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Pilot (Back to You)
Encyclopedia
"Pilot" is the first episode of the first season of the situation comedy
Back to You
. It aired on September 19, 2007.
to a much larger market in Denver
.
Ten years later, Chuck is in L.A. and is fired after inadvertently going off on a profanity-filled rant that becomes widespread via online outlets (Kelly states that she saw it on YouTube
).
Soon after, Chuck's back in Pittsburgh and reuniting with his former co-anchor, Kelly Carr, much to her protest; however, sports correspondent Marsh McGinley is thrilled.
Later, the reason behind Chuck and Kelly's friction is revealed. They slept together on a drunken New Year's Eve
which resulted in Chuck becoming the father of Kelly's 10-year-old daughter. Chuck meets his daughter, Gracie, although he does not tell her that he is her father. At the end of the episode, Chuck calls Kelly, telling her that Gracie is spectacular.
The scene which features Chuck explaining to Kelly his various promotions was reshot between the filming for the pilot episode
and the original broadcast of the episode. Fox
featured clips featuring the original scene during promos for the Pilot.
Mike Duffy of the Detroit Free Press felt that the first two episodes of Back to You found a "quality groove" and delivered laughs. He described the shows news studio as a "natural for loopy, literate good fun" and thought that Grammer and Heaton made a good team. Vinay Menon of The Toronto Star felt that based on the first two episodes, Back to You had elements in common with NewsRadio
, Just Shoot Me!
, Murphy Brown
and The Mary Tyler Moore Show
.
"Pilot" debuted on a "highly competitive night", in terms of ratings
.
This episode was viewed by 9.44 million viewers upon its original broadcast, finishing first place in its timeslot. It also achieved a 3.1 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. A noticeable year-to-year improvement was shown compared to the previous occupier of the timeslot, Bones
.
It ranked an impressive 16th of the week's network programming which was higher than any other Fox
series with the exception of The Simpsons
and Family Guy
.
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Back to You
Back to You
Back to You is an American situation comedy series, which aired on Fox from September 19, 2007 to May 14, 2008. The creators and executive producers were Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, and the director was James Burrows. The series starred Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton as squabbling...
. It aired on September 19, 2007.
Plot
In the 90s, Chuck Darling moves from his anchor post at a small T.V. markets news program in PittsburghPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
to a much larger market in Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
.
Ten years later, Chuck is in L.A. and is fired after inadvertently going off on a profanity-filled rant that becomes widespread via online outlets (Kelly states that she saw it on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
).
Soon after, Chuck's back in Pittsburgh and reuniting with his former co-anchor, Kelly Carr, much to her protest; however, sports correspondent Marsh McGinley is thrilled.
Later, the reason behind Chuck and Kelly's friction is revealed. They slept together on a drunken New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
which resulted in Chuck becoming the father of Kelly's 10-year-old daughter. Chuck meets his daughter, Gracie, although he does not tell her that he is her father. At the end of the episode, Chuck calls Kelly, telling her that Gracie is spectacular.
Production details
Creators Levitan and Lloyd wrote the script for "Pilot", signed Grammer and Heaton, and brought in Burrows before approaching any of the networks.The scene which features Chuck explaining to Kelly his various promotions was reshot between the filming for the pilot episode
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
and the original broadcast of the episode. Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
featured clips featuring the original scene during promos for the Pilot.
Reception
Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle described it as a "retro-sitcom" due to its multiple cameras and onscreen audience. Charlie McCollum of the Mercury News felt that Back to You is this "season's highest-profile attempt to revitalize the traditional sitcom."Mike Duffy of the Detroit Free Press felt that the first two episodes of Back to You found a "quality groove" and delivered laughs. He described the shows news studio as a "natural for loopy, literate good fun" and thought that Grammer and Heaton made a good team. Vinay Menon of The Toronto Star felt that based on the first two episodes, Back to You had elements in common with NewsRadio
NewsRadio
NewsRadio is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from 1995 to 1999. The series was created by executive producer Paul Simms, and was filmed in front of a studio audience at CBS Studio Center and Sunset Gower Studios...
, Just Shoot Me!
Just Shoot Me!
Just Shoot Me! is an American television sitcom that aired for seven seasons on NBC from March 4, 1997 to August 16, 2003, with 148 episodes produced. The show was created by Steven Levitan, the show's executive producer.-Description:...
, Murphy Brown
Murphy Brown
Murphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988, to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television...
and The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
.
"Pilot" debuted on a "highly competitive night", in terms of ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
.
This episode was viewed by 9.44 million viewers upon its original broadcast, finishing first place in its timeslot. It also achieved a 3.1 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. A noticeable year-to-year improvement was shown compared to the previous occupier of the timeslot, Bones
Bones (TV series)
Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...
.
It ranked an impressive 16th of the week's network programming which was higher than any other Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
series with the exception of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
and Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
.