10 TV Shows Where The First Episode Was The Best
4. Yellowjackets
Oh, Yellowjackets, you began with so much promise.
The thriller-drama series' pilot episode was absolutely loaded with character development for its large ensemble cast as it ping-ponged the audience between 1996 and 2021, leading up to an absolutely harrowing climactic plane crash sequence.
Long before it even premiered, Yellowjackets earned understandable comparisons to Lost - which also centered around the aftermath of a plane crash with extensive use of flashbacks - and honestly, that first episode made it seem like it just might live up to that lofty association.
But while the first season never sunk below decent, it quickly became clear that the show lacked the storytelling chops to match its terrific pilot.
And by the time season two wrapped up last year, the brutal pacing, over-emphasis on the modern day storyline, and less-than-compelling central mystery left many fans feeling deflated.
Time will tell whether or not the third season pulls things back, but Yellowjackets evidently left all its best ideas in its very opening hour.