Take Us to the Pilot

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.

Although 2000s television saw a rise in cinematic comedies, live studio audiences remained popular. Two and a Half Men was a testament to the enduring success of traditional sitcoms, capturing 18 million viewers from the first episode.

It’s a long story, but we’re discussing the pilot episode of How I Met Your Mother. This series blended elements of traditional and unconventional sitcoms, including a mix of warm nostalgia and quirky humor.

After establishing her brand of comedy on SNL, Tina Fey continued her success with the creation of 30 Rock. Since episode one, the series gained attention for its surreal tone, fast pace, and satirical take on the television business.   

The mockumentary format became popular in the 2000s thanks to the American adaptation of The Office. The pilot episode had a mixed response from critics and viewers, but it set the stage for one of the most enduring TV comedies of all time.

Now the story of a wealthy family who lost everything, and the first episode that brought them all together. It’s Arrested Development, the ensemble comedy that gave us the Bluth family and more running gags than we can keep count of.

The 2000s saw the rise of single-camera comedies that moved away from the traditional sitcom format in favor of a more cinematic style. Malcolm in the Middle was one of the first shows of the decade to defy genre conventions, introducing in its pilot episode a cynical tone that would come to define the era.

It’s Halloween and we’re capping off our month of vampire pilots with What We Do In The Shadows. Directed by Taika Waititi and written by Jemaine Clement, the first episode of this mockumentary series established the same blend of horror and quirky comedy as the 2014 movie.  

As the vampire craze peaked in the late 2000s, the CW put its spin on the genre by adapting The Vampire Diaries. The series featured teen soap drama typical for the network but with the added element of immortal blood-sucking monsters.

The next vampiric pilot we’re discussing is True Blood. This drama explored themes of politics, sexuality, and discrimination through the lens of vampires in the Deep South. As an HBO series, True Blood depicted violence and intimacy more explicitly than the TV landscape had ever seen before.

Continuing our discussion on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, part two of the premiere delivered more action than part one while still establishing the dangers facing the students at Sunnydale High.

We’re kicking off the month of October by discussing Buffy the Vampire Slayer! Starting with the two-part premiere, this series cleverly blended high school culture with vampire lore. The result is a snarky, action-packed teen drama that still retains a dedicated fanbase.