History PoorlyDisguisedPilot / LiveActionTV

* ''Series/TheIncredibleHulk1977'' was given a follow-up made-for-TV movie trilogy after its cancellation, but the first two installments, "Return of the Incredible Hulk" and "Trial of the Incredible Hulk", were really just tryouts for other Creator/MarvelComics heroes, namely ComicBook/TheMightyThor and ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}.

** The main storyline of Season 2 was meant to introduce the concept of Comicbook/TheInhumans in anticipation of the live-action movie that was planned at the time. The film was regulated to DevelopmentHell after being removed from Marvel's movie slate, leading eventually to the [[Series/{{Inhumans}} series]] finally premiering in 2017.

** "Wojo's Girl" part 2 takes place entirely in Wojo's apartment, and the only characters who appear in the episode are Wojo and his new girlfriend Nancy. This was a backdoor pilot for a proposed spinoff series called "Off Duty" which would follow the detectives' lives away from work. Nothing further came of it.

* ''Series/GimmeABreak'' had one called "Nell and the Kid", which featured Creator/DonRickles as Max, a deli owner [[SinkOrSwimFatherhood who takes in a homeless girl]]. He was even added to the opening credits for that episode. Rickles did not get along well with the show's lead, Creator/NellCarter (he referred to her as a "mud slide"), and the proposed spinoff never happened.

* ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'':

** "Radio Free Trumaine", revolving around a radio station at Bud's college (with Steve Rhoades getting a job as a college dean), and "Enemies", about a group of Kelly's friends and starring Alan Thicke. Neither was picked up by the network.

* The ''Series/{{Martin}}'' episode "Goin' for Mine" was a backdoor pilot, about Pam James wanting an A&R job at a record label by trying to get an unsigned singer signed. Martin Lawrence's titular character was only shown in the cold open, and the episode featured a number of actors that were to star in the proposed series. The show was not picked up as a full series.

** Near the end of season two, Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth) tries to pursue a relationship with one of Dylan [=McKay=]'s (Luke Perry) friends named Jake Hanson (Grant Snow) after they meet while he's doing contracting work at her parents' house. After several episodes of romantic tension, it finally culminated in an episode where he moved to an L.A. apartment complex and Kelly let go for good. This then became ''Series/MelrosePlace'', which revolved around the tenants of the complex where Jake lived.

* ''Series/TJHooker'' had "[[PunnyName Hollywood Starr]]" in its final season. With a pre-stardom Creator/SharonStone as vice cop Dani Starr.

** The final episode of its second season was used for an attempted backdoor pilot starring Bill Daily as an incompetent city councilman.

** Season 2, Episode 16, titled "Suicide Squad", was a backdoor pilot for a show based on the comic book team the ComicBook/SuicideSquad. The episode focused mainly on the story of John Diggle working with the team that Argus had put together in the background of the show, using villains from the second season on the team, most notably the character of Deadshot. The episode was mean to launch interest in the character so they could spin-off into their own show, however, this idea was halted by two main factors. Partially because The CW had already began planning a spin-off of the character Barry Allen on the the show, which would later go on to become ''Series/TheFlash2014''. But the main factor was the 2016 film ''Film/{{Suicide Squad|2016}}'', which used a few of the same characters. Warner Bros decided that it would be confusing to have two versions of these characters, as they weren't that well known and to take the characters off of the show entirely to make way for the film's versions.

** However, the 8th episodes of ''The Flash''[='s=] second Season and Arrow's fourth season were a two-part crossover introducing Hawkgirl, Comicbook/{{Hawkman}}, and Comicbook/VandalSavage, and focused on their backstories, setting up the main plot of ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow''. The episodes were even titled "Legends of Today" and "Legends of Yesterday".
** The penultimate episode of Season 8 (and the series as a whole), titled "Green Arrow and the Canaries'', is designed to be a jumping off point for a series of the same name, focusing on Oliver's daughter Mia becoming the [[LegacyCharacter new Green Arrow]] in 2040, joined in heroics by a time-displaced Laurel Lance and Dinah Drake.

** The episode "[[Recap/SupernaturalS09E20Bloodlines Bloodlines]]" from Season 9 was supposed to be a pilot for, well, ''Supernatural: Bloodlines''. It barely featured the main characters, introduced many new ones in a very different setting (a [[UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}} big metropolis]], as opposed to the small towns & backwoods environment of most ''Supernatural'' episodes), and had important divergences with the show's canon. The episode even ends with a cliffhanger which is a blatant SequelHook. The spinoff ended up not being picked up by the network.
** The episode "[[Recap/SupernaturalS13E10WaywardSisters Wayward Sisters]]" in Season 13 was intended to be a pilot for a new series to be called ''Supernatural: Wayward Sisters'', with a largely female cast. [[ZigZaggedTrope Here, however,]] several episodes were spent building up the premise, as opposed to "Bloodlines", which dropped the audience into a new setting without warning. Also, unlike "Bloodlines", it's centered around long-established and [[EnsembleDarkHorse well-liked]] characters rather than bringing in entirely new ones that the audience is suddenly supposed to care about. The spinoff also ended up not being picked up by the network.

* The ''Series/{{Titans 2018}}'' episode "Doom Patrol" introduced the titular band of oddball heroes, including Creator/BrendanFraser as Robotman and Creator/MattBomer as Negative Man. With a few exceptions (such as the role of the Chief being recast with Creator/TimothyDalton), they would all return for the ''Series/DoomPatrol2019'' SpinOff the following year.

** Season 2 episode "Fish" (Dec. 4, 1975), besides being the first appearance of Steve Landesberg as Sgt. Dietrich, also takes place mostly at Fish's house and introduces his daughter Beverly. It was in fact a back-door pilot for a Fish spinoff series. ''Fish'' the series didn't debut until 1977 and it was without Beverly.

* ''Series/TheIncredibleHulk'' series was given a follow-up made-for-TV movie trilogy after its cancellation, but the first two installments, "Return of the Incredible Hulk" and "Trial of the Incredible Hulk", were really just tryouts for other Creator/MarvelComics heroes, namely Comicbook/TheMightyThor and Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}.

* An episode of ''Series/{{Combat}}'' was a backdoor pilot for ''Series/GarrisonsGorillas'', although it ended up not being shown as part of that series.

* ''Series/TJHooker'' had "[[ PunnyName Hollywood Starr]]" in its final season. With a pre-stardom Creator/SharonStone as vice cop Dani Starr.

* The ''Series/QuincyME'' episode "Suffer the Little Children", with Tony Dow as an on-site therapist who lives with troubled families. The very last episode of ''Quincy'', "The Cutting Edge," was another one of these.

* ''Series/{{Victorious}}'': [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] in the episode "Star Spangled Tori". The episode involves a plot line where Cat moves in with her grandmother to set up ''Series/Sam&Cat''. However, this is a subplot and the episode primarily focuses on Tori's plot line.

** Season 2, Episode 16, titled "Suicide Squad", was a backdoor pilot for a show based on the comic book team the ComicBook/SuicideSquad. The episode focused mainly on the story of John Diggle working with the team that Argus had put together in the background of the show, using villains from the second season on the team, most notably the character of Deadshot. The episode was mean to launch interest in the character so they could spin-off into their own show, however, this idea was halted by two main factors. Partially because The CW had already began planning a spin-off of the character Barry Allen on the the show, which would later go on to become ComicBook/TheFlash. But the main factor was the 2016 film ''Film/{{Suicide Squad|2016}}'', which used a few of the same characters. Warner Bros decided that it would be confusing to have two versions of these characters, as they weren't that well known and to take the characters off of the show entirely to make way for the film's versions.

* ''Series/TheRockfordFiles'' had at least three Poorly Disguised Pilots during the run of the series, including the episode "Just Another Polish Wedding" (in which Jim gets Gandy a job with his P.I. buddy Marcus "Gabby" Hayes). It did succeed in spinning off one short-lived series, ''Richie Brockelman Private Eye'', a series that had already had one stand-alone pilot two years earlier on the ''NBCMysteryMovie.''

* ''Series/TheGoldbergs'' episode "1990-Something" was actually an unsold spin-off centered on the staff of the show's school during UsefulNotes/TheNineties. The concept would eventually become ''Series/{{Schooled}}''.

* ''Series/TheGoldbergs'' episode "1990-Something" was actually an unsold spin-off centered on the staff of the show's school during UsefulNotes/TheNineties.