# Best TV Pilots of all time



## mwhip (Jul 22, 2002)

Regardless of how the show turned out what shows would you say had almost perfect pilots? Mine are:

Six Feet Under
ER
The Shield
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip


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## PeternJim (Sep 25, 2004)

I know it is recent, but I have to say the pilot for My Name is Earl is one of the best I've seen, set the tone for the show, all the characters were fully developed out of the gate, it holds up on rewatching, and I swear I nearly hurt myself laughing while watching it.

Nobody else will say it, but the pilot for Charlie's Angels was amazing. I've never stopped wondering what the show would have been if they'd actually done the show the pilot hinted at. Certainly not one of the best ever, but one of the most disappointing executions of a great idea.


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## etemple (Oct 26, 2003)

ALIAS; I always loved the Roswell pilot, and I really liked watching felicity again the other day on the WB finale . . .


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## DougF (Mar 18, 2003)

PeternJim said:


> I know it is recent, but I have to say the pilot for My Name is Earl is one of the best I've seen, set the tone for the show, all the characters were fully developed out of the gate, it holds up on rewatching, and I swear I nearly hurt myself laughing while watching it....


I rewatched the pilot for "Earl" last week. It is very good, but Randy was quite different in the pilot, IMO.


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## ireland967 (Feb 27, 2003)

24


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## AJRitz (Mar 25, 2002)

My top three in recent memory:
Lost
My Name Is Earl
Alias


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## Sirius Black (Dec 26, 2001)

The real pilot for Firefly was a great introduction to the characters.


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## deezel629 (May 30, 2006)

Another vote for The Shield.


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## Gunnyman (Jul 10, 2003)

Firefly
Alias
West Wing
Studio 60
Sports Night.


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## mwhip (Jul 22, 2002)

I forgot about 24 and Alias. Eventhough I do not like what those shows turned into their pilots were awesome.


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## modnar (Oct 15, 2000)

Lost


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

Twin Peaks


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## Gunnyman (Jul 10, 2003)

the 1st half of the 1st season of 24 was awesome TV. The initial order was for 12 episodes and I think that is all they expected to have to do, so the last half of the season felt a bit tacked on.
Still lots better than anything else that was on at the time.


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## RoundBoy (Feb 10, 2005)

Gunnyman said:


> Firefly
> .....


The Whedon one or the Fox one ??


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## AJRitz (Mar 25, 2002)

I really don't think Firefly can count for this debate. Yes, the REAL pilot was awesome. But that pilot was never shown to the public as the pilot. Instead, Train Job stands as the pilot. While Train Job is a perfectly good episode of an excellent show, it doesn't stand up as a top-tier pilot.


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## cherry ghost (Sep 13, 2005)

Arrested Development 

Miami Vice


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## marksman (Mar 4, 2002)

Howard Borden


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

I think one of the great TV pilots was Steve Zodiac and his crew of "Fireball XL5".
Oh ... you mean _pilot episodes_ ... 

Y'know, the pilot episode of "Fantasy Island" was pretty darn good. Or was that a television movie which resulted in the television series? I'm not sure. But the one I'm talking about featured Rourke and Tatoo, and the guest star was Hugh O'Brien as a man whose fantasy was to hunt the most elusive prey, and wound up being hunted himself.


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## Sirius Black (Dec 26, 2001)

AJRitz said:


> I really don't think Firefly can count for this debate. Yes, the REAL pilot was awesome. But that pilot was never shown to the public as the pilot. Instead, Train Job stands as the pilot. While Train Job is a perfectly good episode of an excellent show, it doesn't stand up as a top-tier pilot.


I wish I had a counter arguement for this but in the end, I have to agree with you.

I'll say that Lost had a good premeire. Pilots are tricky things though. Sometimes the pilot isn't a good indication of where the show will go once it really starts it's journey. I've been watching Vanished and I think that had a good premeire. Not something that I would put on the "all-time" list though.

I do consider the BSG mini series to be the pilot for that show and in that respect, the BSG mini series was excellent. Without the success of the mini series, we wouldn't have the series at all.


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## Bob_Newhart (Jul 14, 2004)

Profit


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## Gunnyman (Jul 10, 2003)

whedon called Serenity a Pilot therefore I am too.


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## SullyND (Dec 30, 2004)

No question: My Name is Earl


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## fmowry (Apr 30, 2002)

The Shield

Frank


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## tivoboyjr (Apr 28, 2003)

The Shield. No doubt about it.


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## tomr (Oct 2, 2000)

West Wing
Sliders
Dick Van **** Show -- Laura: "I'm a woman", Rob: "Yeah!" cirrica 1961


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## Marco (Sep 19, 2000)

The West Wing


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## Fish Man (Mar 4, 2002)

Lost

Star Trek: "The Cage" (the first pilot. Not so much the second one: "Where No Man Has Gone Before.")


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## crowfan (Dec 27, 2003)

Lost 
The Shield

If your jaw was not on the floor at the end of The Shield's pilot, you were asleep or dead.


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## amcanzo (Nov 12, 2004)

Rescue Me
The X-Files


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## DancnDude (Feb 7, 2001)

Alias and Lost were awesome. 

Many probably won't agree that this was a Pilot, but the very first episode of Survivor was amazing because it was so new and no one knew what to expect. I knew it was going to be a great show going forward.


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## FourFourSeven (Jan 3, 2003)

Trying to focus on pilots I liked that didn't necessarily turn into great shows:

I seem to recall that "Lois and Clark" had a great pilot (and a pretty good first half of the first season before getting annoying).

I thought that "Kitchen Confidential" from last year had a very good pilot, but the rest of its (short) run was pretty lame.


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## phluffhead (Sep 14, 2004)

West Wing
24


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

I thought Northern Exposure had a great pilot. Set up the whole premise of the show and introduced all the main characters.

Rescue Me had a great one, recently saw that on DVD for the first time...

The Sopranos
Deadwood

How I Met Your Mother
Arrested Development
Scrubs


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

West Wing
Arrested Development
Alias
24

I seem to recall really enjoying the Malcolm in the Middle pilot.


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## packerowner (Jun 20, 2002)

China Beach
West Wing
Alias


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## Wilhite (Oct 26, 2003)

SullyND said:


> No question: My Name is Earl


I re-recorded this one last week just to see the scene where he gets hit by the car.

I don't remember laughing so hard in recent memory. Even replaying it last week made me laugh so hard I cried.

I thought that Randy was kind of different in the pilot too. A little less "child-like" than in later episodes.



cherry ghost said:


> Miami Vice


Yep... gotta agree with this one too.


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## vikingguy (Aug 12, 2005)

The shield for me I was just in awe watching it.


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## bjheels (Mar 5, 2003)

Wonderfalls


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## Uncle Briggs (Sep 11, 2004)

Crime Story (1986) After watching this, I thought it was the greatest TV show I had ever seen.


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## Church AV Guy (Jan 19, 2005)

Off topic: a good pilot DOES make a difference. I watched "Encounter at Farpoint" and thought it was so bad I didn't watch another episode of Star Trek: TNG for over a year. That one was really bad. The pilot for "The Adventures of Brisco County Jr." was really bad too. If that had been the first thing I saw, I might never have watched any of the episodes. As it turned out, the pilot was the very last episode I saw, and I wondered how such a great series could have had such a mediocre beginning.


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## 5thcrewman (Sep 23, 2003)

1st. Roger RamJet
2nd. Clutch Cargo


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## DancnDude (Feb 7, 2001)

Church AV Guy said:


> Off topic: a good pilot DOES make a difference.


Agreed. I watched the "Pilot" of Firefly when it was on Fox. I didn't really get it so I didn't watch again. Later I found out the episodes had aired out of order and the actual pilot was great. (So I have since watched the entire series and love it) They need to hook viewers the first show enough to get them to come back and watch. In this case, Fox made a bad decision that worked against them.


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## Church AV Guy (Jan 19, 2005)

It is almost a guarantee that when the network or studio make a decision that changes the desires of the series creator, it is a bad decision. Why don't THEY see this. To us, the audience, it is so very clear, obvious and repeatable. Let the creative force do it--don't interfere. I don't recall a single show that benefited from a retooling, but I can name a few that were ruined by one. Seaquest, Mantis, Dark Angel, just off the top of my head. There are plenty of others.

Fox's decision to not show the real pilot, and to show "Train Job" (I think) instead was indeed, a bad decision.


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

jsmeeker said:


> Twin Peaks


+1


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## styre (Sep 20, 2006)

Nowhere Man


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## Rangers4me (May 18, 2001)

Freaks and Geeks
Arrested Development
Studio 60


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## aindik (Jan 23, 2002)

Marco said:


> The West Wing


I would, but he is not my friend; he is my boss. It's not his name, it's his title.

POTUS?

President of the United States.

/fanfare

:up: :up: :up:


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## Jeeters (Feb 25, 2003)

Alias and Lost without a doubt.

I used to consider the Alias pilot as the best hour of network TV there ever was. Until the Lost pilot. Just imo.

And the first episode of the first Amazing Race. And the very first Survivor.

Honorable mention to Nip/Tuck.


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## smak (Feb 11, 2000)

Lost
West Wing
The Shield

Honorable mention goes to Arrested Development. After watching the series start again on G4, there are some things in the pilot that aren't done as well as the rest of season 1, like the narration.

-smak-


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## SnakeEyes (Dec 26, 2000)

Roseanne


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

I don't particularly remember pilot episodes. But Scrubs sticks in my mind as a good pilot.


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## Zevida (Nov 8, 2003)

I am very fond of the pilots for Arrested Development and Veronica Mars.

Despite my intense loathing of the show after the pilot, I found the pilot of Lost to be gripping and fascinating.


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## willbhome (Aug 28, 2002)

So hard to pin down to only a couple; so many of the above suggestions are great ones. I particularly agree with:
My Name is Earl
Arrested Development
24
Lost
The Shield
Alias
And, I have one no one else mentioned:
Vengeance Unlimited


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## kbohip (Dec 30, 2003)

Miami Vice
The X-Files
Arrested Development
Odyssey 5
Lost

And I really liked the pilot of Smith last night too.


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## Redux (Oct 19, 2004)

Zevida said:


> Despite my intense loathing of the show after the pilot, I found the pilot of Lost to be gripping and fascinating.


Did you get the feeling that the whole original conception went south, like fell off a cliff?

The creators/producers profess some commitment to a continuity from an original plan; but this thing changed direction so fast my head snapped.

Lost will turn out to be one of those cultural embarassments where we ask ourselves, what the hell were we thinking?

Some really good production values, some semi-clever writing, some "interesting" actors and even a couple of good ones (though badly directed). But a phenomenon soon to be disavowed as anything any of us were at all interested in.


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## atrac (Feb 27, 2002)

FourFourSeven said:


> I seem to recall that "Lois and Clark" had a great pilot...


+1


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## kbohip (Dec 30, 2003)

Redux said:


> Did you get the feeling that the whole original conception went south, like fell off a cliff?
> 
> The creators/producers profess some commitment to a continuity from an original plan; but this thing changed direction so fast my head snapped.
> 
> ...


Is it too early for me to disavow it already?  I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way about the show. As far as cultural embarrassment goes, I don't know. There are still ALL of those reality shows!


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## headless chicken (Oct 8, 2004)

Alias
Felicity
Buffy
and....

Six Feet Under


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## Redux (Oct 19, 2004)

kbohip said:


> As far as cultural embarrassment goes, I don't know. There are still ALL of those reality shows!


I have relatives who watch these shows, even ask me to tivo them. Every time that happens, I wonder if I'm adopted. There are people who walk, talk, chew gum, and pretend to be people we know, respect and love; but who are clearly, in some respects, alien creatures.


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## kbohip (Dec 30, 2003)

Redux said:


> I have relatives who watch these shows, even ask me to tivo them. Every time that happens, I wonder if I'm adopted. There are people who walk, talk, chew gum, and pretend to be people we know, respect and love; but who are clearly, in some respects, alien creatures.


Oh I know, my wife watches ALL of them. The worst by far though is Big Brother. It's on 3 times a week!


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## Denise_Z (Apr 3, 2006)

Homicide: Life on the Street
and
Hill Street Blues


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## Jericho Dog (Feb 10, 2006)

jsmeeker said:


> Twin Peaks


Pete!
"She's dead! Wrapped in plastic!"
:up: :up:


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## 7thton (Mar 3, 2005)

Battlestar Galactica....anyone?


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## MacThor (Feb 7, 2002)

crowfan said:


> Lost
> The Shield
> 
> If your jaw was not on the floor at the end of The Shield's pilot, you were asleep or dead.


 :up: :up:

Bawitabaw........


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## Marco (Sep 19, 2000)

Fox Force Five


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## TiVoDan (Jun 2, 2002)

Deep Space Nine


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## Magnolia88 (Jul 1, 2005)

I will agree with a lot of people that _Alias_ and _Lost_ both had superb pilots: action-packed, edge of the seat stuff. I also thought _Arrested Development_ and _Veronica Mars_ had fantastic pilots that were great introductions to the series.


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

jsmeeker said:


> Twin Peaks


 :up: :up: :up:


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

I'll also have to add my agreement to

Arrested Development
Homicide: Life on the Street
The Shield
Alias


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## zuko3984 (May 4, 2002)

Here is one i don't know if anyone else will agree with but i think Knight Rider had a really good pilot. The show went down hill really fast but the pilot was pretty good. Much darker tone then rest of the series had. Sure it still had the talking car but they didn't play that for the silly campy angle that it became as the series went on.


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## Hit The Ball (Jun 26, 2002)

getreal said:


> I think one of the great TV pilots was Steve Zodiac and his crew of "Fireball XL5".


Actually I liked Robert Conrad as 'Pappy' Boyington in "Baa Baa Black Sheep" best.

I really liked the pilot for Mission: Impossible.

HTB


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## mhalver (Nov 3, 2005)

Definately Lost. Had me pulled in in the first couple of minutes. That almost never happens.


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## kido (Aug 17, 2006)

Smallville


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## mrpantstm (Jan 25, 2005)

West Wing.
Sports Night.
Friends (Hey it had to have had something to stay on that long and the actors be paid that much.)

Kitchen Confidential.....but that's probably just me


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## ronbo (Jan 21, 2002)

Global Frequency (too bad I had to d/l it to watch it)

Michelle Forbes IS Miranda Zero!

The scene where Aleph is getting everyone online at the same time and swithing in and out of languages so fluidly was amazing. Pity TV like that can't get made more often.


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## jmoak (Jun 20, 2000)

Fernwood Tonight


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## goman (Dec 16, 2004)

Lost


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## rkester (Jan 10, 2005)

I agree on:

Lost
Studio 60
Six Feet Under
DS9
HUFF
Scrubs
Greys Anat

Im sure there are others I would watch over and over but not coming to me.


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

I suppose the first episode of _Max Headroom_ doesn't really count.

Fun stuff, though, like Murray seeing the TV with no off switch and saying "that's illegal!"

Jan


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