TNT is a network that is now competing with the big boys. It has its own development department and has been doing series in its own name as well as providing new series for TBS and The Cartoon Network. All of those networks are owned by Ted Turner. TNT concentrates on drama while TBS focuses on lighter fare and comedy. They began airing 3 nights of original programming back in 2009 and have grown ever since. They also have resurrected several series from other networks that had been cancelled. They are the real power behind shows such as The Closer, Saving Grace, Major Crimes, Leverage, Dallas, Monday Mornings, Southland, Perception, Rizzoli and Isles, Chef Wanted, Franklin and Bash and a lot more that would surprise you. They have a bunch more coming up in 2013. Their schedule, while not exactly the same as the other networks still follows a plan that makes them quite competitive. However, they are a lot more flexible, giving way to MLB, NBA, NCAA March Madness, PGA Championships and NASCAR when those sports are in season. The shows generally have smaller budgets to operate on which makes it likely they wouldn't be as quick to pay the higher rates of the union crews for weekends and holidays. Most pilot shooting works the same simply because the series are shot well in advance so as to be trotted out for the networks honchos and for audience testing, so there isn't the pressure to fit the tight schedules that they have once they get greenlit for series production.
