What are some of the best pilots?

[Watashi]

Some of the best shows often have mediocre pilots and some mediocre shows often have terrific pilots. Sometimes all a TV show has is their pilot. What are some of the best ones that work as their own self-contained story?

My favorites:

The Shield
Friday Night Lights
Glee
Battlestar Galactica
Lost

[Adam]

The Freaks and Geeks pilot is probably my favorite Freaks and Geeks episode

[Lazlo]

Y'all stole pretty much every one I was going to say. Boardwalk Empire's pilot is really great, much better than the rest of the season ended up being.

[amberlita]

I'll second Glee and LOST. I'll add The West Wing and The Walking Dead. LOST really took it to another level though, imo. Nothing else compares to that one.

[Ezee E]

The Walking Dead was a great pilot. Kept me watching nearly the whole season hoping it'd return to that quality.

[ledfloyd]

i think treme had the best pilot i have ever seen. and i'm usually lukewarm on pilots. even of my favorite shows.

[elixir]

TWIN PEAKS.

[Thirdmango]

agreed with glee and walking dead.

[Derek]

The Freaks and Geeks pilot is probably my favorite Freaks and Geeks episode

Ew. It's good of course, but that's probably one of my least favorite episodes.


TWIN PEAKS.

Yes.

[Glass Co.]

Six Feet Under

[D_Davis]

Twin Peaks is not only a great pilot, but it is also one of Lynch's best films.

[ledfloyd]

TWIN PEAKS.
i hate myself for not thinking of this. probably because i think of it as a brilliant film.

[Adam]

By the by, David Lynch got a Best Direction in a Drama Series Emmy nomination for the Twin Peaks pilot. He wound up losing and the two winners (it was a tie, I guess?) in that category were Scott Winant for an episode of thirtysomething and Thomas Carter for an episode of Equal Justice

And how did I forget Heat Vision & Jack!?

WHvjcsELcjA

[Kurosawa Fan]

Deadwood

[Russ]

The pilot for David Lynch's short-lived sitcom, On the Air was amazing. It was the only one of the series that he directed.

You can watch the whole episode (in 4 parts) on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYef8OjlNBw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9m98PDPyIY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTAsjkq1Ifs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IsprVu2S0E

[Milky Joe]

Twin Peaks
Deadwood
John From Cincinnati
LOST
CarnivÃ*le
Arrested Development

[MadMan]

I'll add 24's plot to the list. It got me hooked immediately, and was really one of the best episodes in the show's run.

Oh and The X-Files had a great pilot, too. Set up the mythology, was creepy, laid down the Mulder and Scully dynamic, and was really important.

[Qrazy]

Y'all stole pretty much every one I was going to say. Boardwalk Empire's pilot is really great, much better than the rest of the season ended up being.

I feel the opposite. Boardwalk Empire went from being fairly rote to moderately unique and compelling minus the Shannon storyline which is stupid as hell.

[number8]

Battlestar Galactica

Which one? The first episode of the mini wasn't that great, actually, but if you're talking about "33," then hell yes.

[Watashi]

Which one? The first episode of the mini wasn't that great, actually, but if you're talking about "33," then hell yes.
Yeah, "33".

[Skitch]

Chuck Yeager?

Soooooooorry. :)