The Pilot Principle

Welcome to The Pilot Principle , the podcast that dives deep into the very first episodes of TV shows to uncover whether they’re worth your time. With so many shows and so little time, we break down what makes or breaks a pilot, helping you decide if the series is a must-watch or a hard pass. Join us as we explore the hits and misses of TV’s biggest premieres, offering insights, laughs, and plenty...

Join me as we look back at the 27 TV pilots I've reviewed from the first half of 2024. Discover which shows perhaps deserve a second chance and which ones you'll be glad you skipped. Finally, before I head OOO until September, I'll crown the best show and pilot reviewed for season one of The Pilot Principle.

Pippa Fitz-Amobi can't let sleeping dogs lie. Five years after the Andie Bell case was supposedly closed, she suspects there's much more to the story. Based on Holly Jackson's best-selling novel "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder," watch new episodes on BBC One and stream on BBC iPlayer.

Meet Michael, Andre, Tazer, Sabrina and Rod, five ordinary South Londoners who unlock inner super abilities. Will the pilot episode convince you to watch how their superhero journeys unfold? Available to watch now on Netflix UK

Discover the story behind the 2013 LA Clippers scandal. However, will the pilot episode hook you into the drama, or will you choose to tune into the original podcast that this new FX series is based, for the full scoop?

High school isn't in a playground for wealthy kids in the top 0.01%. They operate by a different set of rules, one where the stakes are as high as life and death. Welcome to Jooshin High but will you be sticking around after listening to the pilot review for this new Korean Drama?

Episode One: The Prodidgal Grandaughter Returns Queenie is just trying to get through the day, but the obstacles keep piling up and it's getting harder to see the light on the other side. Based on the popular novel of the same name by Candice Carty-Williams

In 80s New York, a boy goes missing and questions about who's to blame and why he could have been taken arise in Netflix's new drama thriller series from the mind of Abi Morgan.

Gymnastics and jealousy go hand in hand for two teens from different sides of the tracks in Channel 4's new drama. However, flips and tricks aside, can the pilot episode convince you to continue with the series and find out exactly what went down at that gathering...?

It's time to pay the piper, or in Charlie Croker's case, the bank. However, has episode one convinced you to stick around and find out if this Atlanta tycoon charms his way out of the red?

An officer and an outsider is determined to pry open the secrets of the bizarre island of St. Jory. After watching the pilot, will you stick around to find out the big mystery or will you be heading back to the mainland and leaving the islanders to it?

It's time to catch flights and solve mysteries on a plane from London to Beijing. The clock may be ticking for Jing Lusi and Richard Armitage who star in ITV 1's new action thriller series, but will you be flying in its business or will you be remaining on the runway after episode one?

Welcome to a new world, set 219 years after the one we all know. Lucy, Maximus and The Ghoul are three very different individuals on the precipice of starting a journey into the unknown of a post-apocalyptic world. From the mind of Jonathan Nolan.

It's 1981 and Birmingham is tethering on the edge of an uprising. In the eye of the storm, oblivious, is Dante, a young poet with a broken heart and a head full of birdsong. Steven Knight takes us back to familiar cobbled streets, but will you keep watching beyond episode one?

Nell Jackson stirs up trouble with the local bully and toff, when she arrives home to Tottenham after the war. But will the pickle she puts herself in have you turning up for episode two, or turning your back after episode one? Louisa Harland is Nell Jackson in Disney Plus' new fantasy drama series.

The clock is ticking, but what is it counting down to and what is at stake? Episode one of Netflix's new science fiction drama based on the novel by Cixin Liu will leave you with many questions. However, will you intrigued enough to continue or befuddled enough to quit after the pilot episode?

Comedy, satire, and crime come knocking on the door of the English Aristocracy in Guy Ritchie's, The Gentlemen. However, does the pilot episode end on a high or will you be going cold turkey?

Mary Villiers challenges norms as a second son's fate takes an unexpected turn in the 1600s. With Mother knowing best, George faces a new reality. Has the pilot episode convinced you to tune into Sky Atlantic's latest series?

In the year 1600, we are swept up into the start of Japan's leadership shift and trade with Europe. The pilot episode teases what could be an epic, transformative era with historically shaping events. However, will you stick around to see how it unfolds?

Whether you're a fan of the original animated series or are new to the world of Avatar - Will the pilot episode convince you to join the 'GAang' on their live-action adventure?

July 15th 1988, marks the beginning of a new chapter for Emma and Dexter. Will you continue with their voyage or wave them off after episode one?

What will be harder for our newly weds to navigate - marriage or espionage. It may be till death do they part, but will you be sticking around after the pilot episode?

Something witchy this way comes... but will you be following the mystery surrounding Domino Day beyond the pilot episode?

Griselda Blanco transforms from a woman running from her past to a woman choosing to take a stand. However, will you be standing with her or taking flight, after episode one?

Will this reimagined continuation of the classic Dicken's tale spin a convincing narrative to keep you watching past episode one - or will you be artfully dodging this series altogether?