Start with a Bang

Okay, so in reference to last week’s “Friday Five” of the best TV series finales, I’m following up with my top 5 pilot episodes as well.  Let’ do this; in no particular order...

Burn Notice  What a great opener.  Fun, exciting, and hooked you right in for what would become quite the ride.  Burn Notice was a great show that started with a great opening.

The West Wing  As a political science major, I was admittedly skeptical of what West Wing had to offer.  But the pilot showed right from the start that this show had strength.  It’s amazing to go back now and see how a show that ran for nine seasons could be so well defined right from the start.

Sirens  Gone too soon, Sirens was only two season of fun before USA canned it; which was a shame because the second season it really grew into itself perfectly.  But the first episode showed how much potential it had and the show quickly built on a great foundation.  R.I.P., Sirens.

Doctor Who (2005 Reboot)  I’m going to let my geek show for sure on this one, but the reboot of Doctor Who in 2005 was a great beginning.  Looking back it seems so hokey and overplayed by today’s show’s standards, but at the time it was different, quick, and fun.  As someone who only came to the show in the modern era, the pilot did a great job of hooking me right in and keeping me around for 8 seasons to come.

True Detective  A great series, although it didn’t end nearly as well as it began.  True Detective was a great example of what a serial series can be in the US (something our British friends have been doing well for a while now.)  And it began with a great, compelling start to introduce us to intriguing characters and an arching mystery.  Any pilot that makes you crave the next episode deserves a spot on a list like this.

And there you have it- this week’s “Friday Five.”  As always if you wanna tell me what I missed, why I was wrong, or that I’m a genius TV reviewer (or frankly anything in-between those extremes as well) leave your mark in the comments section or tweet me on Twitter @JeffreyBWeaver.