Tuesday update: I’ve now filled each of these entries with a co-writer. Thanks to everyone who volunteered and shared this. 

Hiya folks! Just as I did with #TVFail on Friday, I’ve decided to take this short burst of free time I have currently to plan the schedule for the Test Pilot feature. Constructing the schedule for this feature so early is particularly useful and helpful since I need the help of other writers on each of the Test Pilot files. Therefore, below you will find the Test Pilot schedule through the tail-end of May 2012. You’ll notice that the schedule works different in one theme week and another entry includes double the responsibility. With the new year, I’m looking to try new things and we’ll just see how it goes.

Most importantly, the posting of this schedule is an open call to you and anyone you’d like to share this with. I need co-writers for every single one of these. Please let me know if you’re interested and spread the word to your Twitter friends and maybe even your real friends. I prefer new voices over all else, so if you’ve never volunteered but strongly considered it, this is your time. I expect to have a number of volunteers for some of these entries, so please be patient with me while I figure out who goes best where or what not. Thank you very much. Here we go.

Theme 8: The Joss Whedon Oeuvre (Special Theme Week)

You folks know that I love television and that I watch a whole lot of it. But sometimes, things fall through the cracks. Included in those things that have fallen through? Most of Joss Whedon’s TV work (I have seen all of Dollhouse). I know, you hate me. This is my chance to start rectifying that and your chance to join me as a co-writer and tell me how much better you think you are than me because you’ve seen every episode of every series. Please take note that this is the first-ever Test Pilot Week, if you will. Instead of spreading these files out across a few months, we’re going to tackle them on consecutive days in the first week of the new year.

File #31: Buffy The Vampire Slayer with Greg Boyd [January 3, 2012]
File #32: Angel with Chris Castro [January 4, 2012]
File #33: Firefly with Rowan Kaiser [January 5, 2012]
File #34: Dollhouse with John Aspler [January 6, 2012]

Theme 9: Single-season series

Over the years, there have been tons of series with sizable cult followings and critical love that have only lasted one season (or less). This new theme (one that will likely recur) will explore a half-dozen of these single-season series and discuss what made fans and/or critics love them, as well as what made larger audiences or network executives give up on them. Are there traits that “good” series share that make them ripe for simultaneous cancellation and adoration? Were these series better off being cancelled so soon? Please note that the first entry in this theme will be an extra-large file tackling both Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared.

File #35 and File #36: Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared with Josh Spiegel [January 18, 2012]
File #37: Profit with Jamie Wotton [February 1, 2012]
File #38: Cupid with Anthony Strand [February 15, 2012]
File #39: The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. with Daniel Fidler [February 29, 2012]
File #40: Kings with Adam Wright [March 14, 2012]

Theme 10: The Modern Police Drama

The police procedural is one of, if not the, most dominant scripted format in the television industry. We like to think of the “cop show” with very specific terminology and iconography in mind, but countless series have attempted to mix up the general framework of the police drama. In this theme, I’d like to take a look at some of the modern police dramas that have done just that. These five series have approached the material differently, added somewhat new elements and focuses and generally made the police procedural feel fresher in their respective ways and eras.

File #41: NYPD Blue with Mark Waller [March 28, 2012]
File #42: Homicide: Life on the Street with Eric Van Uffelen [April 11, 2012]
File #43: CSI: with Adam Lukach [April 25, 2012]
File #44: Boomtown with Paul Rodriquez [May 9, 2012]
File #45: The Shield with Carrie Raisler [May 23, 2012]