Fall TV premieres are in full swing and that means pilot episodes galore. Shows are under intense pressure to hook audiences immediately. Audiences are fickle and networks have itchy trigger fingers. A weak pilot (that somehow managed to get ordered to series for one reason or another) could spell doom for a series - especially if the show doesn't improve in a hurry.
But some of TV's biggest success stories have been shows that took a while to find their audience. Cheers - despite getting off to a creatively strong start - was dead last in the ratings for all shows in its debut year. Seinfeld not only had low ratings and a very short initial order of four episodes, but it's pilot episode frankly wasn't all that funny. It definately took the show a while to find its voice. In fact, I might say that it ranks as one of the series that improved most from its pilot to its glory days.
So what's your pick for a series that started slow but eventually became awesome?
I'd say 'Fringe' is the most immediate choice. I actually stopped watching the show twice, but both times picked it back up again - it went from an X-Files knock-off (with off-putting gore at times) to one of the most inventive and fun SF shows on TV, but it took about two full seasons to really find itself.
ReplyDeleteAnother example would be 'Torchwood' - the first two-thirds of its debut season are pretty diabolical (including 'Cyberwoman,' possibly one of the worst hours of TV EVAH), but S2 is - bar one weak episode - absolute class from start to finish. The shift into more grown-up stories for S3 and S4 made me lament what we could have had with more seasons like S2 - a British '24' with added aliens :(
I'd say 'Dollhouse' too, but even by the end of S2 I don't think the show had figured itself out. The first few episodes were AWFUL though.
Eureka. The whole thing with Carter and Zoe is so over played already. Bored me senseless. I just kept watching because I like sci-fi. (And frankly, it doesn't hurt that the show is brave enough to show one can both be a scientist and believe in God or at least the possibility of an afterlife.) Now I'm a big fan.
ReplyDeletePsych to me is another one that started out weak and has been getting stronger. My only problem with it is I didn't pay attention to what was cool and hip in the 80s. So the 80s references pass completely over my head. (True story, I never heard the song Never Gonna Give You Up until Barry Manilow sang it. And I never heard of Rick Astley. I finally had to look up was a Rick-Roll was on Wikipedia.)
I'd say Seinfeld and Star Trek The Next Generation would be my top two picks. Seinfeld's pilot was passable, but the first season as a whole is pretty forgettable and not that funny. As for ST:TNG, I feel like the pilot had a bit too much of Gene Roddenberry's optimistic feel-good touch; not enough conflict, characters not flawed enough, et cetera.
ReplyDeleteSecond Star Trek Next Generation. That was possibly one of the worst pilots I've ever seen, but I constantly watch the rerun episodes on BBCA.
ReplyDeleteJasmiSings, you and I could be friends based on the shows we both seem to enjoy. I'll agree with you that both shows got better with age. I'm trying to think of what makes my list though, and I'm not sure.
ReplyDeleteA third on ST:TNG. Didn't watch regularly until around season three. Another example: NBC's Friends. Very generic sitcom writing until they figured out the voices of the characters. And got rid of Ross's monkey.
ReplyDelete@Valarie - Do you like Warehouse 13 too? Because we could practically be BFFs! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm also quite fond of Burn Notice (well, I am a Bruce Campbell fan) and while I didn't get into it until this year I'm a fan of Criminal Minds.
I totally forgot how awful the pilot of ST:TNG was. Thanks for the reminder, guys.
In fairness to the pilot of STTNG, the 2nd episode is SO much worse!
ReplyDelete"the office" was shit in the beginning. that first half season was awful, and then they changed michael's character (and his hair) and it got better.
ReplyDeletebut if we're really being honest here, i'll go with the original "melrose place".
But Bitter, the 2nd episode of ST:TNG was the second half of the pilot!
ReplyDelete"Justified" was kinda just okay in the first season, but the second season was just fantastic.
ReplyDeleteI'd pick TNG as well. I thought the first two seasons were okay (more miss than hit) but it really took off when Michael Piller took over as head of the writing staff at the beginning of the third season. At least in part due to his open door policy which lead to the hiring of people like Ron D. Moore, Brannon Braga, René Echevarria, and others.
ReplyDelete30 Rock had a "meh" kind of pilot, which is duly noted by Tina Fey in "Bossypants". Liz Lemon was such a bitch in it. And Tracy Jordan was smart (or at least not with low iq). And Kenneth wasn't aw-shucksy naive. The Emmys proved the figured it out though, now didn't they. Especially when they knew Alec Baldwin was going to stick around.
ReplyDeleteFringe, also. Hardly watched any of season 1. The last two season were fantastic.
Sons of Anarchy, was not very good for at least 5 episodes. The pilot made a lot of assumptions and was very hastily put together.
How about Star Trek: Enterprise. The first three seasons pretty much sucked. Then BOOM! Forth season was awesome. If they had only hired those writers in the first season it might've lasted longer. I mean the Augment Arc alone was something out of a Trekkie's wet dream.
ReplyDeleteThe pilot of TNG was two-hours. The second episode was the episode that followed - "The Naked Now." Fans probably remember it as "the ep where the kid saves the ship and Data and Tasha do it."
ReplyDeleteMASH
ReplyDeleteNo, Bitter, Part 1 is considered Episode One, Part Two Episode 2, Naked Now is Episode Three. Even on the VHS and DVDs they're labeled as such.
ReplyDelete@JamiSings, I haven't got into Warehouse 13 yet. It's on my to-watch list. I've heard good things. :)
ReplyDelete