Failed TV Pilots of 2012

Out of all the potential television shows that were pitched to the broadcast networks, only a few hit the jackpot and made it to a series commitment. Last year, the Wonder Woman pilot generated a lot of buzz, but then never made it on air. Here are some of the pilot episodes this year that I had early hopes might succeed, but for whatever reason they didn't make it past that test stage.

The Asset - Ali Larter starred as a C.I.A. agent who used sex as one of her tools to get her missions done. Controversial, indeed.

Beauty and the Beast - Even though the CW was developing (and has decided to produce a full season) of its own Beauty and the Beast project, this competing variation based on the Disney version didn't make it, even with its cast of Chris Egan and F. Murray Abraham.

Frontier - One-time Hardy Boy Shaun Cassidy has become one of my favorite producers. I was looking forward to his new show about a group of travelers on a dangerous cross-country adventure, but, alas, it was not meant to be.

Gotham - No, this wasn't a Batman TV show. Instead, it was about a secret, magical place that exists "within New York City." I would have tuned in to see that.

Joey Dakota - It was described as a "romantic-time-travel-musical." Come on, how could that have failed?

Midnight Sun - Julia Stiles starred in an ensemble pilot about an investigation into the disappearance of an entire commune. There was, of course, a larger conspiracy that probably would have been dragged out forever.

The Selection - Some have called it a Hunger Games rip-off, others have pointed out that it's based on a young adult novel that became a bestseller in its own right. Whatever the case, the pilot underwhelmed, but the CW hasn't given up on it yet.  They've allegedly been asked to rework the pilot and see if they can salvage it for the future.

Untitled Martin Lawrence Project - Actor Martin Lawrence tried for a television comeback as an older family man who loses his job and decides to join the Police Academy.

Untitled Roland Emmerich Project - The guy who gave us (and continues to give us) epic disaster movies attempted to create a show about an astrophysics grad student who learns that he has been "chosen to combat the forces of evil." Maybe it's a good thing this got nixed.

There were so many more, I couldn't list them all without making this even longer than it is.  The ones listed above were the notable pilots that stood out as having some promise but never fulfilled their potential.