So my life got pretty crazy this last month. To make up for lost time, I will be posting one article every day for at least a few weeks. Please harass me if it looks like I will miss a day.
One might say this is a pilot article in a new series. Coincidentally, here are a bunch of my favorite TV show pilots (AKA first episodes).
Riverdale- Oh Riverdale, once so innocent, so pure. The first episode sets up a show hoping to subvert the classic teenage dramas whilst paying homage to the ultimate classic: Scooby-Doo. What is not to love? The mystery is genuinely interesting. The characters are unique and fascinating. Veronica, in particular, acts her ass off. Jughead is moody and foreboding. Betty is so totally relatable. And Archie is somehow a hot ginger? The soundtrack of Riverdale is probably one of the most underrated aspects as well. The theme is original and perfectly captures the mysterious tone. However, most importantly, this pilot got me hooked on Riverdale. I did give up about half a season later, but still. I wish the show could live up to the potential illustrated in this pilot. This episode is docked a few points for including a super outdated trope of teacher/ student relationships in high school.
911- I originally watched the premiere of this show with my mom because the two of us are obsessed with Connie Britton after having watched all of Nashville together. Now, I watch this show as an absurdist study. Everything about it is bonkers. It is the type of show where if you walk by someone watching it, you cannot help but sit down and join in. The scenarios the characters are put it just keep topping themselves in bizarreness and its starts right here in the first episode. One call has the firefighters pull a baby out of a drainpipe in a wall. This show is super underrated and gets bonus points for featuring many different kinds of first responders. I would get on my hands and knees and pray to Angela Bassett.
Freaks and Geeks- What more can be said about the lore of Freaks and Geeks? Every actor in it is perfectly cast and amazing in their roles. Every character is loveable and relatable in their own way. And, every adult in the show is amazingly cruel and funny. This first episode sets the perfect tone for one of the best shows ever made. It also speaks to the uncomfortability of high school, where people try to reinvent themselves in an environment that wants to box them into one stereotype. If you do not watch this show, you may just get pregnant and die.
Ted Lasso- Throughout the first episode, Ted’s relentless kindness and positivity surprises everyone he meets. I was also surprised by the infectious optimism of the show itself. I grew up watching “soccer” and understand that the sport can be cruel and the press can be vicious, especially in England. Seeing an actual positive presence in this space is refreshing and just so engaging. Moreover, the pilot is just incredibly funny without having any of the jokes be at the expense of another character on the show. The first episode establishes the motivations of all the characters and their relationships with each other, allowing Coach Lasso to come in and try his best to make a difference in the locker room. The first season of Ted Lasso is an amazing ride, with a brilliant pilot to start it off.
Erased- Imagine your quarantining with your friends from an unprecedented pandemic, scrolling through Netflix for the thirteenth night in the row, looking for something none of you have watched when you stumble across Erased. 24 hours later, we had finished the entire show. To be honest, I cannot remember what happens in the pilot of this show or other of any of the events due to the nature of the time-shifting storyline. I do remember not being able to turn off the TV. We had to physically stop ourselves from watching it all in one sitting only to finish it in two. The first episodes of this anime and incredibly engaging, and isn’t that all you can ask for in a pilot?
Taskmaster– I may be stretching the definition of a pilot with this one. Taskmaster is a British show where famous, mostly British comedians perform ridiculous tasks to earn worthless points at the will of Greg Davies, Taskmaster, and his assistant, Alex Horne. Taskmaster is also an absurdist, whimsical show which features a man almost dying from consuming too much watermelon off the floor in the pilot. The first episode sets the tone of the entire program brilliantly. More Americans should give this show a chance, for it is just about the most consistently funny thing on TV (despite the whole British-ness of it all).
Inuyasha– Perhaps a hot-take, but Inuyasha is underrated. This first episode is one of the best first episodes in anime, and it does not even include half the main characters (including my favorite character, Sesshomaru). But what it does include is the brilliant chemistry between Kagome and Inuyasha. Kagome is best girl. No arguments or other submissions will be considered. Her character is fierce, strong, loving, and just so powerful. It takes a special level of character to look badass as a damsel in distress as well as be capable of being the savior. Inuyasha is also perfect. He is mean enough to be offputting, but kind enough to be redeemable. The plot is unique and the animation is beautiful, especially for the era. I do not see how anyone starts this episode of Inuyasha and does not watch at least 10 more after. As Inuyasha and Kagome fall in love with each other, we fall in love with the well-written villains, character development, and intrigue planted throughout the show. Inuyasha holds a special place in my heart as my gateway anime.
Scrubs– I am going to be a medical doctor in four years. It’s not necessarily relevant to this review, but a really fun statement to write. This episode captures the anxiety that many people feel on their first days at a new doctor, which is similar to what anyone may feel starting a new job: unprepared. What this episode perhaps does most well, is establish a massive cast of characters in a very short amount of time. All the characters are loveable and distinct with their flaws and personalities completely understood by the writers and actors, with room for development and growth. The scene with JD and Elliot on the stairs is so spot on to medical culture, it almost hurts. And, it is funny. The bait and switch with the characterizations of Dr. Cox and Dr. Kelso is genius and a good lesson: sometimes it takes a full episode for the true protagonist and antagonist to reveal themselves. I have seen every episode of Scrubs at least three times, and this episode I’ve possibly watched ten times.
Friday Night Lights- This show did the impossible. It accomplished what many previous shows, including Riverdale, had tried and failed to do before: It made me care about high school football. One of my favorite pastimes is to make people watch this episode for the first time. At every turn, at every decision, the show completely subverts everything people think it will be. I wish I could watch it again for the first time. The characters are so well defined, even in just one episode. Importantly, the relationship between Coach Taylor and Tammy Taylor is shown to be strong, powerful, and built from a real place of trust. I do not want to spoil this episode if by some miracle you have not seen it yet, but just know that it is amazing. This episode of TV is better than any sports movie I’ve seen (except Remember the Titans which I have a soft spot for). The styling and directing of this show are completely unique for its time and defined an era of TV. Whether you like sports or not, whether you like TV or not, whether you like Texas or not, you owe it to yourself to watch this pilot. Trust me, you will end up watching the whole show right after. (Though, you can do yourself a favor and skip season 2).
