20 TV Show Pilots That Are Totally Flawless
7. Pilot - Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad opens at full speed, with Walter White crashing his RV in a ditch before leaving a pitiful message to his family about how he's not a bad guy and everything he did was for them. He then stands in the road with a pistol and no pants, ready to accept whatever his fate may be.
As far as narrative hooks go, Vince Gilligan's crime drama probably has the best ever put to the small screen, as Walt's story then double backs on itself to reveal how this mild-mannered and intelligent family man ended up in such a strange and precarious situation.
Moving with relentless energy through Walt's family life, his cancer diagnosis, his decision to cook meth with former student Jesse Pinkman and his daring attempt to escape the clutches of two violent drug dealers, Breaking Bad's pilot is perfectly performed, paced and surprising, and starts Walt and Jesse's stories flawlessly.