Why Is the First Episode Called a Pilot and the Best Pilot Episodes of All Time (2024)

Pilot episodes are the make-or-break moment for many television shows. It sets the tone for the series and has the daunting task of introducing an entire show and its characters to an audience, all under a time limit of an hour (usually). Some shows are still finding their footing during the pilot episode and even so during their first seasons. Pilots have a huge amount of pressure applied to them, and the concept of pilots dominates the industry as everyone is trying to get their shows picked up.

Generally speaking, the summer is referred to as pilot season, where networks receive tons of pitches for new television shows. The networks, or streaming services, then produce the pilot episode and then see if they want to move forward to make the entire season. A lot of work goes into pilots, as there is so much that has to go right in order for a series to succeed.

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Why Is the First Episode Called a Pilot?

Why is every first episode called a pilot? There are a variety of reasons, with some being that the pilot is the first episode to air, akin to a pilot taking off. Another is that the pilot is meant to navigate the course of a series and set the tone for audiences for the journey they are about to go on. The Greek root of the word "pilot" is pēdon, which means oar that would steer a boat, much like a pilot episode steering the course for an entire series.

There are also several different kinds of pilot episodes. A standard pilot, or premise pilot, introduces the characters of the show and contains worldbuilding in order to acquaint viewers with the series. A backdoor pilot is introduced as an episode of an ongoing series that would result in the characters of that episode, usually guest stars, getting their own series. A perfect example of this would be "The Scientist," an episode of Arrow that serves as a backdoor pilot to The Flash as it introduces Barry Allen to the Arrowverse. While pilots are not often regarded as the best episodes of a series, especially if it is a long-running series, there are a number of great pilot episodes that are still remembered today.

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The Best TV Pilots of All Time

"Northwest Passage" (Twin Peaks)

Twin Peaks starts its mystery right off the bat, as the body of Laura Palmer is washed up on the river bank wrapped in plastic. The '90s classic depicts the investigation of who killed Laura Palmer in the small town of Twin Peaks, and despite only running two seasons, it gained a cult following, which eventually led to a third season premiering in 2017.

The pilot episode was noted for being something that could possibly "changed television," and a look back into history would show it definitely did. It established one of the greatest mysteries in television history: Who killed Laura Palmer? This mystery evolved throughout the show and showed that one murder led to the uncovering of a whole host of problems that plagued the town. The episode introduced the distinct aesthetic and storytelling of the great David Lynch.

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"Pilot" (The West Wing)

The West Wing was one of the most successful shows of the 1990s. The series follows the lives of staffers working in The White House under President Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen). The pilot episode introduces viewers to the various staff members as they deal with the fallout from the president's cycling accident.

The series was famous for introducing the "walk and talk" shot that would follow various characters as they discussed matters on the fly as they headed somewhere. The pilot was heralded as a great hour of television, and it kept the president himself off-screen until his grand entrance near the end of the episode. Sheen gives the first of his many impressive monologues that continue throughout the series.

"Pilot" (Breaking Bad)

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PRIMETIME PILOT PANIC

Breaking Bad is considered one of the greatest television shows ever made, and it all began with its fantastic pilot. The episode famously opens up on Walter White (Bryan Cranston) crashing an RV in the desert and recording a goodbye message to his family before flashbacks dive into how White began his journey to becoming a drug dealer.

Critics and viewers praised the pilot for its suspense and the storyline of White going from good guy to bad guy based on bad luck, as he was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. The performances were also a highlight, with Cranston winning a Primetime Emmy Award for his performance. Series creator Vince Gilligan also won a WGA Award for his writing for the pilot.

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"eps1.0_hellofriend.mov" (Mr. Robot)

Mr. Robot premiered on the USA Network in 2015, starring Rami Malek as a hacker and cybersecurity engineer who begins to work for "fsociety." The society is a group of hacktivists who plan to erase all debt records from E Corp and are led by "Mr. Robot," an anarchist.

The pilot received universal acclaim and held an impressive 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The episode was cited for perfectly setting up the show and laying the foundation for a successful series that ran for four seasons. Malek won a Primetime Emmy Award for his performance in the pilot, and it established him as the leading man who would eventually win an Oscar.

"Pilot (Part 1 & 2)" (Lost)

Lost was created by J.J. Abrams and follows a group of plane crash survivors who become marooned on an island in the South Pacific Ocean. The show is one of the most acclaimed television series of all time, and it started off strong with its two-part pilot episode. At the time of its release, it was the most expensive pilot ever made, costing roughly $14 million.

The two-part pilot won the show a slew of awards, most notably a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for Abrams. One of its best-remembered elements is the opening shot of Jack's eye and his discovery of the crash, something that was mirrored in the show's divisive series finale six years later.