Slayers, secrets and summer drama: My top five pilot episodes of all time

Pilot episodes act as a crucial deciding factor in determining whether or not viewers choose to continue watching a TV show. Having looked at differing rankings regarding the best pilot episodes of all time, I realised I had barely seen any of them. So, just to foreworn you, don’t expect to see Breaking Bad or Lost in this list. Instead, this article will discuss my top five favourite opening episodes that perfectly set the show’s tone, introduce characters and setting, all while establishing the premise of the show.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – ‘Welcome to the Hellmouth’

Is it really one of my articles if I haven’t mentioned Buffy the Vampire Slayer in it? From terrifying villains to musical spectacles, this show truly does have it all, which is certainly felt within the first episode. The opening shot, captured at Sunnydale High during the night, is an essential setting and time of day for the show. Darla, a four-hundred-year-old vampire, kills a student,  even before we are thrown into the iconic theme tune. In the next shot, we meet Buffy Summers (the titular heroine and the greatest TV show character ever written, if you ask me) as well as Xander and Willow, her two closest friends. We navigate their first day at the same school where Darla had murdered someone the prior night, eventually finding the dead student in an unsuspecting girl’s locker. Buffy encounters her new watcher, Giles, in the library (another key setting to the plot). We also meet Angel, who acts as Buffy’s new ominous friend, attempting to help her face the demons and forces of darkness – pretty ironic if you ask fans! Without giving away too much, let’s just say the opening episode perfectly presents the main characters, setting and plot, arguably in a way no other supernatural show has done, beautifully encapsulating what it was like to be a teenage vampire slayer during the 1990s.  

The O.C. – ‘Pilot’ 

Truth be told, I am including this despite not having finished watching the show yet. I am on season three, but the pilot episode was so unbelievably captivating that I had to include it in my list. I am obsessed with the drama and unpredictability in this show, and the first episode conveyed this flawlessly, which is why I keep going back for more. We are first introduced to Ryan Atwood, who is committing grand theft auto with his brother. Sandy Cohen, the man who seems to be everybody’s lawyer, decides to let Ryan stay in his pool house to protect him from a life of further crime. Ryan then meets Marissa Cooper, his imminent love interest, as well as Seth and Kirsten Cohen. The opening episode is widely considered one of the best pilot episodes of all time, due to how it successfully acquaints us with the characters, tone and setting of Orange County within its forty-five-minute time-slot, not to mention its iconic theme tune. The teen drama alone is entirely worth the watch, but something that makes it even more entertaining is the tension between all the adults too – it is certainly one of the better dramas that covers the lives of the rich, when compared to titles like Gossip Girl (in my opinion!).

How I Met Your Mother – ‘Pilot’ 

Unlike its controversial ending, How I Met Your Mother offers a strong introductory episode that explores the character dynamics, setting and overall premise of the show. Ted Mosby begins the episode recalling his life from twenty-five years ago to his children, which sets up the structure for the following nine seasons. We meet the freshly engaged Marshall and Lily, the suit-obsessed womaniser Barney Stinson, and Robin Scherbatsky, who Ted becomes infatuated with. The pilot sets up this group of friends as we follow them navigating life, love and adulthood during their twenties in New York City. It also presents the long-term mystery of the show – who is the mother? The combination of humour and heartfelt discussions about love make it the perfect foundational episode for the series.

Outer Banks – ‘Pilot’ 

“The Outer Banks, paradise on earth” is how John B opens the show, as he introduces the characters and settings, explaining the contrasting dynamics between the Kooks and the Pogues. We are immediately thrown into a hurricane, which sets up the mystery for the show while blending teen drama and suspense. As a first episode, it offers everything required to initiate what will happen throughout the season. Although it may not have the most flawless story to begin with, it certainly does a good job immersing the viewer into the world of the OBX.

Gilmore Girls – ‘Pilot’ 

Concluding this list, I present to you the pilot episode of Gilmore Girls. I watched this show with my mum several years ago, and the first episode did a brilliant job of introducing the characters that consistently appear in every season. Moreover, it also explores the dynamics between these characters, such as the close relationship between Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter, Rory. Additionally, it establishes the show’s fast-paced dialogue, which is filled to the brim with pop-culture references and humour (the actors had to remember up to 80 pages of dialogue per episode, as opposed to the standard 60-page count). In the episode, we discover the small-town charm of Stars Hollow, Rory getting into Chilton to pave the way for Harvard, and Lorelai asking her parents, Emily and Richard, to pay for their tuition – here’s to all the Friday night dinners that follow!