First impressions are important! Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the best first episodes of various TV shows that set the scene for the rest of the show, and had us hooked right away.
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00:00 "Did anybody see that?"
00:05 "Yeah."
00:07 Welcome to Ms Mojo and today we're counting down our picks for the best first episodes
00:14 of various TV shows that set the scene for the rest of the show and had us hooked right
00:21 away.
00:22 "So how many trains did it take you?"
00:24 "Only one but I got up very early.
00:26 In a couple of years with the right moves you'll be in the city with the rest of us."
00:32 Number 10, Northwest Passage, Twin Peaks.
00:36 "Morning Pete, Harry."
00:39 "She's dead."
00:42 Is there a better way to start a David Lynch creation than with an intriguing murder?
00:47 This show opened with the discovery of Laura Palmer's body, which jump-started the story
00:53 surrounding the eccentric Twin Peaks residents and the mysterious detective who tried to
00:59 piece it all together.
01:00 "I need to back and tag this."
01:01 "Okay, Cooper.
01:02 You gonna let me in on whatever the hell is going on here?"
01:07 "Sheriff, we got a lot to talk about."
01:11 You couldn't watch this first episode without having to know more, from the discovery of
01:16 several potential suspects and motives to the sprinkling of supernatural elements.
01:22 It was a web of intrigue tangled within a colourful cast of characters.
01:27 Lynch's style of storytelling is so bizarre that you can't look away, and this episode
01:33 laid the foundation for the twists and turns that would come about over the next seasons.
01:40 Number 9, Winter is Coming, Game of Thrones.
01:44 "I saw what I saw.
01:46 I saw the White Walkers.
01:49 People need to know."
01:52 This series was an epic story from start to controversial finish, and the pilot episodes
01:59 set the stage in the best way possible.
02:02 The dynamics of the vast cast of characters can be a lot to grasp, but it was broken down
02:07 in a digestible and entertaining manner in this series' premiere.
02:12 "I want us both to go home, but they took it from us.
02:17 So tell me, sweet sister, how do we go home?"
02:21 "I don't know."
02:24 "We go home with an army."
02:27 We were introduced to the Stark family, the Direwolves, Daenerys Targaryen, and the concept
02:33 that, of course, winter is coming.
02:36 The audience was given a sneak peek at the complex politics that were at play in this
02:42 supernatural world, and it's fair to say that the final scene left us dying to know
02:48 more about this twisted and fantastical show.
02:52 "The things I do for love."
02:58 Number 8, Everything is Fine, The Good Place
03:01 This quirky sitcom pilot introduced Eleanor and us to the Good Place, and we all immediately
03:08 needed to know what it was all about.
03:10 "Where am I?"
03:11 "Who are you and what's going on?"
03:13 "Right, so you, Eleanor Shellstrop, are dead.
03:18 Your life on Earth has ended, and you are now in the next phase of your existence in
03:23 the universe."
03:24 "Cool."
03:28 We were shown the intricacies of this angelic afterlife as Michael showed Eleanor where
03:33 she'll be living, how she ended up there, and who her soulmate is.
03:38 There's just one little problem.
03:41 "Because those aren't my memories.
03:42 I wasn't a lawyer.
03:43 I never went to the Ukraine.
03:45 I hate clowns.
03:47 There's been a big mistake.
03:50 I'm not supposed to be here."
03:52 Eleanor's hilarious realisation added a delightful angle to this pilot and had us
03:58 begging to know what would happen next.
04:01 The pilot left us wondering how this below-average human was going to blend in amongst, seemingly,
04:08 some of the best people to have lived, and the remainder of the show kept this intriguing
04:14 pace going right up until the finale.
04:17 "Let me earn my place here.
04:20 You spent your life wondering what makes someone good or bad.
04:23 Now you have the perfect test case.
04:26 Let me be your ethical guinea pig."
04:28 Number 7, 1/23/45, Chernobyl.
04:29 "There's been an accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant."
04:30 "How bad is it?"
04:31 "It's not that bad.
04:32 It's just that it's a nuclear power plant."
04:39 We knew this dramatised depiction of Chernobyl would kick off in dramatic fashion, and this
04:45 entire episode left us with chills.
04:49 We were shown the initial explosion as well as the direct aftermath, as firefighters,
04:55 residents of the town, and workers at the plant tried to understand the severity of
05:00 what had occurred.
05:02 "Comrade Perevozchenko, what you're saying is physically impossible.
05:05 The core can't explode.
05:06 It has to be the tank.
05:08 We're wasting time.
05:10 Let's go!"
05:11 We were left breathless as we watched everyone respond without taking the precautions we
05:16 now know were necessary to keep them safe.
05:20 Not to mention, watching the radiation snow down on the bystanders on the Bridge of Death
05:26 was nothing short of gut-wrenching.
05:29 Despite this show being based on real events, by the end of the episode, we were still dying
05:34 to know what would happen next.
05:45 Number 6.
05:46 Pilot - Modern Family
05:48 It's rare that a pilot manages to be as hilarious as all of the following episodes while keeping
05:54 up the same format and tone, but that was exactly what happened with Modern Family.
06:06 The first episode introduces us to the Dumphies, a typical suburban family, and the patriarch
06:12 Pritchett, Jay, with his new wife Gloria and her son Manny.
06:16 We also met Cam and Mitch, a couple who recently adopted a daughter from Vietnam, and her introduction
06:23 to the family instantly becomes an iconic sitcom moment.
06:36 These characters pulled us into a story filled with chaos and heart.
06:42 By the end of the episode, we had to keep watching as they immediately made us feel
06:46 like part of their modern family.
06:55 Number 5.
06:56 The Sopranos - The Sopranos
06:58 A show considered to be one of the best of all time definitely started out on the right
07:20 foot.
07:21 Tony Soprano is one of the most interesting anti-heroes in television history, and we
07:26 got to know what he was all about right away.
07:42 In the pilot, we saw him battle with his mental health and his wife as she tried to figure
07:47 out how to navigate Tony's dangerous lifestyle.
07:51 We were introduced to the Soprano family and saw what Tony's life was like through his
07:56 therapy sessions, his interactions with his family members, and his day-to-day happenings
08:02 in the world of organized crime.
08:05 The series started as abruptly as it ended, and we were instantly hooked.
08:18 Number 4.
08:24 Pilots - This Is Us
08:35 This show left us in tears many times, and the first was during the pilots.
08:41 We were introduced to Rebecca and Jack, who were about to have triplets in the past, as
08:46 well as Kate, Kevin, and Randall, who were celebrating their birthday in the present.
08:52 The time jumps let us know a lot about the Pearson clan, and we got to see how in love
08:57 their parents were, and how the triplets' lives turned out as adults.
09:10 The different time periods created an intriguing
09:20 story for the audience, as they wanted to keep watching to fill in the blanks.
09:25 But if that wasn't enough to sell this series, it was the twist at the end that really captivated
09:32 us.
09:37 Number 3.
09:38 The Smoke Gets In Your Eyes - Mad Men
09:51 The world of advertising in the mid-1900s is as intriguing as it is sexy, and it was
09:56 nearly impossible to not be drawn in from the very beginning of this series that dove
10:02 deep into this world.
10:04 Dan Draper is the mysterious main character, a talented creative director, and the genius
10:10 behind many campaigns throughout the show.
10:23 Developing a campaign for a cigarette company in the pilot, we get to see his twisted but
10:28 brilliant mind at work for the first of many times.
10:32 Between that and meeting the other captivating characters we'd grow to know and love, like
10:38 Peggy and Joan, we were spellbound instantly.
10:45 Number 2.
10:47 Pilot - Lost
10:56 This two-part pilot packed in enough action to keep us wanting more, while establishing
11:01 the tone and character dynamics that would carry on throughout the show.
11:06 Starting with the plane crash that brought the survivors together, we were quickly introduced
11:11 to this group of strangers that would grow to depend on one another like family.
11:23 We got our first glimpse of the monster, which led the audience and characters alike to realise
11:29 that there was something off on this island.
11:33 Several of the ongoing storylines were set up in the pilot, and you simply couldn't
11:38 stop watching after this two-parter reeled you in.
11:47 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions.
11:52 Pilot - The Leftovers
11:54 Meet the Garvey family in the midst of the chaos of the sudden departure.
12:09 Chapter 1 - The Vanishing of Will Byers - Stranger Things
12:14 Strange things happen immediately as Will's friends and family learn of his disappearance.
12:20 Days gone by - The Walking Dead.
12:35 The stage is set for the zombie apocalypse that graced our screens for over a decade.
12:47 Pilot - Abbott Elementary
12:49 Laughing through the struggles of underfunded schools right from the first scene.
13:09 The name of the game - The Boys.
13:12 This comic book came to life by showing us the dark side of superheroes.
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13:40 We'll be back with more of the most hilarious moments of the show.
13:44 Water White was almost unrecognisable by the end of this first episode, both to the audience
13:52 and to his own family.
13:54 The transition that happened in just one hour was groundbreaking.
14:12 The complexities that would be unraveled throughout the series were all introduced in this pilot.
14:19 From Walt's DEA brother-in-law to his complicated relationship with former student Jesse Pinkman,
14:25 and there was a lot to unpack.
14:37 Walt thinking he was caught near the end of the episode, stood a feeling of anticipation
14:43 and anxiety that became all too familiar when watching this show.
14:48 He went from struggling teacher to underworld drug manufacturer.
14:53 And something about this episode really told us that we were about to watch something great.
15:07 Did one of these pilots leave its mark with you?
15:10 Let us know which one in the comments.
15:29 [music]
15:39 (upbeat music)