Originally , thebest television receiver pilot episodeswere a marketing creature used by the creators of a show to sell the first season to networks . As such , they needed to show character reference and tone , and even give a taste of potential time of year - longsighted arc . With so much to accomplish it ’s no surprise that most pilots have the equivalent run sentence of a TV movie . However , with the current preponderance of the splurge - watching role model , sites like Netflix , Amazon , and Hulu are slowly transition away from the traditional pilot sequence .

rather , these streaming services expect viewers to vote for the content they need to see more of with their attention and people willbinge - sentinel display on Netflixwithout caring if the airplane pilot lift them . Now while they may be dying out , many pilot episode stay on benchmarks of big television , but which are considered the ripe TV fender episodes of all time ? Over prison term , there were those prestigious premier episode that hooked spectator from the starting line and created a phenomenon .

16Sherlock (2010)

There have been multitudinous iterations of Sherlock Holmes over the year , but the BBC seriesSherlockstarring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman quickly established that this is a worthwhile way of revisiting the famous detective . One of the best tv set fender episodes , it has a great deal of lowering lifting to do as it establishes the modern take on the character , acquaint Holmes and Watson as a potential friendship , fetch in Sherlock ’s brother , pinch at a loom terror , and give a genuinely thrilling closed book to solve . Somehow , the episode attain all this with canny writing and splendid performances .

15Freaks And Geeks (1999)

Like Firefly , Freaks and Geeksholds a reputation as a great show with one time of year that fan would love rebooted . fortuitously , that one time of year left a grown wallop . create by Paul Feig and star baby - faced version of James Franco , Seth Rogan , Jason Segel , Linda Cardellini , and many others . There ’s no doubt that this fender baffle in many of its young viewers ' minds as some of the first really relatable telly they watched . One of the best telecasting pilot episodes , it achieves some awesome apparatus with former adept missy Lindsay Weir becoming friends with more ill-affected scholar while hero comrade Sam observe that being a " oddball " in eminent school is not easy .

14Firefly (2002)

The great calamity of Joss Whedon’sFireflyis reasonably well known by now . A show canceled unjustly , only to be bring in back for a film by fan tenacity , and continued in amusing descriptor . What some might not know however is that the 90 - minute - long pilot sequence " Serenity " was n’t just messily split into two parts when initially aired , but the entire first ( and only ) season itself was aerate so out of order that the pilot was the last to melody , doomingFireflyfrom the start .

It ’s a crying disgrace , as this is some antic idiot box and a much stronger innovation to Malcolm Reynolds and the crew of the Serenitythan the sequence " The Train Job " supply , the instalment used by the internet as a first episode . " peace of mind " juggles world - construction , character institution , and about three plotlines at once masterfully , and feels much brisker than a TV movie should .

13Chernobyl (2019)

While the show may only be getting this single miniseries , there ’s no deny it was one of the most talked - about TV shows of 2019 from the moment one of the best boob tube pilot episodes ever aired . Hats off to series creator Craig Mazin , the first episode ofChernobylis astounding . Dealing with the initial failure that caused the catastrophic failure of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant life , the instalment is nothing curt of gripping , masterfully do storytelling . With a run meter of 60 hour , it ’s amazing the contained story that the installment manages to channel with so many persona , all while setting the tone , and standard , of the serial publication to come .

12The Newsroom (2012)

It seems that show about make TV shows offer a particularly fascinating chronicle for audiences . This is even more so withThe Newsroomexploring the tight - paced and bouncy nature of a intelligence program . But the first sequence in the series is really what grabbed viewers ' attention as one of the best telly cowcatcher episode ever . The scene find reporter Will McAvoy on an interview board when he is asked a question about why America is the enceinte country in the man and gives a lurid and captivating reply . The soliloquy alone is enough to advocate the episode , but it then dives into the behind - the - scenes natural covering of live news taradiddle which is even more exciting .

11The Boys (2019)

One of the best television set pilot episodes , The Boyscame along at a clock time when audiences had plenty of superhero shows to choose from , but it cursorily give itself as something different . This serial offered superhero fan a coup d’oeil at a world in which the dress up criminal offence scrapper are famous person , corporate steel , and the most dangerous people on the planet . The instalment does n’t hold back on the bloodshed and mayhem with Hughie getting a primitive introduction to the heady nature of the paladin . Then there is the introduction of Butcher and his pass to fight back enticing the viewer to get enthrone in the battle .

10True Detective (2014)

With bigHollywood names like Matthew McConaugheyand Woody Harrelson , True Detectivewas an immediate show of interest group for fans thanks to ne of the best TV pilot episodes ever . The first episode of the show " The Long Bright Dark " did a brilliant task setting up both the relationship between the two central police and the subject that would inevitably ghost them . The tone of voice of the show was sullen and hatch from the beginning , and it also made clear that the lives of these detectives would be as authoritative as the actual crimes . The hook of this take place in two freestanding timeline bring another interesting layer .

9Fargo (2014)

Attempting to riff off of the writing of the Coen Brothers is no light chore , but the first episode ofFargoshowed that it was inspired by the film producer while still being its own thing . Like the movie , it go down up a moth-eaten - blooded law-breaking account in an even cold surroundings . From a champion who discover himself drawn into a mortal plot to a chilling scoundrel who make the series ' singular sensory faculty of liquid body substance , Fargohad a great opening move sequence with great characters and a plenty of bloodshed that shew the iconic write up was in secure hands .

8Westworld (2016)

Due to its cancelation , there are mass of unanswered questions inWestworld . Yet fans of the show can still look back on one of the best television fender installment as delivering the hope of a marvellous adventure ahead . The airplane pilot brings the witness into the Western theme Mungo Park where anything rifle for Guest acting out their Wild West fantasies . Along with the action and massacre of the theme park , viewers are also introduced to those in rush of it all and the question about how in control they might be of their " host . " With great performances , heroic bit , and so much hope in the lead , it is an unforgettable episode of television .

7Mr. Robot (2015)

The thriller seriesMr . Robotseemed to enjoy keeping audiences on their toe with intrigue and plenty of twists . But one of the serious TV pilot episodes did exceptionally well at just relying on the fascinatingmain character played by Rami Malek . From the first scene in which hacker Elliot Anderson let out the vicious operations of a café proprietor , he is a figure fan want to follow . From there , the show bring out the all-encompassing conspiracy and bring Elliot into the macrocosm of hacktivists led by the mysteriousMr . Robot . It offers just enough to thrill viewers and make them sense the need to research it more .

Anna Silk as Bo from the TV show Lost Girl

Star Wars Stormtrooper

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Split image of Sherlock, Breaking Bad and The Sopranos

Sherlock Holmes and Watson.

A Freaks and Geeks promo photo.

Firefly cast promo image.

A man wearing Hazmat suit with a foggy background in image from Chernobyl

Jeff Daniels in The Newsroom

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Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey in True Detective.

Martin Freeman in Fargo.

Evan Rachel Wood looking shocked as Dolores Abernathy in Westworld.

Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson staring at something off-screen on Mr. Robot (2015-2019)