# Best television pilot **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 29, 2006, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-television-pilot/378306 "2006-10-29T04:40:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-television-pilot/378306/41 "2006-10-31T13:00:56Z")
**Ambush** : That’s one of the ones I referred to in my post above, and the best of the three attempts Roddenbery had at basically the same idea. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-television-pilot/378306/42 "2006-10-31T16:42:38Z")
Another vote for Twin Peaks. In my opinion the absolute gold standard for television. ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-television-pilot/378306/43 "2006-10-31T18:34:31Z")
A more obscure one: Anyone remember the early '90s sitcom [Flying Blind](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Blind) with Tea Leoni and Corey Parker? The series didn’t hold up – ended up as a typical screwball sitcom, repressed guy dates non-repressed woman – but the pilot was exceptional. I still remember the last shot 14 years later. ---
**Author:** ![Surbey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@Surbey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surbey)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-television-pilot/378306/44 "2006-10-31T19:31:05Z")
**Andy Richter Controls the Universe** although it never went anywhere, I laughed my butt off. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-television-pilot/378306/45 "2006-10-31T22:44:30Z")
**Twin Peaks** was possibly not just the best pilot but might have been better than any movie that came out that same year. I still remember the first line: “She’s dead. Wrapped in plastic.” ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2006, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-television-pilot/378306/46 "2006-11-01T03:20:02Z")
I don’t know about “best,” but the most memorable pilot for me was called [The World Beyond (1978)](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0235068/). It was to have been a series about a man who investigates paranormal things based on voices from the dead. It was actually the second of two pilots, but this is the one people remember, and it never actually made it to a series. You might not remember the title, but if you were a teen watching TV on January 21, 1978, you definitely remember that scary-ass “Mud Monster” that had an aversion to salt. ---
**Author:** ![Caridwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@Caridwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caridwen)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2006, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-television-pilot/378306/47 "2006-11-01T04:40:49Z")
The Shield Deadwood The Wire Alias Law & Order NYPD Blue Murder One- Pilot and first season were good. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2006, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-television-pilot/378306/48 "2006-11-01T04:56:58Z")
Agree with _The West Wing_ and _Firefly_. Another short-lived show that had a pilot that did a good job introducing its characters and setting up the series was _Dead Like Me_. In the sitcom category, I thought _NewsRadio_ and _Taxi_ established themselves very well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-television-pilot/378306.md?page=2)