10 Best TV Pilots Ever

by James Hunt

1. Twin Peaks - Northwest Passage

Twin Peaks
ABC

"She's dead, wrapped in plastic."

With just five words, one of the most gripping, groundbreaking, and gloriously weird TV shows ever jump-started into life.

Agent Dale Cooper arrives in the town of Twin Peaks, and even just through a call to the unseen Diane he's established as a force of good; here, clearly, is a man who sees all the beauty in the world amidst its terrors.

And what terrors they are, with the murder of Laura Palmer sending shockwaves through Twin Peaks and TV screens alike. Those townsfolk are what help make the pilot - and the show as a whole - so great, with each one more bizarre than the last.

Completely disturbing and yet equally bewitching, this was both pure David Lynch and yet just about accessible enough to hook viewers who could sense the strange alchemy and deeper mythology at work here. It's an episode that once you watch, you can't stop thinking about - what more can a first episode do, really?

It's a DAMN good TV pilot.

What do you think are the greatest TV pilot episodes? Let us know down in the comments.

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Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.