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People Break Down Which Television Show Had The Best Pilot Episode

Watching Television
white ceramic mug near black flat screen tv
Photo by Renilda Lleshi on Unsplash
John Curtis
By John CurtisFeb 27, 2023
John Curtis
A novelist, picture book writer and native New Yorker, John is a graduate of Syracuse University and the children's media graduate program at Centennial College. When not staring at his computer monitor, you'll most likely find John sipping tea watching British comedies, or in the kitchen, taking a stab at the technical challenge on the most recent episode of 'The Great British Baking Show'.
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For a television series to take off, its first episode, or pilot, needs to be spectacular.

Indeed, if the pilot doesn't cut it, it will be the only episode of the series that ever gets shot.

Indeed, even as little as 10 minutes into the pilots of This Is Us, Will & Grace, and Ted Lasso, it was clear that viewers were in for a treat, and they weren't disappointed.

That being said, a pilot isn't always guaranteed to be the beginning of a great series.

Sometimes the pilot proves to be the only good episode of the series, with the end result being anything but a Smash (pun intended).

Redditor snuskbusken was curious to hear what people considered to be the best pilot episodes ever, leading them to ask:
"Which tv show has the strongest first episode?"

The Theme Music Though...

"Six Feet Under."- Ok-Masterpiece-1359

Each And Every Season

"Fargo."

Hard To Take Your Eyes Off A Disaster

"Chernobyl."- Mela_Min

What Is That Oh No GIF by IMDb Giphy

Expectations Were Certainly High

"'Attack on Titan', unironically."- skraaaaw

Season 1 Was Good At Least...

"'Heroes' started off really strongly."- apathyontheeast

The Premise Was Hard To Sustain...

"Designated Survivor."- SadcoreEmpire168

keifer sutherland GIF by ABC Network Giphy

Just About Says It All...

"'Dead Like Me'."

"Any show that has it's main character killed by a flaming toilet seat falling from space within the first ten minutes is okay in my book."- CapnDonal23

People Had A Lot To Say...

"I love introducing people to 'The Boys', just for their reaction to the first episode."- Reggis13

...Still Doesn't Make Up For The Finale Though...

"Lost."

"Can't believe I'm the first one to have written it."- jakec11

lost jack GIF Giphy

They Didn't See That Coming

"'Ozark'’s first episode was pretty chill and then whoa."- 1itslizzxoxo

Best Enjoyed With A Little Chianti...

"'Hannibal' sets up the tone for the whole show quite well."- Far_Ad3346

Talking Quickly While Walking Down A Hallway Was Never More Cool...

"The West Wing."- Electrical_Top_7731

The West Wing Leadership GIF by NBC Giphy

An Instant Animated Gem...

"Futurama."- Mela_Min

Beware The Man In Black

"'Westworld'."

"When she slapped that fly my entire watching group went "OH SH*T"- Badloss

Seriously, How Was This Only One Season?

"Freaks and Geeks."- Substantial_Field_60

freaks and geeks GIF Giphy

Even if the rest of the series didn't quite live up to expectations, these pilots instantly earned the series a place amongst the television legends.

Even if there's nothing more disappointing than a great pilot leading to a not-so-great series.

Looking at you Glee...

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