The 35 greatest TV pilots
Aug. 4, 2024These are the episodes that got TV classics “to air”
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Sometimes, all it takes for a good TV show to become iconic is a great first impression. Which TV pilots should be considered as some of the greatest of all time?
In what is still industry practice today, the business of TV is conducted through the production and selling of pilots. More or less the “first episode” of any given TV show, pilots are previewed to networks, which then decide if the networks want to be the exclusive destination for the new show. Hence the term “pilot,” as these episodes steer the proverbial plane and get shows “to air.”
Pilots are practically an art unto themselves. Not only must they effectively introduce the characters, settings, and overall tone, but must also act as a preview for what’s to come. And they have to be exciting enough for anyone,especiallynetwork executives, to want more.
While the boom in premium cable channels and streaming platforms have made straight-to-series orders more common - an alternate happenstance in which TV shows are given the greenlight to make entire seasons without a pilot preview - the term “pilot” is still commonly (if mistakenly) understood as the first episode of any TV show regardless of the actual journey to air.
Shows can run for five, ten, maybe 20 seasons, but a good pilot is what gets them there. Here are 35 of the greatest TV pilots of all time.
35. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, “Day of the Dumpster”
Give it some credit: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers may have been a cheap show cobbled together with duct tape, spandex, and rubber monster costumes fresh from Japan. But Super Sentai’s tokusatsu DNA was a foreign language for American TV producers, let alone Fox executives, to wrap their heads around. So it’s actually a miracle that the first episode of the early ’90s kids' hit - which has its own title “Day of the Dumpster” instead of the typical “Pilot” - is even fun to watch at all. The show wastes no time effectively breaking down how some randomly chosen California teenagers can morph and be mighty, and the recycled action footage of Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger is a treat no matter what language its actors speak
Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox
Jurassic Park’s Michael Crichton studied medicine at Harvard before embarking on a prolific writing career. In 1994, with the help of Steven Spielberg, Crichton brought one of his dream projects to TV: ER, the hit medical drama that captivated network audiences for 15 years. The pilot, “24 Hours,” is a doozy; directed by Rod Holcomb, it begins with introducing Dr. Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards) who is awoken to tend to drunk Dr. Ross (George Clooney). That’s just the beginning of what would be a restless, emotionally draining day inside Cook County General Hospital. True to its title, the episode is restless and propulsive, so it’s no wonder why audiences demanded more - stat!
While The Flash had the benefit of spinning off from Arrow, it still had a lot to prove. Not only did the show have to establish a vibe separate from the dark and gritty Arrow, but also prove it could have stronger legs than the last television show starring DC’s Scarlet Speedster. Thankfully the first episode did just that, being an upbeat escapist superhero procedural that made super speed look like a breeze. Compared to his initial guest appearances on Arrow, Grant Gustin gets a lot more legroom to be an appealing male lead in his role as Barry Allen - a forensic scientist gifted the powers of super speed after a freak accident - and went on to lead the show for nine seasons and over 180 episodes.
Who killed Laura Palmer? That haunting question looms large in the first episode of David Lynch’s enduring TV masterpiece Twin Peaks. As the body of Palmer is fished out of the river, in comes FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) to investigate and seek out the perpetrator, kicking off a long stay in the scenic but surreal town of Twin Peaks. “Northwest Passage” does all the things a great TV pilot should do, in its memorable introduction of MacLachlan’s Cooper and the uncanny world he now inhabits. It’s practically cheating how this first episode is directed by Lynch, Twin Peaks' own creator and revered filmmaking auteur.
Let’s throw it back to when weallwere “Sherlocked.” The first episode of the hit BBC drama - which made a star out of its lead Benedict Cumberbatch, as the infamous Sherlock Holmes - successfully brings the gentleman sleuth into the 21st century, with Holmes conducting investigations with the aid of modern technology. (Although nothing still beats that cunning brain of his.) With his first meeting with soon-to-be sidekick John Watson (Martin Freeman), “A Study in Peak” finds new depths to centuries-old characters living in contemporary times.
Two FBI agents named Fox Mulder and Dana Scully meet for the first time. Need we say more? (OK, fine.) The first episode of the seismic sci-fi/horror hit series The X-Files is a creepy short film in its own right in its story of two mismatched FBI agents with electric chemistry who investigate a series of murders that one of them, the believer Mulder, feels may be alien in nature. The X-Files made stars out of its leads David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, and its first episode is enough to make you a believer in them too.
“What if Felicity were more unhinged, and a musical?” That’s the gas that fuels Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the subversive musical comedy that aired for four impeccable seasons on The CW. That includes its disarming pilot, in which we meet main character Rebecca (creator and star Rachel Bloom) as a successful young lawyer who hastily relocates from New York City to her hometown of West Covina, California to win back an old boyfriend from high school, Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III). Bloom’s delirious songwriting soundtracks the series, with two bangers - “West Covina” and “The Sexy Getting Ready Song” - that make sure you don’t ghost the show.
She’s gonna make it after all. The groundbreaking TV sitcom, which centers on independent Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore), starts on a high note as Mary moves into her Minneapolis apartment and draws the ire of Rhoda (Valerie Harper), who believes she has a rightful claim. The two eventually become best friends, but “Love Is All Around” delights as Mary butts heads with Rhoda while trying to land a job at the local TV station. The ’70s had a lot of amazing sitcoms, but The Mary Tyler Moore Show is undisputed, its first episode is exemplary of the rest of its seven seasons.
The rapid clicking of a camera overlooking Washington D.C. is the first thing viewers see when they start up Scandal. How fitting, being a binge-worthy series that’s all about the grime of American politics. Shonda Rhimes' delirious, era-defining episodic series stars Kerry Washington as ruthless “fixer” Olivia Pope, whose small but feared firm cleans up the dirty secrets of politicians. Through the doe eyes of Quinn Perkins (Katie Lowes), audiences enter the cutthroat world of Scandal and immediately find themselves aspiring to be a gladiator in a suit too. If only it were that easy.
Few times does a TV pilot set the tone and style for a whole show and still feel unlike anything else after it. The first episode of the seminal HBO dramedy does all it’s supposed to, introducing Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw, the sharp and stylish magazine columnist who navigates love, sex, and whatever else in the big city. Much like its protagonist, the pilot boasts a lively sense of humor with a delicious motif of talking heads who break the fourth wall to address viewers directly. (An early montage casually introduces the show’s major characters, like Miranda, Charlotte, and Skipper.) It’s maybe for the best that Sex and the City adopted a more traditional structure for the rest of its duration, but the pilot oozes personality. It’s effectively its own short film capturing a bygone era of New York City living. Pay no mind that the “British woman” speaks with an Australian accent.
“A month ago you were in med school being taught by doctors. Today, you are the doctors.” Thus begins one of the most prolific network TV shows of all time. Shonda Rhimes' monster hit medical drama Grey’s Anatomy kicks off with Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) finding out that her dizzying one-night stand is, in fact, her new superior Dr. Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) at Seattle Grace. Quickly, Meredith meets her fellow interns, all of whom experience the highs and lows of saving lives. While the pilot has the character Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) foreshadow “the next seven years” for these incoming surgical residents - all set to a memorable Rilo Kiley needle drop - Grey’s Anatomy went on for much, much longer, for over 20 seasons and more than 430 episodes. Truly, nobody knows where they might end up.
It took several episodes before Heroes coined its unforgettable catchphrase: “Save the cheerleader, save the world.” But the hit NBC drama, which for a time rivaled ABC’s Lost, starts out with a bang introducing its diverse ensemble who come to find they possess amazing abilities. From flying New York City nurse Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) to the invincible Texas cheerleader Claire Bennett (Hayden Panetierre) to time-traveling Japanese office worker Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka), Heroes relished its pastiche of comic book storytelling right out the gate. While the 2007 writers' strike permanently hampered Heroes to the point the show never recovered, “Genesis” is one hell of an introduction to a new universe.
“Tell me what you don’t like about yourself.” That’s what Dr. Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) says right into the camera at the very beginning of Nip/Tuck. It’s a provocative moment of self-reflection in a provocative drama that ran for six rocky seasons on FX. While Nip/Tuck unfortunately plunged into pulp slop as it went on, its first season and first episode especially are a cutting introduction to its world of plastic surgery - and the shady patients looking for a new face. The show follows partners Dr. McNamara, a devoted family man, and Dr. Christian Troy (Julian McMahon), a playboy who relishes his bachelorhood, who together have a practice in sunny Miami. The first episode doesn’t pull punches, introducing a client whose reasons for getting extensive facial work is rooted in the darkest depths of humanity. To think that it’s allthe beginningproves what kind of show Nip/Tuck is all about.
While the first episode of Friends has all the jagged edges TV pilots tend to have before their characters are fully formed, it’s kind of mesmerizing how assured the hit sitcom was in the beginning. In its first episode, lovestruck Ross (David Schwimmer) declares his primary objective, “I just want to be married again” before cueing runaway bride Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) wandering in in her own wedding dress. With Rachel leaving her betrothed at the altar, she stars anew and embeds herself in a group of, ahem, friends, who are all already familiar enough to sprawl out on the couches of their favorite coffee shop. Friends would have many more memorable episodes to come, but “The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate” is one to remember.
Panicked, frantic, and full of ingredients that can raise one’s blood pressure, the first episode of The Bear is a pressure cooker of a pilot that drops audiences into the boiling hot kitchen of a Chicago sandwich joint that main protagonist Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) is determined to bring to a higher level. Back from New York after working in Michelin-star restaurants, Carmy grapples with the loss of his brother as he inherits his late brother’s scrappy business. “System” lays down all that fans of The Bear are familiar with, from Carmy’s neurotic need to control and organize to the lovable oafs who surround him and stress him out. One episode and you’ll be craving for more. Say thanks, chef.
Just when you thought Westerns had rode off into the sunset, the HBO drama Deadwood proves otherwise. Written by series creator David Milch and directed by Walter Hill, the pilot episode drops audiences into Dakota Territory to follow two men, Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) and Sol Star (John Hawkes) who move into Deadwood seeking to carve out their American dream only to find themselves in the lawlessness of the frontiers. First written as a drama set in ancient Rome before HBO suggested a change in setting (because the network was already developing a separate series, Rome), “Deadwood” reveals the artistic gold still hidden in a dusty old genre.
The end of Cheers marked the start of another TV classic, Frasier. As psychiatrist Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) relocates from Boston to Seattle, Frasier tries to reconnect with his blue-collar father while navigating his new life in his old hometown. The first episode highlights what Frasier is all about for the next 11 seasons, with the posh and educated Frasier reconciling with the person he spawned from. The Golden Age Hollywood icon Lupe Vélez is mentioned by name to explain how things may not go as planned but work out anyway; Frasier’s longevity after its pilot is proof of that philosophy at work.
There are more twists and turns in The Good Place than there are on a rollercoaster, but the heavenly sitcom never stops taking you for a ride. In its first episode “Everything Is Fine,” Eleanor Shellstrop (Kirsten Bell) awakes after death in a pleasant, non-denominational afterlife, greeted by the kind and genteel Michael (Ted Danson). Walking around what looks like manicured Americana, Eleanor seems to have snuck her way to paradise - but knowing her true nature as an immoral, selfish dirtbag makes it hard to enjoy the endless froyo. While the many plot twists of The Good Place eventually bring down the facade - and ultimately communicate the message that practicing kindness and empathy here on Earth reaps its own rewards - the first episode never stops being hilarious even while it goes to great lengths to set the table for what’s to come.
The adage “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer” rings especially true in The Americans. The sexy, sinewy Cold War era spy thriller that ran for six perfect seasons on The FX begins on a high note, introducing Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys as a married couple with a family in suburbia who hide their true identities as Russian spies. The compelling twist is that while “Elizabeth” and “Philip” parade around as a happily married couple, they’re actually falling in love, for real, while they both question their national loyalties. The pilot episode of The Americans tees up all the show has in store, with an A-plus Phil Collins needle drop during the episode’s steamiest moment.
When we first meet Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Fleabag, she’s breathless, wearing only a trench coat as she awaits a Tuesday night fling. She addresses us directly, to reveal to us that for however long we’re with her, we’rewithher - inside her thoughts and feelings as she goes through her strange life one awkward hookup and heartbreaking argument with her sister at a time. While Season 2 is the true high mark of Fleabag - as she falls for a forbidden man, the “Hot Priest” played by Andrew Scott - the first episode of Fleabag shows Waller-Bridge as the observational and hysterical tour de force she is.
Before Avengers: Infinity War, HBO’s gripping drama The Leftovers carefully considers what it means to be left behind. Emerging in a post-Lost TV landscape, The Leftovers (also by Lost’s Damon Lindelof) zeroes in on a suburban New York town in the aftermath of “The Departure,” a global incident in which two percent of the population suddenly vanished. Amid the rise of cults and ceaseless cynicism over what occurred - see the chilling ways pundits casually write off the Departure like it’s no big deal and insist pandemics are much deadlier,ahem- The Leftovers captivates in its first episode, illustrating how jarring it is to see how numb we become to things that should have destroyed us.
Never have we been so enthralled by a man standing in the desert in his undies. The first episode of the era-defining AMC hit Breaking Bad is a screenwriting masterclass in its introduction of terminally ill Walter White (a mesmerizing Bryan Cranston), a high school science teacher who resorts to illegal methamphetamine manufacturing to pay for his mounting hospital bills. Breaking Bad practically needs no introduction, being a singularly fantastic show, but the pilot is its own exhibition of deliberate writing marrying fine filmmaking to produce a first hour of TV unlike any other.
Emerging from creator Matthew Weiner out of his own study of mid-century American culture, Mad Men dazzles in its impeccable period setting that feels fresh with perspective. “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” introduces the world to Don Draper (Jon Hamm), a Byronic advertising executive who fights against the tide of his own irrelevance - his client is a cigarette brand in an era when lung cancer is becoming more understood - by knowing how to sell happiness. Like any piece of advertising, the truth is seen between the lines as the episode ends with the “twist”: Don is a married man with a family. The rest of Mad Men delights in exploring widespread change through the prism of ’60s America, but the pilot sets the bar high not just for itself but for all of television.
There has never been a show like Miami Vice before or since. “Brother’s Keeper,” the first episode of Michael Mann’s Miami Vice, permanently raised the bar for the television medium in its synthesis of different cinematic elements to create a singular atmosphere. Directed by Thomas Carter and written by Anthony Yerkovich, “Brother’s Keeper” contains all the things we fondly remember about Miami Vice, a show that manages to be cool and haunted at the same time. It’s just hard not to get swept away when detectives Crockett (Don Johnson) and Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) rip through downtown to meet a drug lord as Phil Collins' “In the Air Tonight” sets the mood. There have been a lot of great and ambitious pieces of television after Miami Vice, but when we think of what makes good TV, we think of Miami Vice.
Eric Francisco is a freelance entertainment journalist and graduate of Rutgers University. If a movie or TV show has superheroes, spaceships, kung fu, or John Cena, he’s your guy to make sense of it. A former senior writer at Inverse, his byline has also appeared at Vulture, The Daily Beast, Observer, and The Mary Sue. You can find him screaming at Devils hockey games or dodging enemy fire in Call of Duty: Warzone.
Horror sickos can wake up in Bill Skarsgard’s bed from Nosferatu with this full-size coffin prop that costs $25,000 - now that’s bang for your buck
Dune 2 director Denis Villeneuve has perfect response to Josh Brolin saying he will “quit acting” if the filmmaker isn’t nominated for an Oscar
Dune 2 director Denis Villeneuve says a Zendaya scene was the moment he knew the film was working: “I did that shot and knew I had a movie”
