39 Best Pilot Episodes Of All Time Which Built Quite A Foundation For The Series

Legendary series usually start with the best pilot episodes of all time. That first episode is always vital, as it sets up the world, its rules, and the characters that try to live by them. For this reason, the pilot can either make or break any promising series. It can launch them to greatness or crash them so horribly that critics will dissect every wrong detail. What separates the best pilot episodes from the mediocre ones is the story they are trying to set up and the characters that get introduced.

The pilot acts as the foundation of the series overall, and episodes have to work from it, adding to the story without diminishing the legacy. For this reason, the best TV pilots start the series with a bang. An RV lab driving on a New Mexico dirt road, with pants flying in the air - this is how Breaking Bad started its journey. However, pilot episodes are successful if they set up the characters themselves. Mad Men does this perfectly in the very first episode. We get introduced to Don Draper, a marketing executive, and quite the womanizer, who seems to live a double life. Since that episode, more layers have been added to Draper’s character, deepening his significance to the story.

HBO is not the only one to start their series with a bang. From Breaking Bad to Mad Men, everyone has their favorite pilots they are always eager to watch. Luckily, AskReddit is here to help us pick the best ones. User zzDreaDzz (most gamer username ever) asked a question in the group — “Which show has the best pilot episode?” People answered it, and we compiled their opinions in the list below. Upvote the pilots that you believe were the best. If you want to share your knowledge on the pilots and why they were good, do so in the comments below.

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The Good Place — "Everything Is Fine"

Michael sitting and talking from The Good Place Everything Is Fine

Booksmagic replied:
"The perfect pilot and the perfect finale. And also a pretty forking great middle to go with it."

amazon.com , Many_Tomatillo5060 Report

33points

39 Best Pilot Episodes Of All Time Which Built Quite A Foundation For The Series

The Good Place — "Everything Is Fine"

Stranger Things — "Chapter One: The Vanishing Of Will Byers"

Supernatural — "Pilot"

Fringe — "Pilot"

Lost — "Pilot (Part 1)"

Futurama — "Space Pilot 3000"

The Walking Dead — "Days Gone Bye"

Game Of Thrones — "Winter Is Coming"

It Crowd — "Yesterday's Jam"

Bob's Burgers — "Human Flesh"

Modern Family — "Pilot"

Breaking Bad — "Pilot"

Chernobyl — "1:23:45"

Scrubs — "My First Day"

ER — "24 Hours"

Community — "Pilot"

Black Mirror — "The National Anthem"

Six Feet Under — "Pilot"

Brooklyn Nine-Nine — "Pilot"

Derry Girls — "Episode 1"

True Detective — "The Long Bright Dark"

West Wing — "Pilot"

Twin Peaks — "Northwest Passage"

Battlestar Galactica — "33"

Mr. Robot — "Eps1.0_hellofriend.mov"

The Boys — "The Name Of The Game"

Psych — "Pilot"

Arrested Development — "Pilot"

Fargo — "The Crocodile's Dilemma"

Westworld — "The Original"

Ozark — "Sugarwood"

Newsroom — "We Just Decided To"

Justified — "Fire In The Hole"

Suits — "Pilot"

Invincible — "It's About Time"

Peep Show — "Warring Factions"

Mad Men — "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes"

The Chappelle Show — "Popcopy & Clayton Bigsby"

The Americans — "Pilot"

Games

Justina Čiapaitė

Justina Čiapaitė

Džiugas Ožekauskas

Džiugas Ožekauskas