The greatest TV pilots of all-time are single episodes of television that introduced us to what would soon be iconic characters and casts. A TV pilot is the first episode of a TV sitcom, drama, cartoon, or even reality show that introduces the cast and story to audiences and asks them (in as little as 22 minutes) to stick around and watch the show throughout its run. While many of these shows are now considered to be among the best TV shows of all time, many didn't know they were watching the beginnings of history when they tuned in to these top TV pilot episodes.
Some of the greatest TV pilots featured things you didn't think you'd ever hear on television (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), the introduction of characters that would drive the top cult TV shows of all-time (Twin Peaks, The X-Files), and even moments in TV history that- even a decade before their release- would have been censored and disallowed from ever airing on television (The Following). These greatest TV pilots became some of the best TV shows currently on the air with some of the greatest TV characters ever.
What was the best TV pilot ever? That's what this list is here to help the TV viewing public decide. This list is a round-up of the best sitcom pilots, best sci-fi pilots, and the best drama pilots ever to make it to air on television. If you don't see your favorite TV pilot on the list, make sure to add it so it can compete for the #1 spot on the list of the all-time greatest TV pilots.1
4,5182,608Breaking Bad
Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul2
4,5271,912Game of Thrones
Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey3
3,4702,316Lost
Naveen Andrews, Emilie de Ravin4
4,2621,810The Walking Dead
Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal5
1,381989The Sopranos
James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco6
1,4381,157Friends
Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox7
2,4561,605Firefly
Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres8
840549M*A*S*H
Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers9
2,4061,996Sherlock
Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman10
885800The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Mary Tyler Moore, Edward Asner11
1,9011,498The X-Files
David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson12
1,250835House
Hugh Laurie, Omar Epps13
1,4351,355Arrested Development
Jason Bateman, Michael Cera14
2,8952,883Dexter
Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter15
1,4591,282How I Met Your Mother
Josh Radnor, Jason Segel16
1,1041,072Battlestar Galactica
Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell17
1,8741,213Futurama
Billy West, John DiMaggio18
716403The Simpsons
Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright19
1,8161,247Supernatural
Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles20
1,5471,452The Big Bang Theory
Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons21
674686Star Trek: The Next Generation
Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner22
741717Star Trek: The Original Series
William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy23
1,4881,582That '70s Show
Topher Grace, Laura Prepon24
1,2471,237Scrubs
Zach Braff, Donald Faison25
1,031726Sons of Anarchy
Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal