Greetings, reader!
I always strive to make each week's post relevant in some way - and this week's post is topical, if you really stretch your imagination. You see, the 10-year anniversary of Dexter's (2006-2013) series finale is in a few weeks, so I figured I'd do a post on the top 10 TV series finales of all time that week. And, since I didn't have better ideas for the weeks leading up to it, I decided to make a four-week thing out of it: first I rank the top 10 pilot episodes from both comedy TV and drama TV, and then the top 10 series finales from both categories. Starting off this four-part look into the greatest beginnings and endings in TV, here are the greatest comedy pilot episodes of all time!
Here are my honorable mentions: Pilot (30 Rock, Season 1 Episode 1), Pilot (The Office, Season 1 Episode 1), Policin' (That Damn Michael Che, Season 1 Episode 1), Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire (The Simpsons, Season 1 Episode 1), The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate (F.R.I.E.N.D.S., Season 1 Episode 1).
10. Between the Toes (Ramy, Season 1 Episode 1)
"He's not really my cousin. He's just like, you know..."
"Oh, like an Arab cousin?"
"Yes!"
"Yeah, just like, anyone that your dad's ever met"
I started to watch Ramy, the Golden Globe -winning yet severely under-the-radar sitcom about a Muslim family in New Jersey, because Trevor Noah talked about it in a fascinating way on The Daily Show. And, from the first episode, I knew I had stumbled onto something good - the personalities of the main characters and the show's signature humor and themes are immediately established, in a fashion that leaves you begging for more. Nothing much happens, but the episode fulfils its job as a pilot with well-flowing introductions to the show's milieu.
9. Pilot (Ted Lasso, Season 1 Episode 1)
"How do you take your tea?"
"Well, usually I take it right back to the counter because someone has made a horrible mistake. But, when in Rome, right?"
From one extreme to the other - while Ramy's pilot is low on storytelling and features a lot of general vibing, the American-British football series Ted Lasso starts with a plot-heavy bang. It's a lot of information to wrap your head around: wealthy Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) has inherited the football club owned by her ex-husband through a messy divorce, yet she doesn't care about football and wants to hurt the man who hurt her by destroying the club ("the one thing he truly loved"), and her plan is to fire the team's coach and replace him with a clueless American.
Only the American in question happens to be Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis), a human golden retriever and one of the most uplifting, heart-melting and all-around lovable people in all fiction. The greatness of this character and of Sudeikis' multiple-Emmy-winning performance are evident from the very first episode, as the rapid storytelling and blink-and-you'll-miss-it introductions to supporting characters are balanced out by moments of authentic, heartfelt humor. The culture shock between the U.S. and the U.K. is also an endless gold mine of comedy, and the pilot plays with it well.
8. Pilot (Rick and Morty, Season 1 Episode 1)
"Because the world is full of idiots that don't understand what's important. And they'll tear us apart, Morty. But if you stick with me, I'm gonna accomplish great things, Morty. And you're gonna be a part of 'em. And together we're gonna run around, Morty, we're gonna do all kinds of wonderful things, Morty. Just you and me, Morty. The outside world is our enemy, Morty. We're the only friends we've got, Morty. It's just Rick and Morty. Rrrrick and Morty and their adventures, Morty. Rick and Morty, forever and forever, a hundred years Rick and Morty"
The first episode of the animated sitcom I've often described as "Back to the Future meets Community meets South Park meets Doctor Who" is just the sort of chaotic mess that you'd expect. We meet the strange old scientist and the boy he goes on adventures with (hence the Back to the Future), we get a major dose of pop culture references and meta comedy (hence the Community), the humor is crude and outrageous (hence the South Park), and the sci-fi is surprisingly fascinating with some decent and adventurous worldbuilding (hence the Doctor Who).
Also, it's one of the funniest gags in the entire series when Rick tells Morty to shoot an alien guard, Morty hesitates, Rick tells him "It's okay, they're just robots", Morty shoots him, the alien cries in pain and longs for his family, Morty looks at Rick with a "what the hell" expression and Rick says "It's a figure of speech, it means they're bureucrats, I don't respect them!". Top tier dark humor.
7. The Gang Gets Racist (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Season 1 Episode 1)
"Coffee, Hitler? I'll be sure to put lots of cream in that for you"
"No, I'm not Adolf Hitler"
Oh, speaking of dark humor!
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, still running strong after a record-breaking 16 seasons, is living proof that the "YOU CAN'T JOKE ABOUT ANYTHING ANYMORE" crowd 100% needs to shut the f**k up. You can very much joke about anything, even dark and edgy topics, when you do it with good taste, to the right crowd, and not at anyone's expense. The thing you're thinking of, the thing you shouldn't do anymore, is called BULLYING.
Because, let's face it - if the rules about joking had really changed, this series would've been cancelled (in both senses of the word) a long time ago. Just watch this pilot episode to get the picture - the issue of racism is danced around and jabbed at, on multiple levels of satire and irony, in a way that ends up being totally okay and damn hilarious as well. The series would go on to do similar episodes tackling abortion, gun violence, cancer and molestation - and that's just the first season. Not for everyone, this series, but it sure had this fan of dark comedy hooked from the start.
6. Episode One (Episodes, Season 1 Episode 1)
"But why do it? Our lives are here, our friends are here..."
"Who would you miss?"
"...We need better friends"
The first Episode of the deeply underrated Episodes is structured in a nice fashion, beginning with a flash-forward that will eventually tie in to the season 1 finale, and ending with a final line that truly hits the nail on the coffin regarding the show's premise. Everything in between is set-up for the show's series-within-a-series plot, as we follow successful British showrunners Sean (Stephen Mangan) and Beverly (Tamsin Greig) getting recruited to move to Hollywood and make an American version of their show. Cleverly built cringe, hilarious cultural differences and razor-sharp satire ensue from the start.
5. Pilot (The Good Place, Season 1 Episode 1)
"I wasn't freaking Gandhi, but I was okay. I was a medium person. I should get to spend eternity in a medium place! Like Cincinnati"
It makes sense that a unique, groundbreaking and thoroughly different sitcom like The Good Place would have a unique, groundbreaking a thoroughly different pilot episode. Michael Schur (known for his work on The Office, Parks and Recreation AND Brooklyn Nine-Nine) set out to make a series focusing on the afterlife, in order to ask and possibly answer some hard-hitting philosophical questions via the lens of comedy television. And so, the first episode begins with Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) sitting in a waiting room, soon finding out that she has just died moments earlier, and is now in the afterlife.
From the very first moments, The Good Place hits different - Bell (as well as co-stars Ted Danson and William Jackson Harper) is hysterical, and the overall feel is cute and cozy despite the underlying deep ponderings and ethical dilemmas. The pilot (and first bunch of episodes in general) also has some of TV's best re-watch value, as it gets funnier and more clever when knowing the context of later plot twists, that were clearly planned from the beginning.
4. Pilot (Modern Family, Season 1 Episode 1)
"I'm Cool Dad, that's my thang. I'm hip, I surf the web, I text. LOL: Laugh Out Loud. OMG: Oh My God. WTF: Why The Face"
The first episode of Modern Family is a delight. We follow three archetypes of modern families, in seemingly separate storylines, with only the final sequence revealing that they're all connected in a fashion that gives the 11-person main cast infinite ammo for comedic hijinks in the seasons to come. Before that grand reveal, we're treated to some memorable sequences, such as Haley's (Sarah Hyland) boyfriend Dylan (Reid Ewing) making an awkward first impression with the Dunphy family, and Mitch (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) giving a fiery speech on gay rights on an airplane, only to realize that the situation leading to it was a misunderstanding.
And, yeah - the Circle of Life scene at the end is one for the ages. The comedic timing of "He was a bit of a drama queen" / "No, stop it - you come into my house, you insult me and my boyfriend who, by the way, isn't that dramatic" / *The lights are dimmed as The Circle of Life starts to blast from the speakers as Cam makes his grand entrance with Lily* is just brilliant.
3. Pilot (How I Met Your Mother, Season 1 Episode 1)
"Let's go, we can still make last call! What do you say, Lil? Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum? ...Coz you're a pirate?"
How I Met Your Mother is one of my ultimate comfort shows, and while there's a lot to love across the show's nine seasons, there will always be something next-level special about the first 6-8 episodes of season one. I can't quite place what the difference is - something in the directing style and overall atmosphere makes these episodes stand with a vibe of their own, and re-watching them for the millionth time will never cease to remind me of how magically addictive it felt to start the series for the first time.
A hilariously young, goofy and innocent Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel) gets engaged to an equally young and goofy Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan), while Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) is introduced in a very Barney fashion and Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders) is given her romantic entrance. The main character of it all is the lovable schmuck Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor), and the premise is framed as him at an older age telling this story to his children. The pilot episode is filled with warm and nostalgic vibes and memorable (even legen-waitforit-dary) moments, and returning to it always feels like home.
2. Pilot (Community, Season 1 Episode 1)
"And Abed? Abed's a shaman. You ask him to pass the salt, he gives you a bowl of soup. Because you know what, soup is better. Abed is better"
Ah. how it all began. Even if the pilot episode of my all-time favorite sitcom may have slight imperfections and growing pains, it still makes it all the way to second place. I must've watched this episode around 15 times in my life, I can certainly quote every scene, and I've just never gotten tired of it. Right from the beginning, Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) is a total asshole in order for his eventual redemption arch to work, and right from the beginning, Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi) is the greatest fictional human being ever created and a magical dude / moral compass for everyone around him. All of the other main characters get solid introductions as well, but these are the most important ones, as their effect on each other would go on to color the entire series in a meaningful way.
Sharp, clever and bouncy dialogue ensues as the infamous Study Group is created, naturally under false pretenses and with major drama involved. The lines range from utterly hilarious ("I thought you had a Bachelor's from Columbia" / "Yeah, and now I have to get one from America"), through weirdly profound ("Funny thing about being smart is that you can get through most of life without ever having to do any work"), all the way to deeply emotional (The first of many "Winger speeches" to save the day). The poetic turning-of-the-tables in Jeff saying "I see your value now" to Abed near the beginning and Abed replying with "That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me!", only for the characters to repeat the same dialogue but with roles reversed and the context changed at the end of the episode, is quite beautiful.
Also, Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) screwing up his opening day speech has got to be one of the funniest opening scenes to a television series that I've come across.
1. Space Pilot 3000 (Futurama, Season 1 Episode 1)
"Can I ask a question?"
"As long as it's not about my eye"
"Uhh..."
"Is it about the eye?"
"Sort of"
"Just ask the question"
"What's with the eye?"
Yes, you read correctly - the oft-forgotten and overlooked series, often referred to as "The Matt Groening series that isn't The Simpsons" or "the animated sci-fi sitcom that isn't Rick and Morty" has the greatest pilot episode in comedy television. If you ask me, at least.
It's just such a captivating beginning. The humor is top notch, from the hilariously Star Trek -spoofing opening seconds all the way to the last scenes, but the premise and plot really pull their weight as well. We follow protagonist Philip J. Fry (Billy West), a delivery guy who gets cryogenically frozen by accident and wakes up a century later. While navigating this futuristic world, he finds himself a job with interstellar delivery company Planet Express, and the supporting characters are introduced in a manner that leaves you begging to learn more about each one. It's an opening episode equal parts hysterical and fascinating, and for a comedy series, you can't start with more of a bang than this.
Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I continue this four-week extravaganza with my list of the top 10 pilots from drama TV.
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