Groucho

I would never list that as a great first episode. It wasn't bad, but that show really took about six episodes to get going.

Noonan

I agree. I gave up after 2 the first time I tried to watch it. When I finally decided to put some time into it, I was completely hooked by episode 4 or 5.

johnnysd

Agree as well. The first episode of The Wire is really really boring. Very hard to get into it.

Groucho

The biggest problem is that anybody watching it now has likely been prepared with "It's the greatest show on the history of television!" and "You're gonna LOVE Omar!" So, when Omar doesn't appear, and you're not immediately blown away it's bound to be disappointing.

Nausicaa

I would have to say Lost, hands down. Even if it were to air for the first time today I think it would be an impressively cinematic and incredibly captivating setup for the shows premise.

Breaking Bad also stands out in my memory - Walter White in whitey-tighties with a pistol, "police" sirens blaring. I mean who isn't going to watch the whole season after that?

Mike86

Breaking Bad- I remember getting the first season on DVD and watching it and thinking it was different but was drawn in to wanting to keep watching.

Dexter- even though the series went to shit at the end, I'm surprised no one else has mentioned it. Really set the tone of what the series should have been it's entire run.

The Sopranos- I've always been into mob type films and the character of Tony Soprano was interesting to me right from the start.

True Detective- if this one counts it was awesome for sure. Great acting, setting, and an story that drew you in plus interesting characters.

davidh777

It's fine if you didn't like Lost, but you may also find it interesting that a lot of people kept watching.

Superman07

I need to break out my dvds and finish going back through that series!

cleaver

Can't believe only 1 other person went Walking Dead, that, Sopranos, and Lost are my big 3.

Jory

The pilot episode of Mission: Impossible is, in my opinion, the best of the entire series. It's the one I always recommend to people who are interested in the show. If you don't like that one, you won't like the rest.

The two-hour pilot episode of Ironside is some kind of minor masterpiece. Whether it's the "first episode" is up for debate. Most episode guides I see refer to the next episode as the first, even though the pilot was clearly setting up an ongoing series.

The Star Trek episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before" is one of the best in the entire series, but whether it's the first episode is debatable. "The Cage" was shot first, discarded, and later salvaged for a new(ish) episode. "Where No Man Has Gone Before" was the first pilot that actually aired... but it didn't air first. The first episode to air was "The Man Trap," which was something like #5 or #6 in production order. Long story short, I consider "Where No Man Has Gone Before" the "true" first episode of Star Trek, and I think it's awesome.

I've only seen the first season of 24, but the fact that it hooked me sufficiently to watch the remaining 23 episodes must count for something.

Shannon Nutt

The pilot of '24' (and much of the first season) plays much more casually/slowly than later seasons were. And they were really dedicated to the whole 'real time' thing then, as opposed to latter seasons, when they kind of played fast and loose with it.

Groucho

I imagine this show would be the big winner if we ever do a "Best fourth episode" poll.

TimeandTide

It's been mentioned three or four times in this thread.

godzilla rules

The Shield FTW

johnnysd

Just remembered that Awake had a terrific first episode.

Red Dog

Nip/tuck was great.

Jimmy James

Nip/Tuck felt a little too derivative of The Shield if you ask me, coming so close on its heels. The Shield feels derivative of Oz to me, but there was a good amount of time between those two. They're all pretty good.

So, my list:

Arrested Development tops things for me. It's just perfect. It represents the whole show I think.

Oz

The Shield

Justified

Miracles (God is Now Here/Nowhere)

Profit

Nip/Tuck

Heroes

Prison Break

Desperate Housewives

mortalplague

Lone Star

davidh777

I think this is the first positive mention of DH on this forum since 2009.

(Not calling you out--I watched the whole run and all the late seasons other than the reboot were painful.)

Jimmy James

I didn't make it out of the second season, but the first episode was a good one. I give credit where it is due.

davidh777

You're smarter than I was. Once I was in for a few seasons, I felt obligated to finish it out, and it just kept getting worse.

hasslein

Starsky & Hutch.The first season was the best, until they toned the violence down.

JuryDuty

Dawson's Creek is a great submission. That pilot was truly the best episode of the series.

Fist of Doom

Most of my favorites have been mentioned. I'll add Raising Hope. I was cracking up from start to finish that first episode.

Nice pick. Love that first season.

Apple Gooncha

The two that immediately come to mind have both been mentioned (The Walking Dead and Twin Peaks) and I agree that the first episode of The Walking Dead is much better than the rest of the series has been (and I even like the show!).

Some other shows that hooked me pretty quick:

Game of Thrones (in all fairness, I read the books years before the series and after about 15-20 minutes I could tell it was being done the right way)

True Detective

House of Cards (Kevin Spacey version... although the only specific thing I remember from the first episode is actually something I don't like)

Treme



Also, I'm of the belief that The Wire is the greatest series ever and I don't think the first episode is bad (not sure there are any episodes that I think are weak), but the very first one is maybe one of the worst 5-10 episodes of the entire series.