Fox green lights pilot about a woman who makes it to the majors
Fox has green lit a pilot for a television show that could be ahead of its time. The show, “Pitch,” is a baseball drama which is centered around the first woman to play in the majors.
There are a few things that peak our interest about the show. First off, it’s pretty rare for a network program to focus on a sport. Friday Night Lights was fairly successful, but we can’t think of another recent example. Friday Night Lights also focused on high school football, and it’s easy to film exciting and creative football scenes. Baseball moves at a slower pace, so it will be interesting to see if the show really embraces the gameplay, or if actual baseball scenes will wind up playing a minor role.
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On top of that, the storyline has us intrigued. Baseball has yet to see its first female player, though there’s some evidence we’re closer to that becoming a reality. If the show is picked up, and turned into a series, it would likely cover some of the hurdles that player might face.
It’s also a drama, so we should expect some crazy stuff to go down. This isn’t your usual slapstick sports comedy, so some real issues might be tackled. Maybe the writers will really focus on the hardships the player endures in the majors? Maybe there will be storylines about using PEDs? The show doesn’t have to be exceptionally dark, but there are certainly shady places you could go within baseball.
None of that might matter, though. The show was only picked up as a pilot, and that pilot would have to be approved by the network for the show to become an actual series. There’s enough here that, if done right, the writers could cover some excellent storylines over 12 episodes. If done poorly, well, it could be a disaster.
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Let’s say the show did get picked up and received some strong reviews. Would you watch it? There aren’t a lot of baseball programs out there, and certainly not many that are willing to take on this type of topic. Consider us intrigued.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
