In the 1970s and 1980s, it was a common practice for television producers with a new potential TV series in mind to make what were called “backdoor pilots”. These were feature-length pilots that could be aired as made-for-television movies of the week, even if the networks passed on making them weekly series before they were aired. The Hanged Man is one such backdoor pilot. Whether the networks passed on making it a series before or after it was aired, I do not know, but it’s safe to say that this was one rejection that was justified.