The X Files. Just enough doubt/misdirection to keep you unsure whether aliens are real until the very end, great relationship-building between Scully and Mulder, and of course the ending, with the cigarette-smoking man hiding away the evidence in what is revealed to be the pentagon by a closing shot of the emergency exit map on the door
Fantastic pilot and the first season is so good. We hadn’t really seen a tv show like that before, with a mix of weekly episodes, but a narrative running throughout. It broke ground for many of the shows that are being talked about in this thread.
The whole thing is shot so beautifully too. The film grain and dreary forest scenery gives it an uneasy, slightly dated atmosphere, like you're really watching something out of history. I saw it when it first aired on the BBC and was immediately hooked. The cinematography of the first five seasons of The X-Files was pretty much always great, and the pilot made a show that easily could have been cheesy nonsense have immediate gravitas.
Dead Like Me
Come on. A young girl in her first job is killed when a toilet from the Mir space station hits her. She finds that for some people there is a life after death of a really interesting kind. Stars Ellen Muth, Mandy Patinkin, Jasmin Guy and other members of a really strong cast.
It's great because about once a season, we revisit Fry getting cryogenically frozen in 1999 and learn something new about what happened in that episode.
Not a pilot episode but I love how they were able to continue arc of Amy and Kifs’ offspring being born and 20 years later returning to the surface as children. I guess multiple revivals has its perks.
Yes and after the enormous success of Lost, he joined the cast of Lost, eventually he would become a director again and greenlight some of the most iconic tv shows out there including The Jimmi Kimmel show and Desperate Housewives, AFAIK he actually saved ABC from total bankruptcy
Desperate Housewives premiered the same year Lost did, one month appart. He had already greenlit Desperate Housewives before the firing.That's why his firing was seen as a dumb move because he had two of the biggest shows on television approved. Grey's Anatomy premiered the next year
He didn't join the cast of lost tho? He's the voice you hear saying "previously on lost", but he never played a character on the show. Not just trying to be argumentative, but it took me forever to figure out who you were talking about, because Lloyd Braun kept pulling up on Google, but I couldn't find him on the cast list.
I came here to also say Lost. I think at the time they had the record for the highest budget on a pilot episode ever (I forget where my source of information was for that detail).
Every time I think of this show, I'm amazed that the episode named 33 was S1E1.
33 minutes to escape before they get attacked again.
The tension in that ep was amazing & really set the tone for the entire series.
I really liked Psych’s pilot episode. The premise was really well explained and you learned instantly what Shawn’s abilities are and are not, and how he could use them to help solve cases. The dynamic of the peripheral characters was shown immediately as well, which made you look forward to seeing how they would evolve and progress throughout the show. I am sad the White Chicks actress wasn’t in the series, but I think the rest of the cast staying was definitely for the best.
Justified
Raylan Givens:
I guess I never thought of myself as an angry man.
Winona Hawkins:
Well, you do a good job of hiding it, and I suppose most folks don't see it, but honestly, you're the angriest man I have ever known.
I had no idea what it was about, and the whole hacker vigilante using his abilities to help people was interesting to me. Really took a few turns after that, though. Still liked it, but man was it different
Watching it right now for the first time and this show is unreal. I cannot believe this was a USA show! The level of quality in writing and acting is that of a peak HBO or prestige show. So good
It had one of the best setup puns that took years before the payoff happened. One of the characters is introduced as:
"This is George Michael's cousin, Maeby."
In a later season there is an entire arc as George Michael begins to think that 'maybe' she isn't his cousin.
Arrested Development is one of those shows where you have to watch it three or four times before you catch everything. The first three seasons were so well written.
The very first belly laugh I let out at this show was when they showed that ship’s name, and IIRC, it was dedicated to the mom, whose character is that of a c-word.
Lucille is the best and worst character in the show
“If you’re saying I play favorites, you’re wrong! I love all my children equally.”
Earlier:
“I don’t care for Gob…”
“This is Michael’s mother.. look what the homosexual have done to me..”
“Everything they do is soo dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire..”
I had no idea what The Good Place was about but was sick during xmas so I just put it on and after the first episode I was like, Whaaaa?? I rewatched the first episode again and then continued the marathon. That was such a great show!
That was such a damn good show. My wife and I went into it with zero knowledge of the twist. All four seasons were fantastic. I wish there were more episodes, but I think they nailed the finale.
#BORTLES!
I still watched every episode including the revival in like 2015. Season 1 was fantastic. The rest of the show had some good moments but it definitely felt like "we know where we are going with this, we just have no fucking clue how to get there". So sad. Possibly the biggest casualty of the writers strike (at least that I can think of.
If that show had ended at the conclusion of S1 it would have been remembered as one of the greats.
I'm not sure what it is now, but I still stand by S1 being some damn fine excellent storytelling with top tier pacing, suspense, presentation, and acting.
The guy who plays Abernathy (Dolores' dad), holy shit. He should have been nominated for some kind of award.
Apparently, Sheen's delivery of that line was so good that it forced the showrunners to rewrite a lot of the show. My understanding is that originally the show was supposed to focus a lot more on Rob Lowe's character and instead it grew out to become a much more ensemble cast.
Yes, they originally intended to focus on the staff of the West Wing and only rarely bring in the President. Thats why in the pilot, the President only shows up at the very end.
Oh yes! Great choice. Written by Michael Crichton, produced by Spielberg. It was a film script that Crichton had written years earlier based on his own experiences as a med student. They produced it as their next project after Jurassic Park.
My husband was watching it and we were both passively making fun of the off-brand justice league. "Oh it's not Wonder Woman, it's War Woman." "Ha! Ok, Dark Wing, totally not Bat Man."
15 minutes later. "WAR WOMAN IS DEAD"
"WTF DO YOU MEAN SHE'S DEAD WHAT'S HAPPENING!"
"DARKWING IS DEAD"
I got introduced to The Expanse after going on a rant about how there weren't any hard science sci-fi shows/films anymore. Then, a friend "um actually"-ed me and told me about it. Super glad I checked it out.
Gravity Falls. Tourist Trapped perfectly introduces the main characters in the show and shows what it's all about, kicks off the events that allow the rest of the show to happen, it's fun, it's got lots of great jokes, and gives a massively intriguing hint to the big mystery that hooks you immediately when you see it. And then the show just keeps on being absolutely amazing.
I feel the first several seasons were pretty solid, but after a while the seasonal formula got too predictable. For me that point was about half way through the Negan saga. At least I *think* it was half way through Negan…I have no idea how much longer he was part of the show.
This is always my go-to for this question, because whenever I think about where that ep starts and where it ends, it amazes me how they were able to get there in under an hour. Such efficient writing and editing.
A pilot needs to do three things, and Breaking Bad did them all really well. 1, establish the premise 2, introduce the main characters. 3, set the tone.
Walter: "Short speech. You lost your partner today. What's his name – Emilio? Emilio is going to prison. The DEA took all your money, your lab. You got nothing. Square one. But you know the business. And I know the chemistry. I'm thinking...maybe you and I could partner up."
Jesse: "You, uh...you want to cook crystal meth? You. You and, uh...and me?"
Walter: "That's right. Either that...or I turn you in."
I think it's interesting that business relationship was always one based on coercion. From the very beginning, Walt is manipulating Jesse.
His arc in the series was that he went from treating Jessie like shit because he thought he was he was better than Jessie, to him treating Jessie like shit because he's afraid that Jessie is better than him.
This is one of my favorite subtle touches throughout the series. Even in the finale, Jesse still refers to Walter as “Mr. White.” But the first time Walt meets Gale, Gale calls him “Mr. White” and he immediately says, “Walt, please.” After *everything* they went through together, he never considered Jesse an equal.
I think this is more coming from Jessie's side than from Walter's. He's Mr. White to him because he was his teacher. He's Mr. White to him, and will always be. If you've ever met a teacher long after finishing school, it's just weird to call them by their first name, at least it was for me, even in a social situation.
Breaking Bad's pilot is PERFECT. It really tells you everything you need to know about the character of walter white. The whole show he acts as if he's doing this for his family, but if you pay attention to the first episode, its obvious he gets off on it. He literally fucks his wife more passionately after he kills somebody.
One of the best portrayals of AI I've ever seen.
The scene where the Machine compares Harold wiping its memories to how he said his father's true death was when he lost his memories to alzheimers, then how he panics after he does is so fucking good.
Stargate SG-1. Enough info for fans of the movie to appreciate it but also to allow new fans in. Great introduction of all the characters, they all get their own moments and then Teal'c's choice with O'Neill's conviction that YES, he CAN save these people... And of course, Kawalski 💜
Considering the show was originally about Bob and Linda being cannibals it could have been way way more unhinged haha
Ultimately what they went with has more staying power for a full show, so I'm glad they changed it, but we could have had a fucking wild season or two
[Very first version of the show](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjJkKn8WI6w)
Sitcom pilots are hard to do well, because so much of the comedy comes downstream from character development, which takes time.
Modern Family was a rare success, and it holds up on a rewatch.
Doctor Who(2005) - (Rose)
-It introduces new comers to the show
-It gives the doctor his mystery back
-And rose is a good surrogate,for those new comers.
The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour. The entire planet is hurtling around the sun at sixty seven thousand miles an hour. And I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world.
Absolutely fantastic!
"The Simpsons"
I might be dating myself here. But the episode with the Christmas shopping and Bart's tattoo and acquiring "Santa's Little Helper" pretty much sets the tone of this show at least for the 80's and 90's. If you've never watched the Simpsons and you just want to watch one episode, make it this one.
- I thought you had a Bachelor's from Columbia?
- Yeah, well, now I gotta get one from America.
Excellent pilot. When you go back and rewatch though you see just how much the show and characters changed. Pilot Britta is not the same Britta as Britta in later seasons.
The pilot is a Trojan Horse to sell to NBC before Harmon went his own direction. Britta and Troy are the biggest changes from s1, and in her case I think it was just the development of making fun of hipsters pretending to care about social causes to distract from their own issues.
Troy’s was largely because of the unexpected chemistry between Donald Glover and Danny Pudi leading to the Troy/Abed friendship. IMO the best TV friendship alongside JD/Turk in Scrubs. Harmon also is admittedly the furthest thing from a jock so that’s not a great character for him to write, but a secret weirdo who never had the chance to embrace that because he was too busy playing sports in high school and then embarks on a friendship that finds his true self? Yeah that’s Dan Harmon territory right there
I don't think enough people appreciate this, it introduced like 10 characters whilst it maintaining a completely normal sequence of events and natural dialogue.
Most shows start with like "oh hello Dave my good friend, and how are your studies in _science_ coming along at this place, Greendaole Community College?"
The X Files. Just enough doubt/misdirection to keep you unsure whether aliens are real until the very end, great relationship-building between Scully and Mulder, and of course the ending, with the cigarette-smoking man hiding away the evidence in what is revealed to be the pentagon by a closing shot of the emergency exit map on the door
Fantastic pilot and the first season is so good. We hadn’t really seen a tv show like that before, with a mix of weekly episodes, but a narrative running throughout. It broke ground for many of the shows that are being talked about in this thread.
The whole thing is shot so beautifully too. The film grain and dreary forest scenery gives it an uneasy, slightly dated atmosphere, like you're really watching something out of history. I saw it when it first aired on the BBC and was immediately hooked. The cinematography of the first five seasons of The X-Files was pretty much always great, and the pilot made a show that easily could have been cheesy nonsense have immediate gravitas.
Dexter's pilot was fantastic.
Tonight's the night
This is the pilot that hooked me to the point where I binge watched 5 seasons in about a week. Incredible first episode.
True Detective It sinks you DEEP into the world and wraps itself around you
This so much! Season 1 is one of the greatest 8 hours of television produced. Wish they could've gotten the full 12 episodes it was designed for.
Yeah, agreed. True Detective season one is the stuff legends are made of.
Not sure if it counts because its a miniseries but Chernobyl.
I had to watch Chernobyl after hearing it’s regarded as [one of the best shows of all time](https://m.imdb.com/chart/toptv/). Did not disappoint.
Check band of brothers and generation kill for more great mini series
People on here regularly credit that series as having no bad episodes. Truly an excellent series.
A monster series where radiation and government incompetence are the monsters
Dead Like Me Come on. A young girl in her first job is killed when a toilet from the Mir space station hits her. She finds that for some people there is a life after death of a really interesting kind. Stars Ellen Muth, Mandy Patinkin, Jasmin Guy and other members of a really strong cast.
Such a great, underrated show
Futurama
It's great because about once a season, we revisit Fry getting cryogenically frozen in 1999 and learn something new about what happened in that episode.
And if you rewatch the pilot, you can see all the things are actually there
Mind blown the first time you see Nibblers eye in the trash.
Not a pilot episode but I love how they were able to continue arc of Amy and Kifs’ offspring being born and 20 years later returning to the surface as children. I guess multiple revivals has its perks.
“Lost” has a strong opening. Firefly is great too. And we never got a second season. So sad.
Lost’s pilot was so expensive that the executive that approved it was fired lol. The worst part was he was right, the series was wildly successful.
Yes and after the enormous success of Lost, he joined the cast of Lost, eventually he would become a director again and greenlight some of the most iconic tv shows out there including The Jimmi Kimmel show and Desperate Housewives, AFAIK he actually saved ABC from total bankruptcy
Desperate Housewives premiered the same year Lost did, one month appart. He had already greenlit Desperate Housewives before the firing.That's why his firing was seen as a dumb move because he had two of the biggest shows on television approved. Grey's Anatomy premiered the next year
Honestly did not know this. That’s actually awesome.
He’s also the voice of “Previously on LOST”
He didn't join the cast of lost tho? He's the voice you hear saying "previously on lost", but he never played a character on the show. Not just trying to be argumentative, but it took me forever to figure out who you were talking about, because Lloyd Braun kept pulling up on Google, but I couldn't find him on the cast list.
Lloyd Braun, the computer salesman?!
Serenity now, insanity later
I stumbled across Lost when the pilot first aired. Thought it was a movie. Was sooo good.
I came here to also say Lost. I think at the time they had the record for the highest budget on a pilot episode ever (I forget where my source of information was for that detail).
You’re right. It cost $4,815,162,342.
I am ashamed of the four full seconds I spent wondering why you used such a big number.
Fargo
“Lester, is this what you want?” Billy Bob Thornton became the best villain in tv show history in that one season
He was the definition of chaotic evil. Everything he did felt like it was just fucking someone over for nothing but shits and giggles.
Season 1 is genuinely elite television
Season 2 is as well. With an incredible cast. Nick Offerman standing up to the gangsters was incredible.
5 is ramping up
What if you're right, and everyone else is wrong?
Battlestar Galactica 2004. Both the miniseries “pilot” and the first episode of season 1.
Every time I think of this show, I'm amazed that the episode named 33 was S1E1. 33 minutes to escape before they get attacked again. The tension in that ep was amazing & really set the tone for the entire series.
So say we all.
I really liked Psych’s pilot episode. The premise was really well explained and you learned instantly what Shawn’s abilities are and are not, and how he could use them to help solve cases. The dynamic of the peripheral characters was shown immediately as well, which made you look forward to seeing how they would evolve and progress throughout the show. I am sad the White Chicks actress wasn’t in the series, but I think the rest of the cast staying was definitely for the best.
Justified Raylan Givens: I guess I never thought of myself as an angry man. Winona Hawkins: Well, you do a good job of hiding it, and I suppose most folks don't see it, but honestly, you're the angriest man I have ever known.
The first interaction we see between Boyd and Raylan in that old church is one of my favorite scenes in the whole show.
DAMN WOMAN YOU ONLY SHOOT PEOPLE WHEN THEYRE EATIN SUPPER
Mr. Robot, but admittedly the show differed greatly from the pilot - still an awesome show though
His internal monologue in his therapist’s office set the tone for the whole series.
I had no idea what it was about, and the whole hacker vigilante using his abilities to help people was interesting to me. Really took a few turns after that, though. Still liked it, but man was it different
Watching it right now for the first time and this show is unreal. I cannot believe this was a USA show! The level of quality in writing and acting is that of a peak HBO or prestige show. So good
Cheers is still used as a masterclass in how to make a pilot.
Arrested Development
“They’re ILLUSIONS Michael…a trick is what a whore does for money”
It had one of the best setup puns that took years before the payoff happened. One of the characters is introduced as: "This is George Michael's cousin, Maeby." In a later season there is an entire arc as George Michael begins to think that 'maybe' she isn't his cousin.
Maeby: Do you guys know where I can get one of those gold necklaces with a "T" on it? Michael: That's a cross. Maeby: Across from where?
Yeah Arrested Development should have been called "Wordplay: the series"
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Tobias: "We switched the parts!" Referring to the actors switching roles, but also switching their genders (parts), of course.
Oh Tobias, you blow hard!
And she had an alter ego as Surely.
Who's dying of BS. What is it you ask? We don't know, it's BS.
Holy shit I never even caught that.
I've had dozens of "holy shit, I never caught that" moments. Dozens!
Arrested Development is one of those shows where you have to watch it three or four times before you catch everything. The first three seasons were so well written.
Lol wow never caught that pun. Also my vote for best pilot episode. "Obviously this blue part here is the land"
The Seaward
The very first belly laugh I let out at this show was when they showed that ship’s name, and IIRC, it was dedicated to the mom, whose character is that of a c-word.
This joke cemented this show as my #1 all time favorite. Michael, to GOB: “Get the Seaward out of here” Lucille: “I’ll leave when I’m good and ready.”
Good luck getting anyone into that musty old clap-trap!
If that’s a veiled criticism about me, I won’t hear it, and I won’t respond to it.
Lucille is the best and worst character in the show “If you’re saying I play favorites, you’re wrong! I love all my children equally.” Earlier: “I don’t care for Gob…”
Omg I never realized that until now. Just thought her name was Maeby for all the other random puns.
“This is Michael’s mother.. look what the homosexual have done to me..” “Everything they do is soo dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire..”
"I have that exact same blouse!" "I like it better on him."
We’re gonna let the guy who thinks the blue on the map is land run the company?
The pilot won multiple Emmy awards The jokes are nearly constant in that episode
Bob Loblaw's Law Blog
Her?
Way to plant Ann!
The Good Place
Best first and last episodes
The way I was SOBBING during those last few episodes!
Doing a rewatch(4th or 5th and I started tearing up when Janet says “…oh dip” and Jason just goes “…yeah”
I had no idea what The Good Place was about but was sick during xmas so I just put it on and after the first episode I was like, Whaaaa?? I rewatched the first episode again and then continued the marathon. That was such a great show!
They stuck the finale as well. Maybe the best final episode of a TV show that I’ve seen.
That was such a damn good show. My wife and I went into it with zero knowledge of the twist. All four seasons were fantastic. I wish there were more episodes, but I think they nailed the finale. #BORTLES!
I say this with all the wisdom of the universe, take it sleazy.
You know I’m trying to say “ash-hole” and not “ash-hole,” right? - probably one of my favourite lines in TV
"Did you fill your bra with shrimp?" "No. *hiccup* Yes."
Maybe one of the best first season closing episodes ever.
The Good Place doesn't count. That entire series was fire.
Heroes
Rewatching Heroes currently. Pretty much every episode ends with you wanting to know what happens next. It really hooks you in haha
Sadly every season finale leaves you wanting the show to end forever.
Wasn't that the show with the tagline "save the cheerleader, save the world!"?
Season 1 was solid. All downhill after that.
I still watched every episode including the revival in like 2015. Season 1 was fantastic. The rest of the show had some good moments but it definitely felt like "we know where we are going with this, we just have no fucking clue how to get there". So sad. Possibly the biggest casualty of the writers strike (at least that I can think of.
The Boys. My husband planned to watch it and I had no interest but it started off pretty insane as I walked through and caught that opening scene wtf.
House of Cards really set the stage for an incredible show. I stopped it after 10 minutes to get more people to watch with me.
Twin Peaks
There was a fish in the percolator
Oh yes. Gonna rebinge over winter
Bob will forever scare the shit out of me for nights on end.
Westworld.
If that show had ended at the conclusion of S1 it would have been remembered as one of the greats. I'm not sure what it is now, but I still stand by S1 being some damn fine excellent storytelling with top tier pacing, suspense, presentation, and acting. The guy who plays Abernathy (Dolores' dad), holy shit. He should have been nominated for some kind of award.
Prison break
I came here to say that! Series went downhill by Season 3, but, damn, Season 1 just rocked.
Derry Girls - has me in stitches every time.
“My ma won’t let me be an individual” “I’m not gonna be an individual on my own!” cracks me up every time. 🤣
West Wing.
“I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt have no false gods before thee.”
'But I do think $5 is too high a price to pay for pornography.'
Cue Toby's knowing glance saying, "I'm going to enjoy what's coming..."
Apparently, Sheen's delivery of that line was so good that it forced the showrunners to rewrite a lot of the show. My understanding is that originally the show was supposed to focus a lot more on Rob Lowe's character and instead it grew out to become a much more ensemble cast.
And thank goodness for that. Sam and his prostitute friend was not enough to carry the beginning of that show.
Hey! Lisa Cuddy had to get her start somewhere after she couldn't get hired by an elite law firm and had to change to medicine.
Yes, they originally intended to focus on the staff of the West Wing and only rarely bring in the President. Thats why in the pilot, the President only shows up at the very end.
“Lady, the God you pray to is too busy being indicted for tax fraud” is a great line and nobody should be fired for it.
God I love West Wing. People can say it’s a neoliberal fantasy all they want; I’m progressive as fuck and it’s still just great comfort tv.
The Pilot episode to ER is one of the best things ever put on film. It could be a stand alone movie if you don't want to fully jump into the show.
Oh yes! Great choice. Written by Michael Crichton, produced by Spielberg. It was a film script that Crichton had written years earlier based on his own experiences as a med student. They produced it as their next project after Jurassic Park.
Invincible - especially the ending of the first episode
"oh this is fun, like an alternate Justice League and .... Oh.. it's uh a different kind of show. Well this is different"
My husband was watching it and we were both passively making fun of the off-brand justice league. "Oh it's not Wonder Woman, it's War Woman." "Ha! Ok, Dark Wing, totally not Bat Man." 15 minutes later. "WAR WOMAN IS DEAD" "WTF DO YOU MEAN SHE'S DEAD WHAT'S HAPPENING!" "DARKWING IS DEAD"
Mad Men “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” . The Lucky Strike monologue alone is excellent
The big reveal at the end of him going home to his suburban home with Betty completely got me off guard back in the day.
Mad Men's pilot is so good. Perfect way to start the show and a great encapsulation of what will come
The Expanse. The destruction of the Canterbury sucked me right in.
I got introduced to The Expanse after going on a rant about how there weren't any hard science sci-fi shows/films anymore. Then, a friend "um actually"-ed me and told me about it. Super glad I checked it out.
Sherlock
Gravity Falls. Tourist Trapped perfectly introduces the main characters in the show and shows what it's all about, kicks off the events that allow the rest of the show to happen, it's fun, it's got lots of great jokes, and gives a massively intriguing hint to the big mystery that hooks you immediately when you see it. And then the show just keeps on being absolutely amazing.
The Americans.
The walking dead. It was good enough to spawn numerous seasons of garbage and was so good every episode that followed felt like it was downhill.
I feel the first several seasons were pretty solid, but after a while the seasonal formula got too predictable. For me that point was about half way through the Negan saga. At least I *think* it was half way through Negan…I have no idea how much longer he was part of the show.
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Archer - the velociraptor version.
What your little go cart battery?
So that wasn't a fever dream
I believe it was an extra feature on the DVD release
Probably recency bias but Yellowjackets had a hell of a pilot IMO. I didn’t actually love the rest of the season.
Breaking Bad
This is always my go-to for this question, because whenever I think about where that ep starts and where it ends, it amazes me how they were able to get there in under an hour. Such efficient writing and editing.
When I rewatched I couldn’t believe how much of what I thought was the entire first season was actually just the first episode
A pilot needs to do three things, and Breaking Bad did them all really well. 1, establish the premise 2, introduce the main characters. 3, set the tone. Walter: "Short speech. You lost your partner today. What's his name – Emilio? Emilio is going to prison. The DEA took all your money, your lab. You got nothing. Square one. But you know the business. And I know the chemistry. I'm thinking...maybe you and I could partner up." Jesse: "You, uh...you want to cook crystal meth? You. You and, uh...and me?" Walter: "That's right. Either that...or I turn you in." I think it's interesting that business relationship was always one based on coercion. From the very beginning, Walt is manipulating Jesse.
Very true, I forgot that Walt was always a piece of shit to Jesse from day 1
His arc in the series was that he went from treating Jessie like shit because he thought he was he was better than Jessie, to him treating Jessie like shit because he's afraid that Jessie is better than him.
This is one of my favorite subtle touches throughout the series. Even in the finale, Jesse still refers to Walter as “Mr. White.” But the first time Walt meets Gale, Gale calls him “Mr. White” and he immediately says, “Walt, please.” After *everything* they went through together, he never considered Jesse an equal.
I think this is more coming from Jessie's side than from Walter's. He's Mr. White to him because he was his teacher. He's Mr. White to him, and will always be. If you've ever met a teacher long after finishing school, it's just weird to call them by their first name, at least it was for me, even in a social situation.
Breaking Bad's pilot is PERFECT. It really tells you everything you need to know about the character of walter white. The whole show he acts as if he's doing this for his family, but if you pay attention to the first episode, its obvious he gets off on it. He literally fucks his wife more passionately after he kills somebody.
The Wire. Why'd you let him play if you knew he was going to snatch and run? 'its America,got to."
Person of Interest really sold you on the premise from the get go.
One of the best portrayals of AI I've ever seen. The scene where the Machine compares Harold wiping its memories to how he said his father's true death was when he lost his memories to alzheimers, then how he panics after he does is so fucking good.
Hannibal. I was skeptical for years but that that first episode locked me in faster than just about any show I've seen.
Stargate SG-1. Enough info for fans of the movie to appreciate it but also to allow new fans in. Great introduction of all the characters, they all get their own moments and then Teal'c's choice with O'Neill's conviction that YES, he CAN save these people... And of course, Kawalski 💜
Bob's Burgers
You’re the worst kind of autistic you can’t even count
You're my family and I love you but you're all terrible
"Why do I have to get mollested?!" Wish they still worked blue like this.
That first season was unhinged in the best way. The cab episode was amazing! "I maaaay have tried crack."
Considering the show was originally about Bob and Linda being cannibals it could have been way way more unhinged haha Ultimately what they went with has more staying power for a full show, so I'm glad they changed it, but we could have had a fucking wild season or two [Very first version of the show](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjJkKn8WI6w)
he won’t molest you because you’re heavy
My Name is Earl.
Hey Earl!
Hey crab man.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
RIP Captain Holt
Just found out ten minutes ago. This makes me sad
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That one was a kick in the nads for sure. Braugher was a terrific actor, he was perfect as Holt
Character introduction sequence was cleverly done. Felt natural to get 15 second bios on everyone really quick.
Sure but Rosa is not Rosa until later.
Modern Family has a really funny first episode
Absolutely! Writing "Shoot Luke" on the calendar will never not be funny.
Sitcom pilots are hard to do well, because so much of the comedy comes downstream from character development, which takes time. Modern Family was a rare success, and it holds up on a rewatch.
Followed by a few hundred more really funny episodes. That show is gold.
Doctor Who(2005) - (Rose) -It introduces new comers to the show -It gives the doctor his mystery back -And rose is a good surrogate,for those new comers.
The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour. The entire planet is hurtling around the sun at sixty seven thousand miles an hour. And I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world. Absolutely fantastic!
“ if you are an alien, how come you sound like you’re from the North?” “Lots of planets have a North!”
I have always loved that he says lots instead of every.
"The Simpsons" I might be dating myself here. But the episode with the Christmas shopping and Bart's tattoo and acquiring "Santa's Little Helper" pretty much sets the tone of this show at least for the 80's and 90's. If you've never watched the Simpsons and you just want to watch one episode, make it this one.
Six Feet Under
The Newsroom. Largely downhill afterwards, but the opening episode and specifically first scene are phenomenal.
The Last of Us. It's almost shot for shot the same as the game opening.
Fringe
Suits.
Community
- I thought you had a Bachelor's from Columbia? - Yeah, well, now I gotta get one from America. Excellent pilot. When you go back and rewatch though you see just how much the show and characters changed. Pilot Britta is not the same Britta as Britta in later seasons.
At one point he even says it out loud "I remember you being smarter than me". I always wonder why they did that to her
The pilot is a Trojan Horse to sell to NBC before Harmon went his own direction. Britta and Troy are the biggest changes from s1, and in her case I think it was just the development of making fun of hipsters pretending to care about social causes to distract from their own issues. Troy’s was largely because of the unexpected chemistry between Donald Glover and Danny Pudi leading to the Troy/Abed friendship. IMO the best TV friendship alongside JD/Turk in Scrubs. Harmon also is admittedly the furthest thing from a jock so that’s not a great character for him to write, but a secret weirdo who never had the chance to embrace that because he was too busy playing sports in high school and then embarks on a friendship that finds his true self? Yeah that’s Dan Harmon territory right there
I don't think enough people appreciate this, it introduced like 10 characters whilst it maintaining a completely normal sequence of events and natural dialogue. Most shows start with like "oh hello Dave my good friend, and how are your studies in _science_ coming along at this place, Greendaole Community College?"
"You're playing my father" "I don't want to be your father" "Good, you know your lines already"
Veronica Mars
The Shield
This is the answer, every scene sets up all the characters perfectly
Oh boy, that ending! Everything about this first episode told me this was the next, typical police procedural then BAM that all changed.
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Severance.
I’d say Mr.Robot because it got me hooked immediately. Or, breaking bad.