Veteran producer and showrunner Steve Levitan (“Oliver Beene,” “Just Shoot Me”) has taken the writer’s axiom “show, not tell” to a new literal degree. Instead of simply pitching “Foothooker,” his “Spinal Tap”-style sitcom about a rock band, he shot an ultra-low-budget pilot. “Part of me wanted to see what would happen if I didn’t go through the system,” said Mr. Levitan, who while on location told permit-conscious police officers that he was shooting a student film. “Everybody always wants their shows to feel like a cool indie movie, but the system has a way of sucking that independent spirit right out of it.” Mr. Levitan, who is definitely feeling that indie spirit, will be shopping his pilot to broadcasters this week.