10 TV Shows With Great First Episodes
2. Northwest Passage - Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks remains one of TV's most influential shows, and the success of its 2017 return is testament to its quality. Admittedly, it meandered for most of its second season, but the first, which focused on the mystery behind the murder of high school sweetheart Laura Palmer, was flawless. The first episode, officially unnamed but dubbed Northwest Passage by fans, sets up that mystery perfectly.
Opening with the discovery of her body, we learn little about the true darkness in her past. Instead, she is presented as all sweetness and light, a model citizen beloved by all. This initial impression only makes her murder more shocking, and leaves the audience wondering why someone would want such a wonderful person dead. We meet some of the bizarre townsfolk, as well as the central character, FBI agent Dale Cooper.
Cooper's introduction, talking into his microcassette recorder about trees and the cherry pie he had for lunch as he drives into the town, is one of the greatest character introductions in TV history. It shows us immediately that Cooper is a happy-go-lucky, thorough and eccentric individual, as well as leaving us intrigued about this strange but charismatic man.
That's Northwest Passage on the whole. It brings in several locations, characters and storylines that would become key later on, giving the audience just enough to be engaged without ruining any of the twists and deeper mythology that would appear later on.