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-   -   Best First Episodes of a TV Show (https://forum.dvdtalk.com/tv-talk/280917-best-first-episodes-tv-show.html)

Keyser Soze 03-25-03 12:40 AM

Twin Peaks.

-k
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nny 03-25-03 12:40 AM

The Shield's first episode did a great job of making me come back for more, but on repeat viewings I didn't think it was that great. I'll have to watch it again when I get the dvd, but I remember Family Guy's first episode being pretty bad. I don't remember the Gilmore Girls or Freaks and Geeks first episodes that well, but considering neither series has ever had a bad episode, it's safe to say they had great first episodes. That also goes for Police Squad.

Of the shows listed so far in the forum, I'd definitely go with Oz and Smallville. Also all the Herskovitz/Zwick shows (Thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, Relativity, and Once and Again) had great first episodes.

wendersfan 03-25-03 07:57 AM

Twin Peaks
The Sopranos

Giles 03-25-03 09:33 AM

The first episode of the 1980's series "The Twilight Zone" - where the lady could stop time... I was llike "oh ma gawd"

Roto 03-25-03 10:23 AM

Northern Exposure - Dr. Fleischman's first day in Alaska :D

Ed's first day back in Stuckeyville was good, but the first few shows sort of lump together for me. Was the suit of armor the first or second show?

Pasadena - this was a short lived Dallas knockoff on Fox not too long ago with Dana Delaney. Instead of an oil family, it was a newspaper family. It could've been great :(

The Shield was great for shock value, "Did he just??? Wasn't that guy a cop?" 24 also had me hooked from the opener.

Sitcoms are a tough call since they usually just start in the middle of something. I'll just rattle off a few, Undeclared, Doogie Howser, Malcom in the Middle, and Scrubs.

Morf 03-25-03 11:37 AM


Originally posted by Borst

Sienfeld

Are you serious? The first episode of Seinfeld was one of the worst pieces of garbage ever aired on television! No Elaine, and Kramer was called Kessler! Putrid.

Red Dog 03-25-03 11:38 AM

I don't even remember anything about the first Seinfeld except that it was horrible.

Morf 03-25-03 11:52 AM


Originally posted by Red Dog
I don't even remember anything about the first Seinfeld except that it was horrible.
From Seinfeld.com


Laura, a woman Jerry met during a trip to Lansing, has called to say she is coming to New York on business and might like to see him while she is in town. Although Jerry is convinced Laura is interested in romance, George disagrees, saying her non-committal attitude means she is only being polite. After hearing their argument, Claire, a waitress in their local coffee shop, agrees with George’s assessment.

Jerry’s neighbor Kessler offers to speak with Laura to find out her intentions, but Jerry declines, now thinking the whole thing has been a misunderstanding. However, as they are talking, Laura calls, wanting to know if she can stay with Jerry for the weekend. Hearing of this new development, George admits he must have been wrong about Laura.

Jerry arranges for George to give him a ride to the airport where the two of them meet Laura. Returning to his apartment, Jerry is intrigued when Laura asks to stay an extra day, wanting to spend it on a boat ride around Manhattan with him. Laura then receives a phone call from an anxious fiancee, prompting her to tell a disappointed Jerry never to get married.
Yeah, a truly unfunny episode.

Kal-El 03-25-03 12:18 PM

Once & Again.

Groucho 03-25-03 12:31 PM

"The Shield"

Nothing else comes close...except maybe "Black Adder."

Jobronie 03-25-03 01:03 PM

Think I came up with a sitcom, kinda. At least it's a half hour show.

IIRC, The Wonder Years had a pretty strong first ep. Pretty sure Winnie's brother died in Viet Nam in that first show, so it wasn't as funny as it was tender and heartwarming.....

Chew 03-25-03 01:19 PM

Twin Peaks
Alias
The Shield

for my choices.

Moefuscious 03-25-03 03:22 PM

Different Strokes ;)

DRG 03-25-03 08:45 PM

Dark Angel... great first episode. I was hooked... until about 6 or 7 episodes in, when I started losing interest.

Ditto for Alias. I'll give it a second chance on DVD someday, but I just wasn't as excited as weeks passed. I think I had a thing for the 'Run Lola Run' hairdo, and the 'normal' hairdos just wouldn't do after that. :)

Dead Zone. Great opener, but the concept wore thin in some of the later first season eps. Haven't had a chance to check out any of season 2 yet.

Smallville, another great opener. I've kept watching this one, though.

Gcomeau 03-26-03 03:25 PM

Three words:
Married.....with children. That one will forever be my favorite.

TheGuy 03-26-03 03:58 PM


Originally posted by Morf
From Seinfeld.com



Yeah, a truly unfunny episode.


Sorry but the FIRST shows were called "THE SEINFELD CRONACLES" there was like 3-4 of them then went off the air. Then there was a show called "THE MARSHALL CRONACLES" (about some skinny kid with glasses) When they wanted to but Seinfield back on they did not want to confuse viewers so they changed the name.

edclem 03-26-03 07:20 PM

No votes for South Park?!

Cartman gets an Anal Probe is a classic

Charlie Goose 03-27-03 02:08 PM


Originally posted by Roto

Ed's first day back in Stuckeyville was good, but the first few shows sort of lump together for me. Was the suit of armor the first or second show?

I would love to see the pilot movie for "Ed". It was never aired. It shows Ed catching his wife screwing some dude, making a mistake at his firm and getting sacked, and then coming back to Stuckeyville.

Sitcom notables:

The Cosby Show
Roseanne
Married...with Children
Mork & Mindy

http://charliegoose.homestead.com/files/goose.jpg Honk!

Morf 03-27-03 02:34 PM


Originally posted by TheGuy
Sorry but the FIRST shows were called "THE SEINFELD CRONACLES" there was like 3-4 of them then went off the air. Then there was a show called "THE MARSHALL CRONACLES" (about some skinny kid with glasses) When they wanted to but Seinfield back on they did not want to confuse viewers so they changed the name.
If I remember correctly, there was only 1 episode with the title "The Seinfeld Chronicles" and it was the episode that I mentioned.

edit: Yep, looks like I'm right. http://members.tripod.com/seinfeld-v...utseinfeld.htm

Jobronie 03-27-03 03:34 PM


Originally posted by edclem
No votes for South Park?!

Cartman gets an Anal Probe is a classic

Best Title of a First Episode hands down.

One of my wife's friends is a teacher, who several years ago was put on a What-is-this-South_Park-thing committee when South Park first got really hot with school kids. Sight unseen, she guessed it was my kind of show and called for info on the show and to see if I had taped any eps. I offered her use of my tapes and told her the best way to understand what the show is about is to just look at the title of the first ep. When I told her the title, it took her quite a while to realize that I was not kidding.....

Alien Redrum 03-27-03 03:49 PM

Millenium had a pretty damn_good opener.

Alien Redrum 03-27-03 03:49 PM

Oh yeah, and American Gothic was pretty good too.

JuryDuty 03-27-03 04:28 PM

Freaks and Geeks
24
Three's Company is a classic great first show.
Cosby

Buck Turgidson 03-27-03 07:47 PM

Tribeca - "The Box"

Laurence Fishburne won a well-deserved Emmy for his brilliant work in this episode.

tanman 03-28-03 01:03 PM

CSI - I just happened to catch the first episode on the TNN reruns and have been hooked ever since. Very good first episode.


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