The mad rush to release new TV series continues before the Emmy submission window ends on May 31st, 2022. Despite the seismic shifts in television over the last 10 years, the best way for a new series to stand out remains the same: it is the pilot episode that makes or breaks a series.
A great pilot establishes the world of the show along with engaging characters and compelling conflict while also leaving plenty of room for growth and development. The following list reflects the most effective and memorable pilot episodes of the last decade.
Pose (2018)
When reflecting on the state of television over the last decade, it is hard to leave Ryan Murphy out of the conversation. By 2018, Murphy found success with two ongoing anthology series in American Horror Story and American Crime Story. With Pose, Murphy collaborated with Steven Canals and Brad Falchuk to explore the world of the 1980s ballroom scene.
The pilot episode of Pose functions like a movie in and of itself. It impressively introduces the underground ballroom scene through the characters of Blanca and Damien, while also establishing the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic and ’80s Wall Street culture. Pose quickly gained a powerful following and made headlines for becoming the first show on television featuring five trans women of color in leading roles, while also providing a great opportunity for Broadway actor Billy Porter to shine.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017)
Amy Sherman-Palladino’s first streaming series had a significant amount of hype behind it, especially given the television writer’s previous credits (Gilmore Girls, Bunheads, etc.). The hour-long comedy series, initially set in the late 1950s, follows Miriam “Midge” Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan), a newly divorced Jewish woman in New York City who pursues a career in stand-up comedy.
One of the most effective elements of this pilot episode is how the show establishes Midge’s gift for comedy before she even realizes it. The character’s fast-paced wit and knack for punchlines are established in the very first scene, making her journey throughout the series almost inevitable. Furthermore, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel excellently establishes the period and character dynamics while assembling some of the funniest actors on television, from Tony Shalhoub to Alex Borstein.
Barry (2018)
After Bill Hader’s successful run on Saturday Night Live and his hilarious turn in the first season of Documentary Now, the news that Hader was getting his own HBO show naturally sparked interest. No one could have predicted, however, that Hader’s next move would be a dark comedy about an assassin trying against all odds to leave a world of violence behind and instead pursue an acting career.
The pilot of Barry has the challenge of establishing and creating two worlds. The show finds success in its offbeat humor juxtaposed with sometimes shockingly gruesome violence. It is a fine line to walk, and it is crucial that the feat is achieved in the first episode so that audiences can have a sense of the tone and mood of the series moving forward. Barry is currently airing its third season, which has received even greater critical acclaim.
Mr. Robot (2015)
Sam Esmail’s psychological thriller, Mr. Robot, follows a reclusive hacker with social anxiety and depression who is recruited by an underground society to take down a large corporation. Although the series ended after four seasons, Mr. Robot is often credited for launching Rami Malek’s career and Christian Slater’s renaissance.
The pilot of Mr. Robot has an immersive filmmaking style, with a memorable score, effective voice-over narration, and cinematography that appropriately establish a stomach-churning tension within the protagonist’s journey. The effect is that the viewer is immediately drawn into uncovering details of the world and of its mysterious antihero. Malek’s performance is fully realized by episode one, and it is no wonder that he won an Emmy for the show’s first season.
Better Call Saul (2015)
Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould’s spinoff of Breaking Bad is the origin story, of sorts, of Bob Odenkirk’s Saul Goodman, the corrupt lawyer for Walter White (Bryan Cranston) in the original series. Set six years before Goodman meets White, Better Call Saul manages to tell its own story while integrating supporting players from the original series, like Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) and Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito).
With 6.9 million viewers tuning in, the pilot episode of Better Call Saul immediately broke records and became the most successful series premiere in cable history. The series has continued to maintain audience viewership and critical acclaim throughout its six seasons on television. In fact, Better Call Saul is in the midst of airing its sixth and final season now, which will be released in two parts. Part One concluded its run on May 23rd, while Part Two will begin on July 11th.
Killing Eve (2018)
Although the BBC America/AMC series came to quite the controversial end four seasons later, Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s pilot should not be forgotten, as it is a brilliantly crafted hour of television that sets up the ongoing central tension that propels the series. Killing Eve follows the relationship between British intelligence agent Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) and psychopathic assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer).
Killing Eve‘s pilot, titled “Nice Face,” perfectly encapsulates the origin of Eve’s fascination with Villanelle, an obsession that ranges from romantic to primal. It also heavily relies on Waller-Bridge’s signature ability to find humor in unlikely places and to allow that humor to fit into the genre of a psychological thriller. Although the final season of Killing Eve was not well received by critics or audiences, the beginning of the series showed immense promise.
The Handmaid’s Tale (2017)
Bruce Miller’s Hulu adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s prophetic novel takes no prisoners with its aesthetic. The Handmaid’s Tale refuses to be subtle in its brutal storytelling or singular visual palette. The dystopian drama series follows June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) as a woman forced into sexual slavery in a future totalitarian America.
The pilot takes its time with its world-building in a way that is ultimately unforgettable from a visual standpoint. The striking costumes, creepy aerial shots, and archaic language all contribute to the eerie and terrifying dystopian reality of Handmaid’s. Although many of the performances on the show have received praise, it is Moss’s performance that anchors the journey of the pilot – and the series as a whole – with her slightly sardonic narration and compelling facial expressions in recurring close-ups.
Succession (2018)
Jesse Armstrong’s acerbic and stylish HBO comedy-drama Succession was off to an immediately strong start with a pilot directed by Adam McKay. The saga follows the Murdoch-esque Roy family as Waystar Royco CEO Logan Roy (Brian Cox) considers which of his children will be his successor.
Succession has since become one of the most buzzed-about shows on television, but much of what makes the show so great is all there in the pilot, from the overlapping dialogue to the specific language of the camera movements. The show delights in the sudden transitions from darkly comedic moments to epic, semi-Shakespearean explosions of anger and tragedy. If it were not for the effectiveness of the pilot, this tone would be tough to follow in subsequent episodes.
Fleabag (2016)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s television version of her career-defining one-woman play is a masterful adaptation that leans into the cinematic and the episodic while retaining ties to its theatrical roots. Although it was the second season of Fleabag that resulted in mainstream success, the first season received critical acclaim as well.
Following a young woman’s struggle to come to terms with her own betrayal of her friend’s trust, Waller-Bridge brilliantly uses a conversational relationship with the camera as a narrative device that also thematically coheres with the arc of the character. The pilot episode establishes this relationship, while also providing just the right number of breadcrumbs about the character’s past to keep viewers engaged. Unlike other pilots, Fleabag‘s plot developments are almost entirely related to the character’s psyche, and yet it still feels gripping to watch.
Orange Is The New Black (2013)
Jenji Kohan’s Netflix series was one of the first successful Netflix originals. Orange Is the New Black was an unlikely hit, following Piper Chapman’s (Taylor Schilling) stay at a women’s prison in Litchfield, CT and her relationship with former girlfriend Alex Vause (Laura Prepon).
The pilot episode, titled “I Wasn’t Ready,” places the viewer in Piper’s shoes as she enters a world unknown to her. The audience meets the large ensemble of women as Piper meets them, and it makes for both effective world-building and well-disguised exposition. “I Wasn’t Ready” also gives the viewer a sense of what to expect structurally in each episode, as flashbacks to Piper’s past reveal the story behind her crime. This device became emblematic of the show’s commitment to showing a multitude of experiences and dimensions with regard to its female characters, thereby setting a new standard for episodic content to come.
