10 Amazing First Episodes Of Brilliant TV Series

10. House Of Cards - Chapter 1

The House of Cards season premiere needed to find a way to display how ruthless and power-hungry Representative Frank Underwood is, without pushing him into laughable cartoon villain levels of drama. How better to do this than to have Frank literally strangle a dog while addressing the audience directly with un-breaking eye contact. Ten minutes in and you already know that Frank is cold hearted, calculating and vicious.

It is shocking and disturbing, but it is also brutally effective. Every scene with Underwood can now now be seen for what it truly is, a strategic game of power and politics. His every smile, laugh and word is all a disguise. Other than perhaps his wife people mean nothing to him and when he addresses the camera to say he hates the president and will work against him you know exactly the lengths he will go to.

This one scene sets the tone for an entire series so brilliantly that you can never look back. You can never see Frank's actions as kind or misunderstood, he is the villain of the series and you love him for it.