Ellen Burstyn is in this clip. She was not in the (short-lived) series.

Edited November 18, 2025Nov 18 by DRW50

A 1962 Desilu pilot with Bobby Rydell (my favorite of that risible prefab teenybopper era), James Dunn, Frank Cady, and Stefanie Powers. It's charming fluff - and you get to see Stefanie learn how to do the Twist.

Swingin’ Together (1962) – Bobby Rydell, Rock ’n’ Roll & the Twist in TV Pilot with Stefanie Powers!

Edited February 17Feb 17 by DRW50

A Christopher Lloyd sitcom pilot from 1984. John Randolph as his father. This features soap alum such as Stanley Kamel and Deborah Goodrich.

ABC Network - Old Friends (Complete-ish LOST Pilot Broadcast, 7/12/1984) 📺 - YouTube

A few other pilots.

This is some prison guard sleazy comedy with Scott Evans (I wonder if he filmed this after he was fired from OLTL), among others. There is no nudity but there's enough sexual content early on (with Evans) for me to say it's NSFW.

Inside Out - Unaired 2010 Cable Pilot

An interesting pilot showing various international journalists and their thoughts on America. I am not sure who thought this would be picked up, but it's worth a watch.

Overseas Opinions (1967) Unsold Pilot starring Gene Rayburn - YouTube

Shelley Duvall of the Shining, Fairy Tale Theatre, Robert Altman movies, & Mother Goose Rock n Rhyme also did a pilot in 1986 for a show on CBS I believe called Lily.

Seems to be a hybrid of Murder She Wrote, Scarecrow & Mrs King, and other 80s CBS action and mystery shows. Not sure how it would have worked long term.. but she is likable.

Lily. Viacom Productions. Action adventure series starring Shelley Duvall as an associate curator at a Washington museum. When when not searching for artifacts, she is a troubleshooter, searching for stolen art. Executive producers are Duvall and Andy Borowitz. Pilot written by Borowitz. Supplier is Duvall's Platypus Productions in association with Viacom Productions. Production began on March 11 with location shoots in Los Angeles, Washington, London and Acapulco.

Pilots CBS did pick up included Mike Hammer. Spies, Houston Knights, Shell Game. Outlaws, The Wizard and Kay O'Brien. Apart from Hammer, they all bombed.

Maybe Lily should have been given a chance.

On 6/2/2026 at 2:01 AM, Paul Raven said:

Maybe Lily should have been given a chance.

It could've worked as a companion piece with Murder She Wrote, maybe. But they seemed to be all-in on having CBS Sunday night movies at that point with only a short break to air some Designing Women and Nothing Is Easy episodes.

I'd never heard of this pilot until yesterday and was surprised that there's a copy on Youtube (thanks NBC for burning it off back in the day).

A sitcom pilot from 1980 starring Bill Daily, the divine Virginia Vestoff (in what was likely her last role), Elaine Joyce, and Michael Horton (Grady from Murder, She Wrote), among others.

This was from what some people said in the comments likely filmed on the old I Dream of Jeannie lot.

It's not too bad, aside from repeating too much and having too many characters. I'm not entirely sure about Bill as the lead but he was fine. Virginia is understated and warm and also funny in the one or two chances she gets.

The most surprising part was being filmed in this cheap video style which reminds me of low-rent horror or porn. I think it sort of works with the atmosphere.

@Vee @Khan @Soapsuds @kalbir @Paul Raven @soapfan770 @Franko @Soaplovers @te. @j swift

Wow, Virginia Vestoff! Thanks.

Awesome, thank you, @DRW50!