For every TV show out there, the pilot episode is absolutely crucial. It sets the tone for the rest of the show, and it has to pull viewers in enough to get them to keep watching. The particular requirements depend on the genre, whether it needs to get the audience attached to the characters, or pulled in by some mystery of the plot, in order to keep them hooked for the next episode.
There are some phenomenal pilot episodes out therethat rightfully get a lot of love, fromGame of ThronestoBreaking Bad. However, there are also some really great pilot episodes out there that do not get as much attention.These are either because the shows themselves are underrated, or because the pilots themselves tend to fly under the radar.These are 10 severely underrated pilot episodes that deserve more attention.
10’How I Met Your Father'
Season 1, Episode 1, “Pilot”
The pilot episode forHow I Met Your Mothergets a lot of attention, and for good reason. It executed a strong premise and ended with a huge twist. However,its spin-off series,How I Met Your Father, also had an incredibly strong pilot episode. Unlike the original show, it did not start with an established friendship group, and the episode showed how the group as a whole all met and came together.
What really cemented the pilot episode ofHow I Met Your Fatheras great, though, was the big twist at the end. The original show’s pilot plot twist was difficult to top, with Future Ted revealing at the end of the episode that the woman he met was the kids' Aunt Robin.However, theHow I Met Your Fatherpilot ended with a fantastic twist too, with future Sophie revealing that the father was a man she met that very night.
How I Met Your Father
Suitshas gained a lot of attention since it dropped on Netflix last year. The legal dramawas a fun and entertaining watch, with constant suspenseful story lines throughout its run. Its pilot does not get enough credit though, for just how creative and compelling it was. The episode proved that it was different from other legal dramas, by first setting up the environment of what was then called Pearson Hardman, and showing Harvey Specter’s talents, before then switching things up.
The introduction of Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) was done very well, as was the drug-deal-turned-interview that led to Harvey hiring Mike.TheSuitspilot was so great, because it set up the characters and the environment, while introducing a high-stakes secret, and a very unusual twist.It showed thatSuitswas something different, and it got fans hooked on the show from the start.
With its fifth season on the way, Netflix’sYouhas been a rollercoaster of a show, following stalker and serial killer Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) as he becomes fixated on different women.The show’s pilot was fantastic, because it really utilized the element of surprise.The pilot was very smart to introduce Joe as a normal guy, and to make it seem like he and Beck met by chance, and that this would just be a sweet love story.
The pilot episode ofYouwas so strong, because it set up Joe’s crimes, without outright having him cross that threshold onscreen yet. By the end of the episode, there was an unsettling feeling to the whole show, but Joe had only begun to show a little bit of his stalking.This was the perfect introduction to the show, having viewers gradually come to understand just how scary Joe was, after being lulled into a false sense of security.
Watch On Netflix
Season 1, Episode 1, “Chapter One: Make Your Mark”
Barrywas an incredibly inventive dark comedy series that followed the life of hitman turned actor, Barry Berkman (Bill Hader). The show would go on to have some very intense episodes, and the pilot episode was the perfect foundation for all that would come. It started out with Barry getting another hitman job, but then the episode showed that it was more than just a typical drama show, when Barry became interested in acting.
The pilot ofBarrytook a fantastic and weird premise, and established the tone of the show very well, as both scary and funny.Additionally, it set up Barry’s character incredibly well with the foreshadowing, and it did a good job of showing how Barry would have to learn to balance between these two worlds for the rest of the show.
6’Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23'
Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23was a severely underratedABC comedy showabout a once-innocent woman named June Colburn (Dreama Walker), and her semi-evil party girl roommate, Chloe (Krysten Ritter).The show had one of the best sitcom pilots of all time, because it did a phenomenal job of setting up the characters, the tone of the show, and the dynamic between June and Chloe.The episode showed June as an optimist starting her dream life in the city, only for it all to quickly fall apart.
Even better, June was able to turn her life around with a great new roommate, Chloe, who turned out to be scamming her. The best twist in the episode was that June was a great match for Chloe and was able to trick her back and push back at her. Additionally, the pilot built up to June finding her fiancé cheating on her with Chloe on her birthday cake, and June being grateful to Chloe for this. It was a huge risk, with flawless execution.
Don’t Trust The B—- in Apartment 23
5’The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'
The pilot episode ofThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselwas phenomenal for a number of reasons, primarily its expert writing and fantastic pacing. The episode started by setting up Midge Maisel’s (Rachel Brosnahan) life, showing her in a loving but strained marriage, doing her best to keep things running. When her husband, Joel, left her, Midge wound up getting drunk and taking to the stage at the local comedy club in an amazing scene.
This set in motion everything that was to come, fromMidge’s partnership with Susie, to her getting arrested and meeting Lenny.This episode was so great, because it effortlessly set up and destroyed Midge’s life in a way that felt organic.Additionally, viewers could feel the electricity when Midge was onstage, and it was easy to root for Midge and her comedy career from the beginning.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
4’The Society'
The Societywas an incrediblybold and fascinating teen dramathat looked at humanity through a group of isolated teens who had to start their own society from scratch. After coming back from a field trip early, a group of high schoolers arrive back in town, only to find out that everybody had disappeared. Seemingly abandoned, surrounded byt a dangerous forest and no communication to the outside world, they had to make do with their new society, while trying to figure out what happened. This all started in the show’s powerful pilot episode.
The pilot episode ofThe Societywas so great, because it started out like any other teen drama show, before then pulling a bait and switch. It was the perfect first episode twist to have the teens stuck with no one else around, forcing them into a situation where they would have to be in charge. Additionally, ending the episode with a character death was a fantastic way to heighten the stakes and set the tone for the show.
The Society
3’Jane the Virgin'
Season 1, Episode 1, “Chapter One”
From the very first minute of the pilot episode,Jane the Virginhad fans hooked. The telenovela satire always knew how to entertain, and its first episode went all out with high stakes and a wild twist.Jane Gloriana Villanueva’s (Gina Rodriguez) life was fully on track, until she was accidentally artificially inseminated…with the sperm of a hotel heir with dangerous family ties, who also happened to bethe first person she ever kissed.
All the outlandish twists and turns were balanced out by a hilarious narrator, making for a truly fantastic pilot episode. It set up the characters, the stakes, and the rules for this world, which was more dramatic than usual reality. Additionally, it left viewers with a million questions, both about Jane’s personal life and about the more serious happenings occurring at The Marbella.
Jane the Virgin
2’How To Get Away With Murder'
No drama on television knew how to keep fans on the edges of their seats quite likeHow to Get Away With Murderdid.From the first episode, it drew fans in with a flash-forward to four of the Keating Five dealing with the body of a person that they just killed.The episode then starts back to three months before, when they all met while takingAnnalise Keating’s (Viola Davis)class.
This was truly a phenomenal pilot episode. It introduced the characters and the main plot line and setting of the show, while also establishing multiple overarching murder mysteries.By the end of the episode, viewers were left wondering who killed Lila, and why the four students killed Annalise’s husband, Sam.Additionally, there were many secrets and fascinating dynamics that left fans wanting more.
How to Get Away With Murder
1’Pushing Daisies'
Season 1, Episode 1, “Pie-lette”
Criminally underrated and prematurely canceled,Pushing Daisiesnever reallygot its flowers. The procedural fairytale followed Ned (Lee Pace), a piemaker who can bring the dead back to life with one touch, but only for one minute without consequences. The pilot episode of the show is easily the most underrated TV pilot of all time. It works almost as a standalone movie, showing Ned reuniting with his childhood sweetheart, Chuck (Anna Friel) after she has died, to solve her murder.
Pushing Daisies' pilot was so great, because it used the Narrator to tie stories from the past into the present. It established the rules of this world and the aesthetic of it, as well as the characters and their histories. Additionally, the modern story line made for a compelling first episode with the mystery of who murdered Chuck.With more mysteries and secrets hanging over the show, it left viewers wanting to come back, for the plot, the characters, and the cozy setting.
