Famous First 48 Episodes

[Marion Georgi]

I typically don't like pilot episodes, but Watchmen's first episode is an absolutely perfect first hour of television. It brilliantly establishes its world and characters while introducing the series' long-running themes and visual language. The stunning first 10 minutes are not only absolutely gutting on their own, but they're also totally integral to the show in ways that are revealed and developed more and more as the show goes on. It's brilliant."

"The pilot of The Vampire Diaries is perfect from start to finish. I mean, just Damon's iconic 'Hello, brother' line is the best. When the episode started playing 'Never Say Never' by The Fray, I was hooked."

"It perfectly sets everything up. I just rewatched it and I am shocked by how many hints there were to the twist. It's masterful and tells you a lot about the rest of the show while giving absolutely nothing away. Also, it's super funny."

"When you rewatch the first episode, it really shows how early the separate storylines started to be developed. Seeing how Bran being pushed from the window triggered literally every event to come was wild. Also, there's just so much foreshadowing."

"I was captivated during the very first scene. I loved how they used it as a cold open and then transitioned back in time to explain what had led up to it. It's actually one of my favorite episodes of the whole series."

"Orphan Black had an AMAZING first episode! It went fast and hard, without getting too confusing, and had a great cliffhanger. I've shown Orphan Black to a lot of my friends, and although some of them didn't finish the whole show, that first episode had them hooked."

"Killing Eve had the best pilot. In fact, it had the best opening scene of any TV show ever. It was completely different to anything I had ever watched. You realize instantly that Villanelle is unlike any other character on TV."

"The pilot of Glee still gives me chills. I've watched it at least 20 times. It was cool having to learn so much about everyone, like a new kid on the first day of school. When New Directions sang 'Don't Stop Believin' Together' for the first time, I got emotional. The rest of the show did end up holding up, but this episode remains flawless."

"It introduces the characters so perfectly by showing their complexities and flaws. I cared for them so quickly. It's exciting, funny, and fast-paced, but still has emotion. I knew I was hooked right from the start."

"The introduction to each character is so perfect. The scene with Cam bringing out baby Lily to meet the family is pure gold. Say what you will about where the show is now, but that first episode still makes me laugh out loud."

"The pilot for Firefly is first class in how to introduce characters, conflicts, mood, and a new setting. By the end, you have a clear picture of each character's place on Serenity, their relationships with each other, and you also have a fun, action-packed story that leaves you pumped for the next episode."

Originally, the best TV pilot episodes were a marketing tool used by the creators of a show to sell the first season to networks. As such, they needed to establish characters and tone, and even give a taste of possible season-long arcs. With so much to accomplish it's no surprise that most pilots have the equivalent run time of a TV movie. However, with the current prevalence of the binge-watching model, sites like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu are slowly transitioning away from the traditional pilot episode.

Instead, these streaming services expect viewers to vote for the content they want to see more of with their attention and people will binge-watch shows on Netflix without caring if the pilot hooks them. Now while they may be dying out, many pilot episodes remain benchmarks of great television, but which are considered the best TV pilot episodes of all time? Over time, there were those prestigious premiere episodes that hooked viewers from the start and created a phenomenon.

There have been countless iterations of Sherlock Holmes over the years, but the BBC series Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman quickly established that this is a worthwhile way of revisiting the famous detective. One of the best TV pilot episodes, it has a lot of heavy lifting to do as it establishes the modern take on the character, introduces Holmes and Watson as a potential friendship, brings in Sherlock's brother, hints at a looming threat, and gives a genuinely thrilling mystery to solve. Somehow, the episode achieves all this with clever writing and excellent performances.

Like Firefly, Freaks and Geeks holds a reputation as a great show with one season that fans would love rebooted. Fortunately, that one season left a big impact. Created by Paul Feig and starring baby-faced versions of James Franco, Seth Rogan, Jason Segel, Linda Cardellini, and many others. There's no doubt that this pilot sticks in many of its young viewers' minds as some of the first really relatable TV they watched. One of the best TV pilot episodes, it achieves some amazing setup with former good girl Lindsay Weir becoming friends with more rebellious students while hero brother Sam finds that being a "geek" in high school is not easy.

The great tragedy of Joss Whedon's Firefly is fairly well known by now. A show canceled unjustly, only to be brought back for a film by fan perseverance, and continued in comic form. What some might not know however is that the 90-minute-long pilot episode "Serenity" wasn't just messily split into two parts when initially aired, but the entire first (and only) season itself was aired so out of order that the pilot was the last to air, dooming Firefly from the start.

It's a crying shame, as this is some fantastic television and a much stronger introduction to Malcolm Reynolds and the crew of the Serenity than the episode "The Train Job" provides, the episode used by the network as a first episode. "Serenity" juggles world-building, character introductions, and about three plotlines at once masterfully, and feels much brisker than a TV movie should.

While the show may only be getting this single miniseries, there's no denying it was one of the most talked-about TV shows of 2019 from the moment one of the best TV pilot episodes ever aired. Hats off to series creator Craig Mazin, the first episode of Chernobyl is astounding. Dealing with the initial failure that caused the catastrophic failure of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the episode is nothing short of gripping, masterfully executed storytelling. With a run time of 60 minutes, it's amazing the contained story that the episode manages to convey with so many characters, all while setting the tone, and standard, of the series to come.

It seems that shows about making TV shows offer a particularly fascinating story for audiences. This is even more so with The Newsroom exploring the fast-paced and live nature of a news program. But the first episode in the series is really what grabbed viewers' attention as one of the best TV pilot episodes ever. The scene finds newsman Will McAvoy on an interview panel when he is asked a question about why America is the greatest country in the world and gives a shocking and captivating answer. The monologue alone is enough to recommend the episode, but it then dives into the behind-the-scenes covering of live news stories which is even more exciting.

With big Hollywood names like Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, True Detective was an immediate show of interest for fans thanks to ne of the best TV pilot episodes ever. The first episode of the show "The Long Bright Dark" did a brilliant job setting up both the relationship between the two central police and the case that would inevitably haunt them. The tone of the show was dark and brooding from the beginning, and it also made clear that the lives of these detectives would be as important as the actual crimes. The hook of this taking place in two separate timelines added another interesting layer.

Attempting to riff off of the writing of the Coen Brothers is no easy task, but the first episode of Fargo showed that it was inspired by the filmmakers while still being its own thing. Like the movie, it set up a cold-blooded crime story in an even colder environment. From a protagonist who finds himself drawn into a deadly plot to a chilling villain who established the series' unique sense of humor, Fargo had a great opening episode with great characters and a lot of bloodshed that proved the iconic story was in good hands.

Due to its cancelation, there are plenty of unanswered questions in Westworld. Yet fans of the show can still look back on one of the best TV pilot episodes as delivering the promise of a terrific adventure ahead. The pilot brings the viewer into the Western theme park where anything goes for guests acting out their Wild West fantasies. Along with the action and carnage of the theme park, viewers are also introduced to those in charge of it all and the questions about how in control they might be of their "hosts." With great performances, epic moments, and so much promise ahead, it is an unforgettable episode of television.

The thriller series Mr. Robot seemed to enjoy keeping audiences on their toes with intrigue and plenty of twists. But one of the best TV pilot episodes did exceptionally well at simply relying on the fascinating main character played by Rami Malek. From the first scene in which hacker Elliot Anderson exposes the criminal operations of a caf owner, he is a figure fans want to follow. From there, the show introduces the wider conspiracy and brings Elliot into the world of hacktivists led by the mysterious Mr. Robot. It offers just enough to thrill viewers and make them feel the need to explore it more.

The Sopranos may be remembered for having one of the greatest, most controversial endings in TV history. But while fans may never know what happened in that dinner, and that's largely the point, it's often forgotten that the show made a strong captivating start six seasons earlier with one of the best TV pilot episodes. The pilot made sure to set up the mental strain James Gandolfini's Tony was under, his dynamic with the family and between him and Lorraine Bracco's Dr. Jennifer Melfi, but most importantly the tone of the show. It's a masterclass in kicking off a show, but it's not as well-loved as some other episodes.

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