Here’s an interesting item via Wired News: seems WB passed on the pilot for show called Global Frequency (a drama about an underground network)…but the story took a strange turn when the pilot episode leaked on to BitTorrent  and the audience reaction was so positive that the network decided to take another look (additional coverage in slashdot).

John Rogers, the show’s creator’s reaction: "It changes the way I’ll do my next project…I would put my pilot out on the Internet in a heartbeat."

Warner’s reaction: "While Warner Bros. Entertainment values feedback from consumers, copyright infringement is not a productive way to try to influence a corporate decision."

This appears to be part of a trend that includes Joss Whedon (of Buffy fames)’s Firefly (whose fans are called Browncoats), as well as the recent outpouring of support for the doomed Trek series (condemned, for the moment, to navigate the parallel universe of syndication, where nothing new ever happens) – despite a grass-roots fund-raising campaign that came up with $250K to produce a new season.

Does Vox Populi have a hope of shaping the cultural direction of television, beyond mainstream sampling and the questionable instincts of studio execs?  Or are the IP threats simply too great?