217 Comments
Mar 13, 2023Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon

#1 TV Pilot of ALL TIME: Heroes

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0813715/

Expand full comment
Mar 13, 2023Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon

I think the most engaged I've ever been with the first episode of a tv show was the interview intro to The Newsroom. The writing on that show was incredible...but I still need to watch the final season.

Expand full comment
Mar 13, 2023·edited Mar 13, 2023Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon

LOST, Six Feet Under, The Good Place, ER, and not the entire first episode but the end scene of The Magicians.

My friend asked me to pass on a question!

"Hey would you be willing to ask BKV if he and Fiona have ever considered making Saga Graphic Short Boxes? I know a lot of people here would love one for their run and by the time the series is done, the issues should just about fill one up."

She works at Alley Cat Comics in Andersonville, Chicago.

Expand full comment
Mar 13, 2023Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon

Six Feet Under. Which also nailed its final episode better than the vast majority of other shows.

Expand full comment
Mar 13, 2023·edited Mar 13, 2023Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon

Twin Peaks was pretty incredible. Something that paved the way for a lot of future “prestige TV.” Just enough suspense and mystery to captivate an entire country. “Who killed Laura Palmer?” I mean it roped you right it and just threw you into the wild ass mind of David Lynch. So damn good.

Recency bias says The Last of Us might end up in the conversation too. Just a phenomenal pilot and overall season of TV.

Expand full comment
founding
Mar 13, 2023Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon

Another vote here for Twin Peaks, with honorable mention to Arrested Development!

Expand full comment
Mar 13, 2023Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon

Dang, second comment here and already jealous of Shane's choice of Heroes (which is a damn good pilot).

I gotta say that while the Lost pilot is also fantastic, my vote has to go to Twin Peaks...especially considering the era when it came out. Great and daring TV is almost too easy to find now, but thirty plus years ago...wow.

Expand full comment
Mar 13, 2023Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon

sci fi show: Travelers (on Netflix) opens with a bunch of questions and fuckery

Expand full comment
founding
Mar 13, 2023Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon

Aww, I really wanted to see that guy get shot. Always next week.

And the pilot to Star Trek: The Next Generation - "Encounter at Farpoint", love it.

Expand full comment
Mar 13, 2023Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon

Galavant - I answered this to a previous question about cancelled shows but the pilot is so so funny, it hooks you in front the intro, giving you all you need to know to set the scene and let the hilarity unfold.

Expand full comment
founding
Mar 13, 2023Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon

Because I have to cheat, I have to give it up to two of my fav shows. The pilot for Patriot had me hooked in the first few min. I knew I needed all of the answers to what was happening & all of the weird characters & where they were headed.

For COMEDY, the pilot to Titus is absolutely stellar. You know EVERY character in the 20 min & it tells you exactly the wild show it would be. That show truly pushed what a sitcom could do. Helped so much in teenage years to see humor through family trauma.

Expand full comment
founding
Mar 13, 2023Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon

Ami first to mention Breaking Bad?

Brian Cranston understood the assignment day one.

It’s still an enthralling pilot episode to rewatch

Expand full comment
Mar 13, 2023Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon

Futurama was always a classic for me. It set the tone for the show, while having an engaging plot, characters, and setting.

Expand full comment
Mar 13, 2023Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon

The OC. It does everything a great pilot needs to do, plus it gave us one of the most memorable lines in television history: "Welcome to the OC, bitch."

Expand full comment
Mar 13, 2023Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon

The 2003 HBO premiere of Carnival. A special boy gets picked up by a traveling carnival during the dust bowl and has to prepare for an epic good vs evil battle with a evangelical preacher. Creative world building filled with magic and mystery supported by an outstanding cast of the best characters that no one really got to see because canceled it after season 2. Stupid HBO. Making dumb programming decisions for 20 years.

Expand full comment
Mar 13, 2023Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon

TWIN PEAKS!!!!

Sorry I was yelling but it's also the my favorite episode of TV and the one I have watched the most times (although The Contest from Seinfeld and Last Exit to Springfield from The Simpsons come in a close second). Also the pilot for Lost is up there. I like pilots that set up lots and lots of engaging characters trying to solve weird mysteries that may or may not have satisfying conclusions (see also Dark, Game of Thrones, Sopranos, 24).

Expand full comment