Best First Episodes of a TV Show
#27
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From: Houston, TX
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.
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.
#28
Twin Peaks
The Sopranos
The Sopranos
#30
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Northern Exposure - Dr. Fleischman's first day in Alaska 
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.

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.
#31
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From: IL
Originally posted by Borst
Sienfeld
Sienfeld
#33
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From: IL
Originally posted by Red Dog
I don't even remember anything about the first Seinfeld except that it was horrible.
I don't even remember anything about the first Seinfeld except that it was horrible.
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.
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.
#36
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From: The Quad-city area of Melonville, Meckling, the Boro of Melon, and Party Town
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.....
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.....
#39
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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.
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.
#41
DVD Talk Special Edition
Originally posted by Morf
From Seinfeld.com
Yeah, a truly unfunny episode.
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.
#43
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From: Sesame Street (the apt. next to Bob's)
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?
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?
Sitcom notables:
The Cosby Show
Roseanne
Married...with Children
Mork & Mindy
Honk!
#44
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From: IL
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.
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.
edit: Yep, looks like I'm right. http://members.tripod.com/seinfeld-v...utseinfeld.htm
Last edited by Morf; 03-27-03 at 02:38 PM.
#45
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From: The Quad-city area of Melonville, Meckling, the Boro of Melon, and Party Town
Originally posted by edclem
No votes for South Park?!
Cartman gets an Anal Probe is a classic
No votes for South Park?!
Cartman gets an Anal Probe is a classic
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.....
#50
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CSI - I just happened to catch the first episode on the TNN reruns and have been hooked ever since. Very good first episode.



