Saturday, September 25, 2010

17 ACROSS. YES, 17 ACROSS IS WRONG. YOU'RE SPELLING HIS NAME WRONG. WHAT'S MY NAME? MY NAME DOESN'T MATTER. I'M JUST AN ORDINARY CITIZEN WHO RELIES ON THE TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE FOR STIMULATION: Based on the criteria of "1) stylistic innovation and influence, 2) overall excellence in writing, direction, performance and production, and 3) ability to withstand repeat viewings," MZS slideshows his list of the top ten tv drama pilot episodes of all time.

It is an oddly predictable list, but I think that's only because how strong the critical consensus is around so many of the entries.  If there's one I'd add to the list (presuming it's not on his comedy list), it's the Moonlighting pilot film which did such a wonderful job of setting up the characters, the mood, the occasionally fourth-wall-breaking universe.  (Or may it's because I was 13 when I first saw it, so I'm predisposed to remembering it as awesome.)  Also of recent vintage, the show may have gone downhill fast but the Desperate Housewives pilot was compelling, different and gripping.

22 comments:

  1. I would classify both Moonlighting and Desperate Housewives as "comedy."  A few others I'll suggest (aside from the one suggested by the headline):

    "Alias"--Twisty, smart storytelling with a solid reveal twist at the end setting the stage for a great, great season of television. 
    "Friday Night Lights"--Like "HSB," setting the stage for something that the average viewer hadn't seen before and a universe that the viewer didn't know about.
    "ER"--Simply put, contemporary TV drama doesn't exist without that pilot and how it moves, without pause or explanation of what's going on.  Some of its import is lost by the retcon they did--remember, Hathaway originally DID kill herself--but still.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Crap. I'M usually teh one who remembers to mention ER in these things.  The pace of that episode is remarkable; they just assume you'll learn what you need.

    You're wrong about the retcon.  Carol's never referred to as dead in the pilot; they kept that avenue open.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I know I've read somewhere that they retconned it before the pilot aired--the originally shot pilot, it was made express that she died--they reshot/edited it to leave the door open.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes, I'd have to put "ER" and "The West Wing" on that list somehow.  "Star Trek" was a gutsy choice; not sure I agree with it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That's not retconning.  Retconning has to involve revising stuff that's been on-air to make more sense.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dan Suitor6:19 PM

    Let me just nerd out for a second and nominate the feature-length pilot for "Firefly". Start to finish, just a beautiful hour and a half of sci-fi/western storytelling. If Fox had actually aired the pilot as the first episode of the series (and not further down the line when it was a dead show walking) "Firefly" would have stood a better chance of getting the audience it deserved.

    Other thoughts:
    - Probably too soon to nominate "Boardwalk Empire", but in three or four years we might say differently.
    - Not a lot of mainstream popularity (at least in America), but the first episode of the anime "Cowboy Bebop" is a brilliant introduction to yet another western-influenced world of outer-space outlaws.
    - The American remake of "Life On Mars" didn't go over well but as someone who genuinely loves the music of the '70s while ironically loving the rest of it, the first episode was a lot of fun.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dan Suitor6:21 PM

    As someone who spent about two hours reading up on specific comic book retcons earlier today, let me second you on that.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Maddy7:30 PM

    "Veronica Mars" had a ridiculously awesome pilot.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Carmichael Harold7:44 PM

    I agree.  It set up a complete world, the season's (excellent) plotlines/tensions, and was propulsive and fun to boot.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Adlai8:01 PM

    Absolutely. I got S1, disc 1 from Netflix, watched the pilot, had no choice but to watch the remaining 3 episodes on the disk, then drove to Blockbuster to see if I could get the next one immediately.

    Always take backup.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Another favorite pilot of mine: PROFIT.  He sleeps in a box!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Pushing Daisies...

    ReplyDelete
  13. Jordan10:25 PM

    Heat Vision and Jack?

    ReplyDelete
  14. I thought about including Veronica Mars on the list, but didn't, primarily because it's not the pilot alone, but the first season as a whole, that's really totally satisfying.  Rob Thomas had written the basic story of Veronica and Keith investigating the Lily Kane murder as a novel, and couldn't sell it, but wound up turning it into a TV series.

    ReplyDelete
  15. "Firefly" is weird, in that there are in essence not one, not two, but three pilots--the movie-length pilot, "The Train Job" (which is not so good), and the feature film.  The feature film does a really solid job of setting up the history of the 'Verse (with the opening "lesson" sequence), the Simon/River characters (with the escape sequence, which is a solid action setpiece as well), and the rest of the crew of Serenity (with that long tracking shot through the ship), in a way that manages to satisfy both folks new to the franchise and those who had seen it before.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Most of you probably aren't geezery enough to have seen NYPD Blue's pilot premiere when it aired, but it was amazing.  I could feel myself getting hooked as I watched.

    And yes, The West Wing, of course.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Dan Suitor1:12 AM

    Through-line: The original pilot was actually named "Serenity".

    ReplyDelete
  18. calliekl9:43 AM

    Love the Cowboy Bebop mention- if people are looking for an anime to watch and they liked Firefly, I would point them in that direction, no doubt.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I second Friday Night Lights.  I was forced to watch this "football show" by my brother who sat next to me watching for the second time and grinning at my reactions.  I was hooked.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Alias and West Wing for sure. And I think Lost should be higher on the list, as we had never seen anything like it before. Also, the Mad Men pilot was pretty great. Mostly Alias though, because that is my #1 with a bullet.

    ReplyDelete
  21. StvMg9:53 PM

    There was a high-concept series in the late 90s called Now And Again. I believe it starred Eric Close and Margaret Colin, and I remember John Goodman having some sort of role. The series itself didn't last long, but I remember thinking  the pilot was amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Bianca2:43 PM

    To not have ER on the list discredits the list for me.
    I love the My So Called Life choice. That entire season was pure genius.

    ReplyDelete