There was no Netflix or Hulu or Amazon Prime in 1964–unless they were rival agencies like THRUSH on the new spy series that season, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. There wasn’t even Fox or Global or City back in ’64. The TV landscape was so much narrower and easier to get–all you needed was an antenna.
Screening a bunch of pilots before, during and after the summer TCA press tour and then weighing in with reviews is pretty much judging a book by its cover. The networks discourage it with “work in progress” labels suggesting major elements are still to be added. (Usually that’s an over-statement, unless you count a occasional