# Best TV pilot(s) of all time... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 18, 2011, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298 "2011-05-18T10:16:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298/21 "2011-05-18T15:39:55Z")
Maybe only as compared to the series, but the pilot for \*\*Fantasy Island \*\*had a creepy, insidious, ‘be careful what you wish for’ vibe. It had two fantasies going and in each of them someone ended up dead, although one was supposed to have been faked as part of the fantasy. Mr. Montalban does creepy well. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298/22 "2011-05-18T15:48:34Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > Not true about Twin Peaks though. It has a very real pilot that was **unreleased to the general public for years…** Not so: > [@Wikipedia](#): > > Twin Peaks’ pilot episode was first broadcast on April 8, 1990 on ABC, which led to another seven episodes being produced and a second season Some DVD versions of the pilot have an ending that was produced for international audiences, however. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298/23 "2011-05-18T15:51:14Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > **Hill Street Blues** – A new kind of cop show at the time, and\*\* the most influential show on TV\*\*. It upped the ante on characters, created a far more gritty and realistic scene, and started doing multiple plot lines and story arcs. The pilot was revolutionary for the time. _emphasis mine_ I personally can’t see where most, if any, drama or comedy’s can influence people. Entertain, yes. But influence, I’m just not getting it. Now that I think about it, I can see how _All in the Family_, may have had some influence on people’s perception of bigots. Or MASH may have influenced people’s opinions about the military. But how was Hill’s Street Blues the most influential show on TV? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298/24 "2011-05-18T15:53:56Z")
Omar - who said anything about influencing people? There are plenty of other things it can influence - in this case, other television shows. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298/25 "2011-05-18T15:56:38Z")
> [@awldune](#): > > Not so: > > Some DVD versions of the pilot have an ending that was produced for international audiences, however. You’re right, that’s what I get for going by memory. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298/26 "2011-05-18T15:58:53Z")
Definitely Twin Peaks and Northern Exposure. ---
**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:** [May 18, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298/27 "2011-05-18T16:01:02Z")
> [@](#): > > Not so: > > Quote: > Originally Posted by Wikipedia > Twin Peaks’ pilot episode was first broadcast on April 8, 1990 on ABC, which led to another seven episodes being produced and a second season > Some DVD versions of the pilot have an ending that was produced for international audiences, however. There’s something wrong with this. I was there, and watched the first episode of Twin Peaks. It clearly cried out for a second episode, and there was one the very next week. No way that lone episode broadcast on TV greenlighted the rest of the episodes – they were already in the can. By the way, you should say exactly where the cite comes from. It doesn’t seem to be in the Twin Peaks entry. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298/28 "2011-05-18T16:08:07Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > There’s something wrong with this. I was there, and watched the first episode of Twin Peaks. It clearly cried out for a second episode, and there was one the very next week. No way that lone episode broadcast on TV greenlighted the rest of the episodes – they were already in the can. > > By the way, you should say exactly where the cite comes from. It doesn’t seem to be in the Twin Peaks entry. Try this link. > **[Twin Peaks FAQ: TV Episode Questions](http://www.twinpeaks.org/faqeps.htm#e9)** It also explains a bit of my memory confusion. I conflated a couple of different events. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298/29 "2011-05-18T17:20:29Z")
It is my understanding that [Evil Roy Slade](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM7GSi7ZuIc) was originally a pilot but was never made into a series. Sort of a western/Police Squad with John Astin. One of the funniest god damn things I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298/30 "2011-05-18T17:24:07Z")
The pilot for **Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip** was totally engrossing and fantastic. The show, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298/31 "2011-05-18T17:36:23Z")
**The Killing** on AMC. It grabbed me immediately and sucked me in. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298/32 "2011-05-18T17:37:12Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Omar - who said anything about influencing people? There are plenty of other things it can influence - in this case, other television shows. Okay. So how did \*Hill Street Blues \*influence other TV shows? If you say it was an original police drama, I would say that \*Police Story \*was the precursor to _Hill Street Blues_. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298/33 "2011-05-18T17:41:53Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > The pilot for **Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip** was totally engrossing and fantastic. The show, not so much. Wow, I thought I was the only one who felt like this! The show was…not great . But the pilot, I felt, was really great. I also agree with Firefly. The pilot/first episode (whichever the pedants prefer) of The Walking Dead was good, I thought, but then I am an uncritical lover of zombie stuff. ---
**Author:** ![bmasters1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@bmasters1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmasters1)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298/34 "2011-05-18T17:43:15Z")
Another one of my favorites is that of “Marcus Welby, M.D.” from 1969 (a.k.a. “A Matter of Humanities”), in which it shows how the good doctor got Dr. Kiley, his partner in their Santa Monica practice. Welby had a heart attack, which meant he couldn’t do it all alone anymore, and thus he needed a partner to help share the load. Enter Dr. Steven Kiley. Kiley contracted for one year to pay for his brother’s medical school training, but after that one year, he could stay on or resume training in his specialty of neurology (I think you can guess which option Kiley chose). This one aired Wednesday, March 26, 1969 as an “ABC Movie of the Week,” and the series proper started that fall and ran a total of seven seasons to 1976, and I have the first two of those seasons on DVD. I wish that Shout! would release more; so far, it has lived up to its reputation as a classic, and I’d like to see all of it if possible. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298/35 "2011-05-18T17:58:38Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > There’s something wrong with this. I was there, and watched the first episode of Twin Peaks. It clearly cried out for a second episode, and there was one the very next week. No way that lone episode broadcast on TV greenlighted the rest of the episodes – they were already in the can. > > By the way, you should say exactly where the cite comes from. It doesn’t seem to be in the Twin Peaks entry. The Wiki quote was from the first paragraph of the main article: > **[Twin Peaks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_peaks)** > > Twin Peaks is an American surrealist mystery-horror drama television series created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. It premiered on ABC on April 8, 1990, and ran for two seasons until its cancellation in 1991. The show returned in 2017 for a third season on Showtime. > Set in the fictional Pacific Northwest town of Twin Peaks, the series follows an investigation led by FBI special agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) into the murder of local teenager Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee). The show's narrative... I guess the first season was picked up on the strength of the finished pilot without it being broadcasted first. IMDB lists the pilot as having aired the week before the first episode: > **[Twin Peaks (TV Series 1990–1991) - Episode list - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098936/episodes/)** > > Twin Peaks (TV Series 1990–1991) - Movies, TV, Celebs, and more... The pilot was two hours and aired on a different night than the first regular episode. ---
**Author:** ![bmasters1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@bmasters1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmasters1)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298/36 "2011-05-18T18:10:29Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > In network viewings, and most rerun packages, I think the pilot montage (considerably different from the regular series montage) was never shown again. It’s possible that some station somewhere aired the original pilot, but that would be a rare instance. Mostly, they would use the edited two-part format, which had the standard series montage and completely different credit lists. That’s why I said “from the DVD releases”: because CBS DVD’s release of the first season has the pilot as it originally aired on CBS, Friday, September 20, 1968 (it was a CBS Friday Night Movie then). The pilot as presented on that DVD release does have the original full-length opening theme. Best thing: no commercials! ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298/37 "2011-05-18T19:53:13Z")
I’ll add **Dead Like Me**. The pilot introduced and immediately killed off the main character. 🙂 It also set the “serio-quirkiness” mood for the series. Sigh. I miss that show and wish it had lasted longer. Along those same lines, I was very absorbed by the pilot of **Pushing Daisies**. Are you seeing a theme here? I guess I just like quirky, inventive shows. J. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298/38 "2011-05-18T20:00:20Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Okay. So how did \*Hill Street Blues \*influence other TV shows? If you say it was an original police drama, I would say that \*Police Story \*was the precursor to _Hill Street Blues_. The post you originally quoted already covered that. ---
**Author:** ![Jules\_Andre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jules_andre/32/9334_2.png) [@Jules\_Andre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jules_Andre)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298/39 "2011-05-18T20:53:15Z")
The first ten minutes of the first episode of **Lie to Me** are among the best television I’ve ever seen and do the best job of introducing the viewer to what the show is that I can remember. I was astonished. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298/40 "2011-05-18T21:20:59Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > _emphasis mine_ > > I personally can’t see where most, if any, drama or comedy’s can influence people. Entertain, yes. But influence, I’m just not getting it. It seems to me that when a work of art is called influential, it usually means that said work influences the way other artists make their art. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-pilot-s-of-all-time/582298.md?page=3)