Take Us to the Pilot

We're back with a whole new slate of pilots, this time focused on the serial killer genre. First up is the iconic Showtime drama Dexter, which blends several tones while putting viewers in the mind of its bloody lead character.

We're debriefing our final entry in the drug crime genre, last year's gritty and character-driven drama Task.

The premiere of Snowfall juggles three storylines while delivering an intoxicating blend of fact, fiction, and flash.

The Ozark pilot focuses on the money laundering part of the drug trade, as well as the family theme common in the crime genre.

We are heading to South America for the pilot of Narcos, the Netflix series that hooked viewers with a dramatic flair on a true crime story.

We're riding along with the Sons of Anarchy pilot, which took the crime genre to a new locale while establishing a franchise with a lot of mileage for FX

Next in our lineup is the pilot of Weeds, which highlights creator Jenji Kohan's signature mix of dark humor and social commentary.

Take Us to the Pilot is back, and this year we’re focusing on the crime genre! The first several shows in our lineup are related to the drug trade, and what more iconic series to kick off the category than Breaking Bad. For this pilot, creator Vince Gilligan engineered the perfect chemistry for groundbreaking TV.

Take Us to the Pilot has officially reached 100 episodes! To mark this milestone, we're discussing the fictional pilot of Jerry. As the focus of Seinfeld's fourth season, the show-within-a-show arc was self-referential in a way never seen on a sitcom before.

Happy Halloween! We're wrapping up our month of witchy TV pilots by discussing Mayfair Witches, which adds to the mythology of AMC's Immortal Universe.

Our witchy pilot this week, Charmed, features three times the magic and demonstrates the power of sisterhood.

The pilot of Sabrina the Teenage Witch not only revitalized the Archie Comics character but also updated the fantasy comedy genre for 90s family television.

It's October, so we're getting in the Halloween spirit by discussing shows about witches! Our first witchy pilot, Bewitched, is a classic from the era of 60s fantasy comedies.

We wrap up our series on new technology with the pilot of Severance, whose surreal setting and central concept give a new meaning to the idea of work/life balance.

In the pilot of Upload, creator Greg Daniels explores how new tech can transform human life and the afterlife.

The epic pilot episode of Westworld reinvented its source material to begin an ambitious story about how technology brings out the dark side of human nature.

There's a dark side to new technology, as explored in the USA thriller Mr. Robot, whose pilot establishes the show's unique look and atmosphere.

The TV tech genre focuses on innovation and disruption, as exemplified by the pilot of Halt and Catch Fire, which takes us back to the 80s tech boom in the Silicon Prairie.

We're beginning our next miniseries on the tech genre with the pilot of Silicon Valley, which lampooned the culture of the tech industry through the satirical lens of Mike Judge. 

We're completing our assignment to gather intel on the spy genre with the pilot of Slow Horses, the acclaimed AppleTV+ drama, which takes the category in a less glamorous direction.

The pilot of Killing Eve began a cat-and-mouse story elevated by its talented leads, adding another strong entry into the TV spy genre.

We continue our mission to observe the TV spy genre with the premiere of The Americans. The series opens on spy couple Elizabeth and Phillip Jennings whose story focuses on themes of patriotism, loyalty, and marriage.

As part of our mission to gain intel on the TV spy genre, we're now discussing the pilot episode of Homeland, whose intricate plot and layered characters earned universal praise.

Continuing our mission to break down the TV spy genre, this week we discuss the pilot of 24, which introduced the famous ticking clock and iconic hero Jack Bauer.

We're embarking on a new mission to redefine the TV spy category, starting with the pilot of Alias, which marked the beginning of a new era for the genre with its intricate plot and high production values.