Copyright Screen Rant
A pilot episode can make or break a TV show, but some great sitcoms managed to live up to their amazing first episodes. One of the most popular genres on TV is sitcoms, which brings together comedy and bits of drama. Some of the best TV shows of all time are sitcoms, but not all of them had a strong start. Some sitcoms, like Parks & Recreation, had a rough first episode and season, but eventually found their own voice. Others had a good pilot episode but quickly crashed and burned, but there are some that maintained the good quality of their first episode and even went above and beyond it, getting better with every season or having few weaknesses. The Golden Girls One of the most popular, successful, and influential sitcoms of all time is The Golden Girls, and, of course, it had a strong pilot episode. Titled “The Engagement”, it introduces viewers to widows Blanche (Rue McClanahan), Rose (Berry White), and divorcee Dorothy (Beatrice Arthur), who live together. Blanche is preparing to marry the man she had been dating, but the wedding is called off after he’s caught for bigamy. Later, Dorothy’s mother, Sophia (Estelle Getty), moves in with them after her nursing home burned down. The Golden Girls’ pilot shows the dynamics between all characters, as well as how they are always there to support each other in their own ways. Arrested Development Arrested Development is well-known for its self-aware type of humor, which was quickly established in its first episode. The pilot introduces the audience to the chaotic Bluth family, as Michael (Jason Bateman) waits for his father, George Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor), to make him a partner in the family’s real estate development company. Arrested Development’s pilot episode was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. However, a series of unexpected and even absurd events lead George Sr. to appoint his wife, Lucille (Jessica Walter), as the new CEO, forcing Michael to reconsider his plans. In just one episode, Arrested Development shows its type of family chaos, weirdness, absurdity, and its type of comedy, making it a hilarious hook for the audience. Frasier Frasier is a spinoff of another sitcom, Cheers, which added extra pressure to its pilot episode – and luckily, it was a great one that the show was able to live up to. Titled “The Good Son”, the episode takes place six months after the ending of Cheers, with Dr. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) moving back to Seattle. Frasier is now the host of a talk-radio show, but his life takes a turn when his brother tells him their father, Martin, can no longer live by himself due to injuries he sustained when working as a police officer. Martin moves in with Frasier, and that’s the beginning of many annoyances for Frasier. As the title character struggles to adapt to sharing his space, Frasier’s pilot has a heartwarming ending that sets the tone for the rest of the show. The episode also set up various of the show’s gags, and the show only got better from there. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s pilot episode is appropriately titled “The Fresh Prince Project”, and it continues where the opening credits end, so it starts with Will getting out of the cab and arriving at his aunt and uncle’s house. As he comes from a completely different environment, the pilot focuses on Will adapting to this new lifestyle. However, his aunt, uncle, and cousins also have to adapt to Will, but it’s clear in this episode that they all needed each other. The episode also shows the first stages of Will’s dynamics with his family, instantly hooking the audience to make them stay for more laughs. Malcolm in the Middle In 2000, the world met Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) and his peculiar family in Malcolm in the Middle. In its first minutes, the pilot episode of Malcolm in the Middle introduces Malcolm’s parents and his brothers, as well as their individual eccentricities. After an encounter with the school’s bully, Malcom is tested by the school’s psychologist. Malcolm is revealed to be intellectually gifted, so he’s sent to a special class. The whole vibe of Malcolm in the Middle is that life is unfair but still has its funny moments, and that’s exactly what you get in the first episode – and it's exactly what Malcolm learns through experience. The Office The Office is one of the best workplace sitcoms of all time, so of course it had a great pilot and it lived up to it. The Office is the American version of the British sitcom of the same name, and it takes place at the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. The pilot episode introduces the audience to Michael Scott (Steve Carell), who, in turn, introduces viewers to some of his coworkers and how they do things at the office. The episode does a great job in showing the audience that the other characters are annoyed by Michael, but he’s not a bad person at all, as well as how all of their personalities clash in hilarious ways. The Nanny One of the best and most underrated sitcoms of the 1990s is The Nanny, created by Fran Drescher and Peter Marc Jacobson. The Nanny’s pilot episode, titled just like the show, sees Fran being fired by her fiancé, with whom she also breaks up. While selling cosmetics door-to-door, Fran ends up with a new job as the nanny for the wealthy Sheffield family. “The Nanny” shows the energy Fran brings wherever she goes and the challenges she’s about to face with the Sheffield children, who, although good kids, are used to their father not paying much attention to them. The episode also plants the seeds for the slow-burn romance between Fran and Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy), one of the show’s biggest hooks. How I Met Your Mother As obvious as the title of How I Met Your Mother might be, its pilot episode made sure it wasn’t. The pilot of How I Met Your Mother begins in 2030, with Ted telling his teenage son and daughter the story of how he met their mother. The show then goes back to 2005, when Ted (Josh Radnor) was living with Marshall (Jason Segel). Marshall had just proposed to his long-time girlfriend, Lily (Alyson Hannigan), and their womanizer friend, Barney (Neil Patrick Harris), helped Ted meet Robin (Cobie Smulders). The personalities and quirks of all five characters shine through, but the real hook is the twist at the end, with the rest of the show continuing the title’s premise. New Girl New Girl wastes no time in showing the tone of the show, the different personalities of its main characters, and the type of situations they will often find themselves in. New Girl’s “Pilot” episode sees Jess (Zooey Deschanel) arriving at the loft after finding her boyfriend cheating on her. Jess meets her new roommates Nick (Jake Johnson), Schmidt (Max Greenfield), and Coach (Damon Wayans Jr.), who are initially hesitant to take her in, more so as Jess is struggling with her breakup. However, they end up encouraging her to date again and save her from a disastrous date. New Girl’s pilot episode is the beginning of some of the best friendships in sitcoms in recent years, which continued to develop, with their many ups and downs, throughout seven seasons. Friends Friends is one of the best sitcoms of the 1990s, and it quickly established itself as a must-watch TV show. The pilot episode of Friends starts strong with Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) running away from her wedding and reuniting with Monica (Courteney Cox), her high school best friend. Monica and her group take Rachel in, and they all adapt to a new friend. Friends’ pilot episode is known as “The Pilot”, “The One Where Monica Gets A Roommate”, “The First One”, and “The One Where It All Began.” In just a little less than half an hour, Friends’ pilot episode gives the audience a good taste of the different personalities of the six main characters, as well as the romantic dynamic between Rachel and Ross (David Schwimmer). Friends only got better after its pilot, and it made sure to share the spotlight between its six leads.
