Take Us to the Pilot

We're kicking off a summer of animated sitcoms by discussing the pilot of The Simpsons! Although not originally intended to be the series premiere, the season one Christmas episode began the longest-running comedy in TV history.

We're wrapping up our medical show pilot series with the premiere of The Good Doctor which invited viewers to see the world through the eyes of its autistic main character.

The pilot of The Mindy Project kickstarted Mindy Kaling's rise to a lead writer and TV producer, building off of her success in The Office to establish her own brand of comedy.

Nurse Jackie's first episode injected an antihero into the medical genre and saw the return of Edie Falco to premium network television.

Grey's Anatomy has been a top-rated show and cultural touchstone since premiering in 2005, resulting in its stars and creator Shonda Rhimes becoming household names.

In the pilot episode of House M.D., viewers quickly get to know the titular doctor for his dry delivery, quick wit, and methodical approach to medicine.

The FX original Nip/Tuck got off to a fast start with its graphic depiction of plastic surgery and a dense, crime-driven plot.

The pilot of Scrubs introduced a style of humor new to the medical genre, balancing heartfelt stories with slapstick comedy and surreal daydreams.

In the mid-90s, the definitive hospital drama ER rushed onto primetime television with a barrage of life-or-death situations and a memorable ensemble cast.

Like its namesake hospital, the 80s drama St. Elsewhere was modest and full of talent. The pilot episode introduced an ensemble cast and an intricate story structure that laid the foundation for the medical genre as we know it today.

We've got some new prescriptions for TV pilots, all belonging to the medical genre! To kick things off, we're going back to the 70's for the premiere of M*A*S*H which expanded the potential of television storytelling throughout its eleven-season run.

For the final HBO pilot we're discussing (for now), we're returning to New York City for the first episode of Girls which captured the millennial experience of young adulthood in the 2010s.

When you play the game of TV pilots, you're either greenlit or you get canceled. There is no middle ground. In 2011, HBO premiered Game of Thrones which reigned as the biggest television event of its time.

The strength of HBO's programming drew Martin Scorcese to direct the first episode of Boardwalk Empire, one of the most expensive but also award-winning pilots in TV history.

The pilot of Eastbound & Down began a partnership with HBO that allowed Danny McBride to showcase and evolve his crass style of comedic storytelling.

Continuing our series on HBO pilots, we come to the domestic drama Big Love which examines the complexities of a polygamist family torn between religious fundamentalism and modern suburbia.

The pilot of Entourage began a light-hearted comedy series about a young movie star and his group of friends navigating Hollywood and pulling off all sorts of crazy antics.

The next HBO pilot in our lineup is Deadwood, an epic Western focused on forming order out of chaos. Despite having just a three-season run, the series earned critical acclaim and a dedicated fanbase.

This week we're discussing the pilot of The Wire, an ensemble crime drama lauded for its realistic portrayal of the institutions that shape life in urban America. Although the series didn't receive high ratings or major awards, it is now regarded as one of the best TV shows of all time.

The pilot of Six Feet Under began yet another critically acclaimed series for HBO, earning praise for tackling the subject of death with skillful writing and thoughtful direction.

The final season of Curb Your Enthusiasm draws near, so let's go all the way back to the very first episode to remember how the show began. Airing a little over two years after the Seinfeld finale, the Curb premiere reintroduced viewers to Larry David's brand of comedic storytelling and we have to say that it's pretty, pretty, pretty good.

The pilot episode of The Sopranos introduced viewers to Tony Soprano, one of the most iconic TV characters ever. Twenty-five years since its premiere, the New Jersey-based crime drama remains influential for its award-winning acting, writing, and directing.

We're starting our series on HBO pilots with Sex and the City, which premiered in the summer of 1998 and made a splash with its fresh take on romantic comedy.

Happy Holidays from Take Us To The Pilot! For our Christmas bonus episode, we're discussing a failed pilot for a would-be series called Poochinski. This buddy cop show aired in the summer of 1990 and starred Peter Boyle as a detective who dies and gets resurrected as a talking bulldog. Network executives passed on Poochinski, but in the years since the pilot has gained notoriety for its bizarre pr...

Wrapping up our series on 2000s sitcom pilots, we're discussing the FX comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The first episode introduced a group of sordid characters known as "the gang," and began a series that would depict amoral behavior not seen on broadcast network sitcoms.