It can be difficult for any new show to really pull in an audience, let alone keep one. Every show is competing for ratings or views in some way, and with the growth of premium streaming services, that competition just becomes fiercer with each passing year. So having that right first episode, or pilot episode, can really do a lot of lifting in drawing an audience in.
You might argue that binge culture has made pilot episodes more obsolete, especially with streamers releasing all episodes at once. Still, I would say that a great first episode can make or break a show, and some of the best I’ve seen set the standard for what’s possible.
Lost
Watch Lost on Netflix and Hulu
Say what you will about later seasons of Lost, or even its divisive finale, but that first two-part pilot is an example of near-perfect excellence. The opening chaos of Oceanic 815 crashing, and how we’re slowly introduced to central characters that will come to define the entire series. It’s all just non-stop suspense interspersed with great character work.
Given how character-driven a lot of Lost is, you realize on rewatches just how important it is for the pilot to work as well as it does. Without it, maybe Lost never becomes the pop culture obsession it was during its original airing.
The Walking Dead
Watch The Walking Dead on Netflix
Speaking of pilots that really helped shows become a pop culture phenomenon, The Walking Dead might just be the most surprising one on this list. Not only did it help launch what would become one of the most-viewed cable shows during its peak, but it also led to various successful spin-offs. The Walking Dead is a bona fide franchise.
But before all of that, The Walking Dead was a simple, riveting horror pilot centered on Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) awakening from a coma to discover the world had been overrun by zombies. While not an overly original premise, the episode is fueled by Lincoln’s performance and smart, empathetic writing. Plus, there’s a ton of great zombie scares. For me, while The Walking Dead remains a good show for a while, it never comes close to topping that pilot episode.
Arrested Development
Watch Arrested Development on Netflix
Talk about a pilot that shows us exactly what type of show we’ll be getting right from the start. Arrested Development showcases its dysfunctional characters well and is so self-assured in what kind of comedy it intends to go for. What makes Arrested Development so awesome, though, is that it truly does set up every single future event in the show in a way that feels like it was meticulously planned from the get-go.
From my experience of watching comedies, especially this, is a pretty rare occurrence. Most shows start slowly before becoming unforgettable experiences, but Arrested Development comes right out of the gate like that. Given how uneven the later Netflix seasons are, it’s amazing how much good came from this particular pilot episode. Plus, it’s a perfect show for when you’re too tired for another prestige drama series.
Twin Peaks
Watch Twin Peaks on Paramount+
The pilot for Twin Peaks introduces viewers to the strange, surrealistic world that we’ll come to know over the course of three seasons, and it does so perfectly. The 90-plus minute first episode takes its time introducing us to the widely diverse cast of characters that occupy the eponymous town before dropping its bombshell murder on us. It’s only then that we get introduced to Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan), who viewers will come to know and love.
It’s no wonder that Twin Peaks became such a ratings smash hit in those early episodes, despite its strangeness. The pilot builds so much momentum that really carries the series through the rest of the first season. The expanded second season might have its ups and downs, but it’s still incredible to me that such a knowingly weird series created by an auteur like David Lynch managed to capture so many people. And that pilot is a big reason why.
Heroes
Watch Heroes on Amazon Prime Video
I remember Heroes being truly unlike anything on television at the time. An ensemble series centered around regular, flawed people discovering they have superpowers, Heroes embraced its comic book inspirations in an endearing way that was hard not to love. The pilot episode, “Genesis,” does a lot of heavy lifting in introducing viewers to each character in a way that doesn’t feel rushed or overbearing.
Of course, Heroes is infamous for its steep decline in quality in later seasons, but that first season was nearly perfect, and I almost wish it had been a one-season show, given what we had to look forward to later. Regardless, the pilot episode and the first season in general are one of my favorite things to rewatch on a semi-regular basis. It all just works.
Good pilots can carry a show
It’s no surprise that some of my favorite pilots have led to some of my favorite shows. Odds are, if you nail that, you’re going to get a great show out of it. Not always, especially in the case of Heroes, but more often than not. So if you’ve missed any of these shows or pilots, I highly recommend searching them out. Of course, if you’re looking for some binge-worthy thrillers on Netflix, we have some options for you.
