rimmin.
- DirectorBill HobinStarsAndy KaufmanFred McCarrenNancy NewIt's the year 2055 and things are better for the human race, except for Vance. The Keefer family deals with daily life in the future and their older and malfunctioning robot servant, which Vance is tired of.
- DirectorPhilip DeGuere Jr.StarsPeter HootenClyde KusatsuJessica WalterA psychiatrist becomes the new Sorcerer Supreme of the Earth in order to battle an evil Sorceress from the past.
- DirectorNoel BlackStarsGranville Van DusenJoBeth WilliamsBarnard HughesA golem made of mud terrorizes a couple on a remote Maine island. An episode called "Monster" from the TV-series "The World Beyond".
- DirectorDon MedfordStarsArt HindleRobyn DouglassJohn van DreelenIn order to test the validity of his experiments on cloning, a scientist makes clones of himself, but it causes problems that he didn't foresee.
- DirectorDick ModerStarsLynda CarterLyle WaggonerHarry GuardinoWhile out on his yacht, newspaper man Simon Penrose finds a young girl on a raft. She has no I.D. but wears mysterious, difficult to remove jewelry. Simon calls in his old friend Diana Prince, who recognizes the jewels as being from the other dimensional and legendary Ilandia. Of course she keeps this information to herself, and confides to the girl as Wonder Woman.
- DirectorRod HolcombStarsReb BrownLen BirmanHeather Menzies-UrichA recipient of an experimental body enhancement chemical retaliates against his would be killers as a star spangled superhero.
- DirectorLee H. KatzinStarsJoe PennyDana ElcarBeulah QuoLee Cantrell, a young San Francisco attorney by day, at night becomes a samurai warrior, and battles a crazed multi-millionaire who is planning to destroy the city with an earthquake machine.
- DirectorJohn Llewellyn MoxeyStarsArt HindleEdward BinnsJoseph RassuloA daredevil pilot becomes a human dynamo after being struck by lighting and is then pursued by enemy agents determined to find out the secret of his superhuman strength.
- DirectorE.W. SwackhamerStarsJason MillerRichard LynchE.G. MarshallVampire Anton Voytek's lair is disturbed by the ground breaking for a new church. Anton attempts to start a modern life using his hoarded wealth, but finds it's been confiscated by the authorities. He takes revenge on the architect responsible, who in turn, aided by a retired detective, tries to hunt down and destroy Anton.
- DirectorAlfred ViolaStarsBeeson CarrollTania MyrenMeegan KingThe story, set in the twenty-second century, follows the adventures of the McCallister family, owners of McCallister's Midway Inn, a hotel-restaurant-saloon on an orbiting way station somewhere between Earth and Pluto.
- DirectorCharles S. DubinStarsKate JacksonAndrew StevensJack WardenA recently deceased couple try, any way they can, to get into heaven rather than wander the Earth as invisible souls with no purpose.
- DirectorIvan NagyStarsReb BrownConnie SelleccaLen BirmanThe star spangled hero must battle a villain's plan to poison America with a chemical that horrifically accelerates the aging process.
- DirectorJoel ZwickStarsKaren ValentineJon CutlerMark KingTwo everyday schlubs are inadvertently frozen for 120 years, awakening to a wacky future run by a robot named MAX.
- DirectorPaul StanleyStarsJoseph HackerKeith AndesMacon McCalmanA secret agent is trained by having his brain linked up to a computer. He is then sent on a mission to rescue a Russian sub commander. The Russian is a defector who has important secrets but has been captured by an agent of an enemy nation.
- DirectorMarvin J. ChomskyJeff LiebermanStarsRobert VaughnRobert PeraultDavid SelbyManhattan surgeon Franken rebuilds the broken body of a John Doe patient with spare parts.
- DirectorHarvey HartStarsTom MasonEric BraedenMelinda O. FeeAn alien mother ship hovering in Earth's atmosphere is the base for an attempted alien invasion of Earth.
- DirectorNick HavingaStarsShelley LongBarry Van DykeSteven KeatsAfter Jenny Clifford gets married, the ghost of her first husband comes back.
- DirectorJohn BlackStarsElisabeth SladenJohn LeesonBill FraserOne time companion of the Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith returns to Earth and carries on with her journalist career. Now, in 1981, she has managed to rebuild her career and has come, a matter of days before Christmas, to her aunt Lavinia's (a famous scientist) house in the sleepy English village of Moreton Harwood to write a book and to rest after her world-travelling assignments. However, her journalist's nose sniffs out another mystery when she arrives to find Aunt Lavinia gone, and nobody knows where she is, but the local rumour is that she was the victim of a local witch coven. Worshipers of a pagan goddess Hecate gather to celebrate a festival by ritually murdering a friend of Sarah's. She needs help - and she gets it from a box from her friend "The Doctor." Inside the box is a metal robotic but almost human-like talking dog called K-9 that is built for Sarah Jane personally and together Sarah and K-9 sets out to solve the mystery and stop the killing of Sarah's friend.Had it been successful, it would have been the first spin-off of "Doctor Who".
- DirectorNicholas CoreaStarsLane CaudellBelinda BauerVictor CamposThe hero is given his mentor's bow (the Heartbow) which chooses its new owner when passed on. It fires arrows that blow up like grenades, but can only be wielded by the one chosen to wield her. The hero is a member of a nomadic tribe wiped out by the Draikian Empire's forces. He attempts to find the wizard Lazar-Sa who might be able to help him. He is joined by a thief looking for adventure and cash, and the daughter of a goddess, Estra, looking to revenger herself on Lazar-Sa for crimes against her mother.
- DirectorGary ShermanStarsJohn ForsytheJames StephensPriscilla PointerTwo aliens visit the Earth in an effort to enlist converts to travel the universe with them.
- 1954–199747mUnrated5.6 (216)TV EpisodeDirectorRobert DayStarsEddie AlbertTracey GoldAndrew FreemanBased on the film, Escape to Witch Mountain. Tony and Tia leave Witch Mountain to look for their Uncle Bene, and they all fall into the clutches of the evil Deranian. They have to use their special powers to outwit him.
- DirectorJohn BowabStarsA.C. WearyIlene GraffErnie SabellaA comedy about a group of classic monsters sharing an apartment, their misadventures, and their interaction with each other and their therapist.
- DirectorAlan J. LeviStarsBob DenverJonathan BanksDavid DoyleIn a research lab, a scientist's pet chimpanzee mixes up an invisibility formula. A young woman accidentally drinks the solution and becomes invisible.
- DirectorJames FrawleyStarsJoseph BottomsMark DodsonMargarita FarrellWishman is a genetic experiment condemned to spend its life in the lab. Two employees decide it deserves freedom, so they escape with it.
- DirectorVirgil W. VogelStarsRay WiseWendy KilbourneVic PolizosUnsold TV pilot about a hardboiled special police agent prejudiced towards robots and his beautiful new female android partner hunting his nemesis, an escaped female terrorist known as Black Widow, in the noir future of 1999.
- DirectorJames FrawleyStarsCharles RocketDorian LopintoHoyt AxtonAn android soldier and its creator are on the run from the government (which it was created for and wants to destroy it), and find help from a truck driver with whom they help people.
- DirectorRon SatlofStarsTerence KnoxGary KasperAimee EcclesScientists create "the perfect soldier" in a lab experiment by recombining his molecules. He is then sent out on dangerous but vital missions.
- DirectorPeter LevinStarsGreg EviganDeborah WakehamMitchell RyanAn astronaut's ship passes through a strange magnetic field on its way back to Earth, and when he emerges from it after landing, he finds he has acquired superhuman powers and a super-genius IQ.
- DirectorTony BellStarsShane RimmerCatherine ChevalierDesirée ErasmusA New York cop is put in charge of a space police precinct and charged with the duty of protecting alien worlds from the evils of organised crime.A second, successful pilot led to "Space Precinct" in 1994.
- DirectorMichael ChapmanStarsMark Lindsay ChapmanSusan BlakelyLisa BlountHumanoid killer robots stalk a newspaperman who has knowledge of their existence. One of the robots is made to look like his girlfriend.
- DirectorCorey AllenStarsScott BakulaEllen BryJoey CramerWhen a man is exposed to an alien gas, he acquires the ability to heal instantly and survive any injury or toxin.
- 1981–198346mTV-145.9 (126)TV EpisodeDirectorTony MordenteStarsWilliam KattRobert CulpConnie SelleccaThe aliens tell Ralph to find a suitable replacement for himself when his secret identity is revealed to the world. Much to Bill's disgust he selects a woman to be his successor.
- DirectorMick GarrisStarsChris HebertPhil FondacaroJoe RegalbutoAn invisible creature befriends a 12-year-old boy. Of course, no one else can see him nor believes in him.
- DirectorFred WolfStarsMarshall EfronCarl StevenCloyce MorrowA band of dimension hopping humanoid dogs need the help of two kids to return home.
- DirectorCorey AllenStarsScott BakulaDebrah FarentinoCharles KeatingA scientist's experiment conveys him to another lab where his body is fused with a mechanism that can't be easily extracted---its co-creator is holding the device's plans for ransom.
- DirectorBobby RothStarsLewis SmithJames LaurensonRobert PicardoAn alien lands on Earth and decides that he needs to take a job in order to raise money to build a spaceship so he can get back to his home planet.
- DirectorRichard RothsteinStarsBud CortLori PettyMoses GunnA mentally disturbed man, who roomed with the late Norman Bates at the state lunatic asylum, inherits the legendary Bates Motel after the death of Norman and tries to fix it up to make it a respectable business.This was intended as a sequel to "Psycho".
- 1954–19974hUnrated6.6 (656)TV EpisodeDirectorJames GoldstoneStarsDuncan RegehrBrian McNamaraJulia MontgomeryA select group of young cadets in the twenty-first century is sent off on a spaceship to find a new home for humanity when Earth is deteriorating.
- DirectorRobert ButlerStarsBruce AbbottBill MaherRebecca SchaefferA cop from the future goes back in time to Los Angeles and teams up with his great grandfather to capture a master criminal.
- DirectorGeorge MillerStarsLewis SmithMiguel FerrerSharon StoneIn this unsold post-apocalyptic TV pilot, a U.S. marshal and his by-the-book cyborg partner are tasked to escort two mail order brides to a remote desert area where their husbands work, but a local bandit leader has other plans for them.
- DirectorNicholas CoreaBill BixbyStarsBill BixbyLou FerrignoJack ColvinHopefully on the verge of curing his Hulk condition, Banner meets his colleague, Don Blake, who is mystically linked to a Viking warrior, Thor.The proposed series would have featured Thor.
- DirectorChristian I. Nyby IIStarsRoddy McDowallJeffrey MeekStephen ElliottWhile Remo and his teacher work their missions, an elite assassin targets Remo.