Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Fogelman and executive producers Kevin Falls and Rick Singer as well as execs at fellow producer Major League Baseball — who were all instrumental in season one — were told by 20th TV execs to hit the ground running as they worked out which Disney platform would be home for Pitchseason two. This transpired in late April, barely a month after Disney's Fox acquisition closed and shortly after Fogelman renewed his overall deal with 20th TV. Fox's TV studio was among the assets that became part of the Disney fold after the $71.3 billion asset acquisition closed in mid-March.
Sources note that a revival of
Pitch — a passion project for New York Mets fan Fogelman — was
among the chips 20th TV pulled out to ensure the producer behind one of the studio's biggest hits remained with it amid offers from multiple other suitors.
After meeting with execs at the studio, space for a writers room on the Paramount lot was reserved and producers started making calls to staff up for season two. No offers or deals were made/signed. Producers met with casting and business affairs execs in that same late April meeting and learned data about the show's streaming performance as the family-focused Disney+ was considered the likely and logical new home for
Pitchseason two.
Sources say Fogelman reiterated to execs that he didn't want to pitch season two of the drama about the first woman to play in Major League Baseball, but instead wanted a green light to revive the show. Producers, sources note, felt that season two wasn't a question of "if" but "for whom," though no official deals were completed.