Tuesday is Top 10 day! Every list is based on personal opinion and shows I have watched.
Fittingly, the Top 10 to kick things off is Top 10 First Episodes of Comedies!
Close Calls:
Brooklyn Nine-Nine "Pilot"
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel "Pilot"
Rhoda "Joe"
A pilot that was completely unique and different, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt made great use of its very unusual plot with a pilot that was hilarious and a perfect showcase for the title character.
9. Bewitched "I, Darrin, Take This Witch, Samantha" (September 17, 1964)
An enchanting start to an enchanting sitcom that really captures the romanticism of the early seasons of the show. Check back Thursday for more on this episode and the whole first season of Bewitched!
8. The Bob Newhart Show "Fly the Unfriendly Skies" (September 16, 1972)
Definitely the pilot with the least exposition on this list, The Bob Newhart Show was a show that was completely sure about what it was from the very beginning and let us learn about through great characters and great writing.
7. Arrested Development "Pilot" (November 2, 2003)
Similar to Kimmy Schmidt, this was a pilot to an unusual show but also one that was very sure of the story it wanted to tell. In one episode, it managed to very effectively introduce us to the many characters and their very odd dynamics with each other.
A show that had a very unique storytelling device (before it went awry), the pilot of How I Met Your Mother made good on its premise and managed to pull a very clever bait and switch before we got tired of the show doing that.
5. The Cosby Show "Pilot" (September 20, 1984)
It can be tough to talk about The Cosby Show now but this was a groundbreaking episode. Not only was it the way a black family was portrayed but also the way they turned an "aww" moment about Theo's report card into hilarity.
4. The Last Man on Earth "Alive in Tucson" (March 1, 2015)
The show that followed never lived up to it, but the pilot for The Last Man on Earth was perhaps the most fascinating I have ever seen. It was an incredibly directed and written character study of Will Forte's titular character.
3. Modern Family "Pilot" (September 23, 2009)
So often sitcoms need a few episodes to get themselves into a groove and get their timing down. And every once in awhile we have a pilot like Modern Family, which is so polished and so pristine, it was like the creators and cast had been at it for years.
2. The Wonder Years "The Wonder Years" (January 31, 1988)
Is there a more iconic ending to a TV pilot than Kevin and Winnie kissing in the woods? The coming of age show placed us squarely in 1968 from the start and delivered on the exact right kind of nostalgia.
This pilot must have felt so fresh in 1970. We were out of the era of dumb sitcoms and had this brilliantly written and acted, oh so very smart sitcom that established its characters perfectly from the start. Is there a TV dynamic that was ever established as smoothly and quickly as Mary Richards and Lou Grant? I don't think so.
Tomorrow: A One Season Wonder Look at My Mother the Car!
Next Tuesday: Top 10 First Episodes of Dramas!
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