How a Rejected Pilot With Natasha Lyonne Changed John Krasinski’s Life

In the wonderful world of TV land, so many pilots are made that never make it to series, and every year, countless would-be shows quietly disappear after a single episode, shelved by networks as trends shift, schedules tighten, and executives gamble on what they think audiences want. In the end, it leaves behind a graveyard of unrealized concepts and, occasionally, a few shocking near-misses that featured future stars long before anyone knew their names.

Such is the case for a show called True Originals, an unaired pilot developed in 2003, which was never picked up and later repurposed as a TV movie called Old School.