Fox Entertainment topper Kevin Reilly told the TCA Monday that the network is bypassing pilot season this year, saying that it belongs in a different era.

“RIP Pilot Season,” Reilly told critics in his opening remarks.

Viewership trends and cable competition mean that it no longer makes sense for the network to cram pilot production into a two-month window. Fox insisted that their move didn’t signal a declining spend on development.

On that note, ​“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” star Andy Samberg and his partners in The Lonely Island—Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone—signed a new multi-year deal with Fox on Monday.

The team behind some of the most-watched “SNL” digital shorts (think: “Dick in a Box”) will oversee new comedy projects that with an eye towards developing them for digital platforms like Hulu and Roku before becoming full-fledged series.

“This is Fox’s third alternative development venture, and I’m ecstatic that we’re launching it with comedic geniuses The Lonely Island,” said Kevin Reilly, Fox’s chairman of entertainment. “I’ve admired Akiva, Andy and Jorma’s work for many years, and they share our desire to give creators more independence and the opportunity to take risks. These guys know what it takes to break through—whether online or on air—and they are the perfect partners to help us find the next generation of comedy hits.”

The Lonely Island first gained national attention in creating the popular “SNL Digital Shorts” series, which won an Emmy in 2007 for “Dick in a Box.” Their YouTube channel has clicked 1.24 billion views.

Read More: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter

Brief Take: Reilly has been one of the loudest voices against TV’s old ways of doing business, and Fox is hoping to open a new avenue for comedy development by tapping a team that has a proven track record of viral success.

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