American Urbs: tell me about pilot episodes

[T & P]

I’m generally aware of the importance of pilot episodes in American television, and how the decision of whether a TV series might get commissioned or not often hinges solely on the quality of the pilot. But if Pulp Fiction is to be believed, it sounds as if some pilots are actually broadcast to the wider public, rather than being shown to a bunch of studio executives for consideration?

So do they actually show pilots on American TV of shows that haven’t yet been commissioned? I can’t think of a single instance of that happening in the UK…