Take Us to the Pilot

The Last of Us is the final remaining pilot in our survival mode series, having brought together fans of the video game and viewers new to the franchise.

The next destination in our survival mode series is the Canadian Rockies, where a high school soccer team is left stranded in the pilot of Yellowjackets.

Survival mode takes shape as a high-stakes contest in the pilot of Squid Game, which won Netflix another hit franchise.

Survival mode TV pilots don’t always have to be so serious, as Will Forte proves when he’s having fun being The Last Man on Earth.

Survival mode continues for Take Us to the Pilot. We now find ourselves in a world overrun by zombies in the premiere of The Walking Dead, which grew to dominate TV viewership and continues to live on through its many spin-offs.

Take Us to the Pilot is entering survival mode, venturing into shows that frequently put their characters in life-or-death scenarios. Our first entry is the two-part premiere of Lost, which expanded the TV format to explore a new world of storytelling possibilities.

The final show we'll be discussing related to mass media is The Boys. The pilot quickly establishes a cynical tone, depicting superheroes as products marketed and sold by a corrupt media corporation.

The Morning Show pilot marked Apple's entry into original content, making use of a large budget to attract A-list stars and tackle current events through the lens of broadcast news.    

The Succession pilot introduced TV viewers to the Roy family, whose conflicting business strategies reflect the media industry's real-world state of flux.

Next in our lineup focusing on mass media is the pilot of Lifetime's UnREAL, a scripted drama that observes the manipulative and exploitative nature of reality television.

We're continuing with the mass media genre discussing the pilot of The Newsroom. In this series, Aaron Sorkin examines the workings of a cable news show fighting to improve the quality of TV journalism.

Our next batch of pilots centers around mass media, starting with the award-winning premiere of Mad Men. As AMC's first original series, this acclaimed drama cemented its network as a major player in the golden era of television.

We're wrapping up our series on female leads in comedy by discussing the pilot of Hacks. This series showcases multigenerational humor with a nod to the trailblazing women of prior decades.

Awkwafina's rise to fame in the 2010s culminated in the launch of her own TV series, Nora from Queens, which drew on her experience growing up in New York's Asian American community.

In the premiere of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, creator Amy Sherman-Palladino pushes the title character into the world of stand-up comedy while exploring themes of family, gender, and tradition.

When Broad City transitioned from YouTube to television, the series became an instant hit for Comedy Central and quickly cemented Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer as an iconic comedic duo.

Ellie Kemper's ability to convey innocence and strength inspired Tina Fey when developing Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, a comedy that emphasized how females are strong as hell.

When Ugly Betty premiered in 2006, the series stood out for its comedic take on telenovelas and propelled its star, America Ferrera, into becoming a household name.

The pilot of Gilmore Girls kicked off a long-running series that earned a dedicated fan base for its lovable leads, quirky supporting cast, and compelling family drama.

The animated sitcom Daria may have originated as a spinoff, but its sarcastic lead character stood on her own as a unique comedic voice that resonated with young viewers in the late 90s.

Our next female led sitcom is Murphy Brown! This late 80s pilot stood out for its use of topical humor and comedic depiction of network journalism.

The Golden Girls pilot introduced viewers to an ensemble cast of older women, each with a distinct comedic voice but united in an enduring friendship that won over fans across multiple generations.

We’re discussing the pilot of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which set the tone for sitcoms in the 1970s with its dialogue-driven humor and endearing lead character.

Happy New Year from Take Us to the Pilot! We're kicking off our next series which focuses on female leads in comedy. The first pilot in this rich genre is I Love Lucy which created the TV sitcom format as we know it today and began a legacy that would influence comedic actors for decades to come.

It's time for Take Us to the Pilot's holiday bonus episode! Like last year, we're discussing a one-off pilot that was not picked up for a regular series. This year, we're looking at the sci-fi comedy Heat Vision and Jack, which was written by Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab and directed by Ben Stiller.