# Best Pilot Episodes Ever



## tivoboyjr (Apr 28, 2003)

Reading through the "Best One Season" thread inspired me to start this thread. What are the best pilot episodes you've seen? (Even if the series didn't turn out to be so good.)

Here are the pilots that have really grabbed me and made me feel like I couldn't wait for the next episode:

The Shield
Lost
Alias
Breaking Bad
Orphan Black


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## SeanC (Dec 30, 2003)

I'd have to put Fox Force Five at the top of the list.


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## gossamer88 (Jul 27, 2005)

LOST
Frazier


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

Lost
Heroes
Sopranos
Boardwalk Empire


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## Wilhite (Oct 26, 2003)

Hill Street Station - the pilot episode of Hill Street Blues


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## hefe (Dec 5, 2000)

Yeah, I'd have to put Lost and Alias up there. Having just rewatched Twin Peaks, that started off well too.

24, Firefly, Battlestar Galactica...


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

Based on the first 3 minutes alone - Orphan Black


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## DreadPirateRob (Nov 12, 2002)

Totally agree with Lost, Alias, 24, BSG.

I'd also add FNL.


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## smak (Feb 11, 2000)

I'd say The Shield, because it gave you the tone for the entire series in the last 5 minutes.

And it was shocking.

-smak-


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## 2004raptor (Dec 31, 2005)

The Walking Dead


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## johnh123 (Dec 7, 2000)

The Shield, no doubt.


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

My nominations would be Arrested Development and Glee. In my opinion, both of these pilots were absolute perfection in terms of introducing the characters and setting the tone for the rest of the series. Twin Peaks was pretty damn good as well.


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

I've always thought that the Flashforward pilot was one of the best I'd seen. That pilot made me really look forward to seeing the next show. Too bad the show stumbled.


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## tivotvaddict (Aug 11, 2005)

LOST without a doubt.

Honorable mentions to Homeland, Dexter and 24. 

tta


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## Odds Bodkins (Jun 7, 2006)

Walking Dead, Lost, Shield, Boardwalk are all good calls. I also loved Studio 60.


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

Alias is definitely among the best, even if quite a lot of it was a blatant copy of (ok, "homage" to) _Run Lola Run_.


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## alpacaboy (Oct 29, 2004)

I liked about the first 1.5-2 seasons of Alias, but did watch it all the way through.
For some reason, the only(favorite) line that sticks with me (and I'm pretty sure it was in the pilot) was something like: "Can you show me what a bag looks like again?"


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## cherry ghost (Sep 13, 2005)

Deadwood


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## rifleman69 (Jan 6, 2005)

SeanC said:


> I'd have to put Fox Force Five at the top of the list.


Catch up.


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## SoupMan (Mar 1, 2001)

smak said:


> I'd say The Shield, because it gave you the tone for the entire series in the last 5 minutes.
> 
> And it was shocking.
> 
> -smak-


I remember watching the first 55 minutes and thinking, "Ok, it's a slightly edgy, shady cop show. Seems decent enough." After the last 5 minutes I had to re-calibrate my expectations.


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## cheesesteak (Jul 24, 2003)

Heroes
Agent Carter
24
Orphan Black


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

Another one I thought about that had a killer pilot was Northern Exposure.


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## flyers088 (Apr 19, 2005)

West Wing
LOST
Breaking Bad
Person of Interest


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## Fahtrim (Apr 12, 2004)

Justified, LOST


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## ADG (Aug 20, 2003)

Wilhite said:


> Hill Street Station - the pilot episode of Hill Street Blues


+1


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

hefe said:


> Yeah, I'd have to put Lost and Alias up there. Having just rewatched Twin Peaks, that started off well too.
> 
> 24, Firefly, Battlestar Galactica...


Ditto on Twin Peaks.


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## frombhto323 (Jan 24, 2002)

Honorable mention to the pilot of Miami Vice, which re-established the benchmark for cop dramas in groundbreaking ways.


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## Langree (Apr 29, 2004)

Modern Family is one for me.


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## Craigbob (Dec 2, 2006)

Sopranos
Battlestar Galactica (both original and reboot)
Orphan Black
Babylon 5
Heroes
The Six Million Dollar Man


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## skumclown (Oct 22, 2006)

The pilot episode of Last Resort was phenomenal, but they just couldn't hold on.......


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## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

Lost
Veronica Mars


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## johnh123 (Dec 7, 2000)

SoupMan said:


> I remember watching the first 55 minutes and thinking, "Ok, it's a slightly edgy, shady cop show. Seems decent enough." After the last 5 minutes I had to re-calibrate my expectations.


So true. I was only half paying attention, then it was wait, did that
just happen?!!

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk


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## mostman (Jul 16, 2000)

Survivor. 

Hahaha!


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

Lost in Space. The pilot episode was great and not full of the campy bad special effects and poor acting that plagued every other episode. The show simply got stupid after the pilot.

Last Resort. The pilot episode was riveting and amazingly intense for a TV drama. Unfortunately, it didn't have the ratings to sustain it and was canceled before the season ended, resulting in a premature finale.


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

Breaking Bad
Heroes

Those are it for me. There are some other great shows there, but I don't remember the pilots as being great. It took a couple of shows to be hooked and I have watched a many of these.

It all seems like I need to finally watch Orphan Black and The Shield. I have all the episodes of Orphan Black ready to go. I guess that will be next.


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

Small thread drift ...

Speaking of pilots has anyone watched the pilot episode of Hogan's Heroes? My understanding is the pilot never aired. It has a decidedly different feel than the sitcom many of us grew up on. The pilot was much darker.

And who is the genius who thought of making a TV show based on the movie Stalag 17. It's a great movie, but not weekly TV material IMHO. If I was head of the network I would have kicked that person out of my office faster than a . . .


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## Gunnyman (Jul 10, 2003)

The MiddleMan


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

Craigbob said:


> Sopranos
> Battlestar Galactica (both original and reboot)
> Orphan Black
> *Babylon 5*
> ...


Goodness no.. I'm a huge B5 fangirl and as much as I'd like to adore it's pilot, they over-reached and it's pretty painful, even most of S01 was really painful at times, once the cast and the crew got their mojo in S02 it just went through the roof in the caliber of the show, S03 and 04 are two of the most amazing seasons of any series I've watched.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

mr.unnatural said:


> Lost in Space. The pilot episode was great and not full of the campy bad special effects and poor acting that plagued every other episode. The show simply got stupid after the pilot.
> 
> Last Resort. The pilot episode was riveting and amazingly intense for a TV drama. Unfortunately, it didn't have the ratings to sustain it and was canceled before the season ended, resulting in a premature finale.


I agree about Last Resort. That was an awesome pilot, followed by a dozen or so really bad episodes. Shame really.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

waynomo said:


> Small thread drift ...
> 
> Speaking of pilots has anyone watched the pilot episode of Hogan's Heroes? My understanding is the pilot never aired. It has a decidedly different feel than the sitcom many of us grew up on. The pilot was much darker.
> 
> And who is the genius who thought of making a TV show based on the movie Stalag 17. It's a great movie, but not weekly TV material IMHO. If I was head of the network I would have kicked that person out of my office faster than a . . .


I actually enjoyed both the movie and TV series. Not sure why you would say that? They were really different, so I would say that the TV show was VERY loosely based on the movie.


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

dianebrat said:


> Goodness no.. I'm a huge B5 fangirl and as much as I'd like to adore it's pilot, they over-reached and it's pretty painful, even most of S01 was really painful at times, once the cast and the crew got their mojo in S02 it just went through the roof in the caliber of the show, S03 and 04 are two of the most amazing seasons of any series I've watched.


I agree. I really wasn't all that impressed with the B5 pilot movie (i.e., The Gathering). It was interesting, but it didn't grab me like some other shows. It's one of my all-time favorite Sci-Fi TV shows. I always liked it way better than Star Trek. B5 had one of the best series finales of any show, IMHO. I loved the way that every episode had an impact on the overall storyline, even though it may not have been evident at the time.

BTW, there's some interesting posts in the resurrected B5 thread you might want to check out.

I liked the Battlestar Galactica reboot much better than the original campy mess, but the pilot didn't grab me either. However, the quick zoom photography used in the space shots got old real quick and got to be downright annoying after a while. The shots of the spacecraft ended up having somewhat of a Space 1999 feel.


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

Steveknj said:


> I actually enjoyed both the movie and TV series. Not sure why you would say that? They were really different, so I would say that the TV show was VERY loosely based on the movie.


Have you seen the pilot?

Doesn't the idea of making a comedy out of Stalag 17 seem absurd?

Yes, I loved them both too.


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## alpacaboy (Oct 29, 2004)

Hellcats. And the season delivered everything the pilot promised.

Oh, and the first Batman: the Animated Series hooked me too - and delivered.


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

Heroes
American Crime
Dexter
American Horror Story
From Dusk Till Dawn
Quantum Leap


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

waynomo said:


> Breaking Bad
> Heroes


I'll disagree on BB. For me, a "best pilot" episode means it instantly hooks you. No matter whether it ultimately satisfies you or not, you were hooked from day one. BB I think I actually started twice and gave up. Only a couple years later did I stick with it for a couple episodes, and finally get hooked.

Heroes as I recall had a great pilot. Instantly hooked. And stayed hooked until Tim Kring turned wussy in the first season finale.

LOST was another great pilot.


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

getreal said:


> Heroes
> American Crime
> Dexter
> American Horror Story
> ...


That's right, I had forgotten how good the pilot of Quantum Leap was. :up:


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## Edmund (Nov 8, 2002)

Brooklyn South, with the shoot-out outside the police precinct.


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

waynomo said:


> Breaking Bad
> Heroes





astrohip said:


> I'll disagree on BB. For me, a "best pilot" episode means it instantly hooks you. No matter whether it ultimately satisfies you or not, you were hooked from day one.


Yep. The pilot was it for me. Instantly hooked.


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## MonsterJoe (Feb 19, 2003)

I like most of these shows listed....even love a lot of these shows listed.

I have never, however, been as blown away by a pilot as I was from 'Lost'. 

I burned it to DVDs (haha - nostalgia) and passed it out to my friends so they could experience it.

BB is one of my favorite shows ever...I liked it more than lost - but it took a couple tries and 5 episodes or so, to hook me.


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

MonsterJoe said:


> I have never, however, been as blown away by a pilot as I was from 'Lost'.


Totally agree, Lost had a legendary pilot, probably one of the best I've ever seen, now of course I loved all the rest of it but the pilot raised the bar for what a pilot could be and I'm not sure there have been any heirs to the throne.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Lost had the added advantage of being one of the first in the HD age, so not only had we never seen anything like it, we never COULD have seen anything like it. Which added to its considerable impact (assuming you first saw it in HD, of course!).

Kind of like seeing the starship zoom overhead at the beginning of Star Wars, only for two hours.


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

I might have to rewatch the pilot for Lost. I don't recall being blown away by it. I certainly enjoyed it and really enjoyed the show in general.

ETA: The app Can I Stream It let me down. It says that Lost is not available on Netflix, but it is. The TiVo app found it there for me.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Lost had the added advantage of being one of the first in the HD age, so not only had we never seen anything like it, we never COULD have seen anything like it. Which added to its considerable impact (assuming you first saw it in HD, of course!).
> 
> Kind of like seeing the starship zoom overhead at the beginning of Star Wars, only for two hours.


Very true, although I didn't have HD at the time of the Pilot, the visuals were really great. Plus it had the advantage of being two hours so that it could really lay out the characters and the plot. Some pilots feel rushed because they are trying to introduce too many characters or too much plot. OTOH, some seem to be missing something because they just don't have the time to properly introduce key pieces. Lost was just perfect in that respect.


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## MonsterJoe (Feb 19, 2003)

I was years away from having HD at that point, IIRC

I had a 27" tube tv and a dish mounted to a 2X6 that was wedged in my apartment's bathroom window because they wouldn't let me install it properly.  ...ah the good ole days


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## thewebgal (Aug 10, 2007)

Space: Above and Beyond - such great potential

Profit (with Adrian Passdar - edgy & excellent, killed quickly!)

American Gothic (... someone's at the door!)


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## jradosh (Jul 31, 2001)

Question: Do 'pilot's really get made any more? Aren't most of what we're talking about here "first episodes" where most of the first season is already in the bag and going to be aired?


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

A lot of times the 1st episode is simply titled "Pilot" for many new series. Pilots are usually done to show to the networks as an audition. If they like what they see then they'll order more episodes. Sometimes pilots are remade and the original is never aired.


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## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

thewebgal said:


> American Gothic (... someone's at the door!)


Loved that series and own the DVDs but the series seemed to lose focus the deeper into the show they got.

Lost would probably be my choice. 
Firefly was the best premiere that did not air as the premiere.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

jradosh said:


> Question: Do 'pilot's really get made any more? Aren't most of what we're talking about here "first episodes" where most of the first season is already in the bag and going to be aired?





mr.unnatural said:


> A lot of times the 1st episode is simply titled "Pilot" for many new series. Pilots are usually done to show to the networks as an audition. If they like what they see then they'll order more episodes. Sometimes pilots are remade and the original is never aired.


That used to be the case much of the time, but nowadays they tend to just air the pilot as shot and make adjustments starting in the second episode (unless the changes are drastic, like recasting...but even then, e.g. see Constantine). Cheaper that way.


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## Gregor (Feb 18, 2002)

Favorite pilot is M*A*S*H.

Fun plot and good character intro. But you kinda needed to see the movie to figure out what was going on.


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## tivoboyjr (Apr 28, 2003)

jradosh said:


> Question: Do 'pilot's really get made any more? Aren't most of what we're talking about here "first episodes" where most of the first season is already in the bag and going to be aired?


OP checking in. Threads go where they go, but my intent was "best first episode/pilot." I realize there's a difference, but to me it doesn't really matter once the show is on the air.


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

Most pilots end up being the first episode in the majority of cases so it fits. Sometimes a pilot gets aired as a preview or TV movie and then becomes a series later on (i.e., B5, Battlestar Galactica, etc.), but mostly they're just episode one of the series. There are instances where pilots get made and then revamped for a series due to restructuring of the show, actors getting involved in other projects, etc. A lot of these pilots never get aired as a result. Many pilots never make it out of the gate and don't get picked up so they die on a shelf in some studio's warehouse. 

I seem to recall watching a series many years ago that was basically a compilation of unaired pilots for shows that never saw the light of day. After seeing them it was abundantly clear why they never aired. IIRC, they all had name actors in them, but the writing and directing was so bad they were painful to watch.


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## smak (Feb 11, 2000)

astrohip said:


> I'll disagree on BB. For me, a "best pilot" episode means it instantly hooks you. No matter whether it ultimately satisfies you or not, you were hooked from day one. BB I think I actually started twice and gave up. Only a couple years later did I stick with it for a couple episodes, and finally get hooked.
> 
> Heroes as I recall had a great pilot. Instantly hooked. And stayed hooked until Tim Kring turned wussy in the first season finale.
> 
> LOST was another great pilot.


The Heroes pilot had the added benefit of miraculously not being a disaster, like I'm sure most people expected.

It, and the episodes following also had those crazy endings, where we couldn't wait until the next episode.

-smak-


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## Fl_Gulfer (May 27, 2005)

Justified
Heroes
Soap
Dollhouse
Torchwood
Farscape 
Stargate SG1
Fringe


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## philhu (Apr 11, 2001)

Defying Gravity and FlashForward


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## jilter (Oct 4, 2002)

Odds Bodkins said:


> Walking Dead, Lost, Shield, Boardwalk are all good calls. I also loved Studio 60.


I loved Studio 60 as well. Wow did that show disappear. One of the reasons I do not watch pilots anymore in real time. Shows get axed way too quickly these days.
West Wing. One of the best Pilots ever. Hooked me immediately.
Also Mod Fam.


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## Wil (Sep 27, 2002)

The Defenders (actually called "The Defender"!)
Star Trek, both pilots (The Cage; Where No Man Has Gone Before) 
A Clear and Present Danger (for The Bold Ones: The Senator)
Mission Impossible
V (was the first mini-series actually intended as a pilot?)
Northern Exposure
West Wing
Good Eats
Lost


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

Wil said:


> The Defenders (actually called "The Defender"!)
> Star Trek, both pilots (The Cage; Where No Man Has Gone Before)
> A Clear and Present Danger (for The Bold Ones: The Senator)
> Mission Impossible
> ...


Northern Exposure and Lost are on my list as two that got me hooked immediately.


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## ACoolDude (Dec 11, 2001)

Lost (and we had JUST purchased our 1st HDTV maybe a week before aired)
Orphan Black (esp 1st 5 minutes)
Game of Thrones (esp last 5 minutes)


Gonna have to watch the Shield again... (wow, has it really been 14 years?)


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

ACoolDude said:


> Game of Thrones (esp last 5 minutes)


The first episode of Game of Thrones *wasn't* the pilot. Actually, the pilot episode was a giant steaming pile of dung, from what I was reading. They ended up re-shooting "around 92%" of the pilot to make the first episode.

http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-producers-of-game-of-thrones-lay-into-the-shows-dis-1757061810


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