Pitch may get some extra innings after all! Fox cancelled the baseball drama back in 2017 after only a single season, meaning that fans had seen the last of Mark-Paul Gosselaar as catcher Mike Lawson and Kylie Bunbury as pitcher Ginny Baker... or so it seemed. Now, a little over two years to the day since the cancellation was announced, the show is closer than ever to a revival, and it's all thanks to creator and executive producer Dan Fogelman.
Dan Fogelman has cemented a deal that will keep him with Disney's 20th Century Fox Television for five years. The deal is reportedly in the nine-figure range and has been in the works for upward of a year, which isn't surprising considering the kind of money being thrown around. Even in an era of producers like Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Murphy scoring huge deals, Fogelman's nine-figure deal is remarkable, and it may come with the return of Pitch.
Pitch "remains on the table" for revival, according to THR, with Disney+ as a suggested platform for the baseball drama's potential new home. 20th Century TV was reportedly willing to go pretty far to convince Dan Fogelman to remain on board rather than jump ship for a lucrative deal at another studio. It's hardly shocking that 20th Century TV would pull out all the stops for Fogelman. He's the man behind the smash hit This Is Us, after all!
Details are scarce about how a return for Pitch would actually work, but Mark-Paul Gosselaar has already spoken out about the potential return. He's apparently ready to pick up his mitt and mask once more, although there is the question of whether he could balance Pitch with The Passage, if The Passage scores a Season 2.
Of course, both shows' first season ran for only ten episodes, so perhaps shorter seasons would allow Mark-Paul Gosselaar and other members of the cast to keep working on other projects as well as Pitch. They might have to put in some extra work to get back into baseball shape, though!
Dan Fogelman hasn't released a statement about the possibility of a Pitch return, but a certain tweet he posted the day rumors of a Pitch revival began to circulate is promising for fans still hoping against hope to see Ginny and Mike suited up on screen for the Padres once more. Take a look:
Who wouldn't love that office? On the one hand, it's possible that Dan Fogelman just saw the reports about a possible Pitch revival and felt nostalgic about the good old days when he got to work out of a baseball stadium, and the post doesn't mean anything. On the other (and much more fun) hand, the post could be a sign that he's still hoping to bring Pitch back.
Pitch never did get the proper farewell that was floated, although that was always a long shot. Perhaps the lack of closure will be for the best in the long run. If Pitch does return and manages to recruit the original cast, then perhaps the show could just pick up where it left off. Only time will tell. For now, there are plenty of TV options to enjoy while we wait for more Pitch news.
