There is a new update to the talks that the beloved baseball drama Pitch could be revived. We last told you that greenlighting a Pitch revival could have been a key bargaining tool in keeping This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman in a deal at Disney’s 20th Century Fox TV. Fogelman ended up re-upping his deal, but no news came out about the Pitch revival…until now.
A new report from The Hollywood Reporter is detailing how the potential revival of the cult hit ended up fizzling out.
This comes as the core cast had been reassembled by Fogelman, including stars Kylie Bunbury and Mark-Paul Gosselaar. Writers and ideas for a second season were also being discussed through 20th Century Fox.
The report says, “Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Fogelman and exec producers […] as well as execs at fellow producer Major League Baseball — who were all instrumental in season one — were told by 20th TV execs to hit the ground running as they worked out which Disney platform would be home for Pitch season two. This transpired in late April, barely a month after Disney’s Fox acquisition closed and shortly after Fogelman renewed his overall deal with 20th TV.”
It continues, “After meeting with execs at the studio, space for a writers’ room on the Paramount lot was reserved and producers started making calls to staff up for season two. No offers or deals were made/signed. Producers met with casting and business affairs execs in that same late April meeting and learned data about the show’s streaming performance as the family-focused Disney+ was considered the likely and logical new home for Pitch season two. Sources say Fogelman reiterated to execs that he didn’t want to pitch what season two of the drama about the first woman to play in Major League Baseball but instead wanted a green light to revive the show. Producers, sources note, felt that season two wasn’t a question of “if” but “for whom” though no official deals were completed. The Pitch team — who were in the midst of plotting out the events of season two —were then told to hold off on making formal offers to writers and chatter about season two quieted. Eventually, 20th informed producers that season two of Pitch wasn’t happening as the studio was unable to find a proper home as the show allegedly skewed too old and too sophisticated for Disney+. Sources note that other Disney platforms were discussed but ultimately the series could not find a new home.”
The door is not completely shut on at least tying up the loose ends for the series.
Gosselaar was also asked about the series during the panel for his new ABC show, mixed-ish, said that Pitch was “pretty dead.” He told Give Me My Remote: “I hate to say [that]. I was even growing out my beard. It was right before The Passage‘s possible [season two] pickup, I was getting ready for Pitch. But at this moment, it’s possibly on hold indefinitely.”
Also starring Mark Consuelos, Mo McRae, Meagan Holder and Ali Larter, the show chronicled the story of a young pitcher, Ginny Baker (Bunbury) who becomes the first woman to play Major League Baseball as she’s on an impossible and improbable journey, representing her gender as she embarks on a successful baseball career under the glare of the white-hot media spotlight.
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Photo: 20th Century Fox TV
