First Impressions Mission Statement

How many times have you watched the first episode of a TV series, said "No, I don't like that" and decided not to continue with it. I know I've done it myself, only to later hear people raving about how brilliant the series in question is and wonder if I was a little hasty. After all, an opening episode has a hell of a lot of work it has to do. Not only does it have to engage us with its story and characters, it has to introduce us to those characters, their surroundings, their relationships with each other. If it's a comedy, it has to make us laugh with lines and situations that also define the characters enough to pique our interest in them. Often a storyline needs to build up to its most arresting moments in order to achieve the full impact but this relies on audiences being willing to come back for more so you have to give them something to grab onto right away.

TV pilot episodes must be a nightmare to write but they can be tough to watch too. A great pilot is able to comfortably introduce audiences to its characters and situation in a way that makes them begin to form bonds without even noticing it. A bad pilot can have the opposite effect though, leaving audiences confused and on edge, constantly asking questions like "Who's that guy again?" and drowning out some crucial piece of dialogue which then exacerbates the chaos. Sometimes pilots are bad because the necessary setup needed to manoeuvre the characters into the promising positions the series requires just isn't as ripe with comedic or dramatic potential as the destination. Maybe the producers, directors, writers and actors all know they can sell the premise once the pieces are in place but setting up the board is sometimes the hardest part of the game.

Pilot episodes are used to sell TV shows to Networks so as well as pleasing audiences, there is the added concern of convincing executives of the show's potential for success. It must be difficult to balance staying true to an original vision and accommodating Network expectations, not to mention battling against vapid demands to add a superfluous will-they-won't-they romance or a cloying animal sidekick into the mix. Sometimes pilot episodes include ill-advised characters or hints at plot threads that never come to pass because the show develops in a different way than first envisaged. Often characters who will go on to become beloved creations are markedly different from their later, better-known equivalents because the actors and writers are still working out exactly who the character is. The process of these kinks being worked out can be fascinating to watch and even more interesting to return to at a later date after a show has become a hit. Often you'll watch a series pilot and say "Wow, imagine what a different show it would have been if they'd kept heading in that direction!"

Whether good, bad or bizarre, I've always found pilots or first episodes compulsively interesting to return to and re-evaluate. Most exciting of all though is encountering a series opener that absolutely hits it out of the park; that does what the show does best while still in the process of introducing itself. Like an instantly charming dinner companion whose lack of nerves somehow instils an uncharacteristic confidence in you as well, terrific pilot episodes are few and far between. The mission of the First Impressions blog is to compile a list of the 20 greatest pilot episodes of all time. Only the absolute cream of the crop will make the list and after evaluating each episode I'll make a pronouncement on whether it has qualified for inclusion. At the end of each article we'll check on how the chart stands. If, by some miraculous turn of events, we compile a complete top 20, then shows will have to fight for a place in the chart at the expense of an existing title holder. In the process of compiling this list, I look forward to revisiting some of the greatest TV shows of all time and seeing if that greatness extends right back to their inception. I hope you'll join me.