19 TV Shows With Captivating Pilots That Drew Us In Immediately

It’s exhilarating when you begin a TV series and it hooks you right from the beginning. When a show has an exceptional pilot episode, it does not guarantee every future episode will be great, but it at least gives the series an excellent starting point. The greatest pilots captivate audiences and set things up for (hopefully) an amazing series.

1. Ozark (2017)

Any time a first episode ends with the murder of a main character’s best friend and threats to have their entire family murdered, it’s probably a pretty good start. Ozark hit the ground running, and it never slowed down.

2. Death Note (2006)

A student discovers a book that grants its readers the ability to kill anyone they want. What could possibly go wrong?

3. Breaking Bad (2008)

Generally speaking, high stakes, discomfort, and creativity are a great combination for any series opener, and Breaking Bad certainly fits the bill. The first episode saw nerdy chemistry teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) decide to become a meth dealer after getting a cancer diagnosis. This decision fueled one of the most critically acclaimed TV series of the 2000s and early 2010s — and it all started with the incredible first episode.

4. Suits (2011)

A big drug deal, a near-arrest, and some world-class lying are all part of the reason the Suits pilot is one of the best series openers ever. The pilot follows college dropout Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) as he gets a second chance at being a lawyer when he stumbles into a job interview in an attempt to evade authorities. He gets his shot, but he’ll have to rely on his wit and impressive memory to ensure people don’t discover his secret — he’s a lawyer without a law degree.

5. Lost (2004)

At the time, Lost’s inaugural episode was the most expensive pilot ever produced, estimated at nearly $15 million. That hefty price tag helped with the remarkable production value that showcased the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 on a mysterious remote island.

The show’s pilot is exceptional because it builds tension, creates mystery, and introduces multiple characters just enough that you already feel attached to them, most of all the main character, Dr. Jack Shephard. I’ve watched Lost’s pilot numerous times, and I’m thoroughly captivated every time.

6. The West Wing (1999)

The first episode of Aaron Sorkin’s high-stakes drama surrounding those who work in the White House and Washington D.C. introduces a series slightly different than the one we got. Initially, the series was meant to focus mainly on the characters played by Rob Lowe and Moira Kelly. At the same time, Martin Sheen’s President Bartlet was conceived as a minor role.

Still, the first episode sets the tone and introduces all the characters that make up this unforgettable ensemble. The story focuses on everyone dealing with the president’s cycling accident. Sheen is only in a few minutes of the episode but makes a lasting impression and solidifies this episode as one of the greats.

7. Cheers (1982)

The Boston bar “where everybody knows your name” has an excellent introduction. The Cheers pilot, titled “Give Me a Ring Sometime,” presents every colorful character and their varying personalities. These include the arrogant bar owner and former baseball pitcher Sam Malone, scrappy and tenacious waitress Carla, sweet and straightforward Coach, and pretentious Diane, who finds herself at a crossroads.

It takes excellent acting and a tight script to make an episode in one location entertaining. Cheers does just that in the first episode and much of the series. The pilot establishes the characters with hilarity and unexpected gravitas and sets up one of the finest “will they/won’t they” couples in television history.

8. Hill Street Blues (1981)

Hill Street Blues was a revolutionary show with one of the best pilots ever. The police drama is memorable in giving the audience a surprising twist at the end when we learn the police captain and district attorney, who had been arguing the entire episode, are romantically involved. Fans of the show loved the dialogue and characters. The first episode lit the match for a trailblazing series.

9. NCIS (2003)

This long-running series about the Naval Criminal Investigative Service starts with one of the most captivating pilots ever. Like a mini-movie, we start aboard Air Force One, where a Naval officer mysteriously collapses and dies. The thrill is on with lead NCIS investigators and a secret service agent trying to find the culprit and thwart future threats to the president.

The pilot episode is fast-moving and intriguing and establishes the tone of the widely popular series.

10. Alias (2001)

This spy thriller starring Jennifer Garner began its exciting and emotional run with the pilot entitled “Truth Be Told,” establishing what makes Sydney Bristow tick, all of her essential relationships, both new and old, and the turbulent nature of the series.

They are right on the money. Alias hooks you in instantly, showcasing that the series will be both enthralling and have a poignant central heartbeat because Sydney is a strong woman with a tremendous heart.

11. Timeless (2016)

This time travel series is an intelligent, edge-of-your-seat thriller from the first jump back in time. The Timeless pilot episode manages to flesh out the four main characters fully in only 42 minutes, tell an entire adventure in the past, and leave the viewer wanting more.

In the first episode, the “Time Team” travels to the crash of the Hindenburg, attempting to stop a renegade from changing history, thus establishing the show’s core premise. It’s fast-paced, funny, and poignant.

12. Pushing Daisies (2007)

This whimsical show is endlessly creative, with a beginning that is one for the books. With inspired narration by Jim Dale, we learn about Ned. He can bring dead things back to life, but only for one minute. This gifted piemaker uses this ability to solve crimes. But the true center of the first episode is when he brings his deceased childhood sweetheart back to life but can never touch her again.

Full of color, clever dialogue, and wonderfully varied characters, Pushing Daisies showcases an equally macabre and wholesome tone from the jump. The series is so creative that this first Emmy-winning episode is entitled “Pie-lette.”

13. Once Upon a Time (2011)

One of my all-time favorite shows is this fairy tale series set in the modern world — and that is due to the quality of the pilot episode, which flashes back and forth between the magical Enchanted Forest and the mysterious town of Storybrooke, Maine. It’s a show that captured my heart and imagination instantly.

We see a curse befall the land, while in the present, a precocious boy named Henry finds his birth mother, Emma Swan. He believes she is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. She is destined to break Storybrooke’s curse and awaken all the residents who have been frozen in time and don’t remember who they are.

This first episode is intriguing and moving, leaving us wholly enchanted and needing to know what happens next.

14. Mad Men (2007)

This riveting and provocative period drama set in the 1960s began with intrigue and surprises. The pilot primarily focuses on Don Draper, an ad executive at the fictional Sterling Cooper ad agency on Madison Avenue in Manhattan, New York. He’s charismatic, abrupt, drinks heavily, and is a notorious ladies’ man, which makes the end of the episode so fantastic.

15. Twin Peaks (1990)

This wonderfully weird series began grippingly, establishing its oddball characters and enigmatic tone. The pilot episode sets the stage for a surreal and mysterious murder investigation in a small town. The episode, directed by David Lynch, was praised for its unique atmosphere, unforgettable characters, and intriguing narrative.

16. Star Trek (1966)

The famous “Space: The Final Frontier” speech introduced every episode except for the two pilot episodes of this groundbreaking science-fiction series. The original Star Trek pilot episode goes down in history for its originality and creativity. Audiences had never seen anything quite like it on television.

17. Futurama (1999)

The first episode of Futurama set up numerous seasons and 150 episodes of this futuristic comedy show. We first meet our protagonist Fry in “Space Pilot 3000,” as he navigates his life in 1999 New York City. When delivering a pizza to a cryogenics lab, he accidentally freezes himself for the next millennium, finally regaining consciousness on New Year’s Eve 2999.

18. The Good Place (2016)

The entire first season of The Good Place is one viewers should go into with the least amount of information possible, but its pilot, “Everything Is Fine,” really sets up the show’s premise. We meet Eleanor as she’s told she’s dead and is now in “The Good Place,” instead of “The Bad Place.” While she’s happy to be in the better of the two, it takes her a short time to realize she shouldn’t be there.

19. Arrested Development (2003)

This comedy show about a dysfunctional family was launched in 2003 with the episode “Pilot.” Michael Bluth is determined to become the head of his family’s real estate development company but finds himself not getting the promotion he desires and his father is arrested for shady practices. The show explored the wild family dynamic for five seasons.