We’re only halfway through the decade, but the 2020s have already delivered some gripping TV premiere episodes that got audiences hooked straight away. This includes series premieres, like theYellowjacketspilot that introduced the dual-timeline structure and the cannibalistic twist, and season premieres, like the aftermath ofHoward’s untimely death inBetter Call Saul.
15Filmed Before A Live Studio Audience
WandaVision Episode 1
AfterAvengers: Endgameput the entire universe on the brink of annihilation,the first episode ofWandaVisionwas a breath of fresh air. The biggest conflict in the premiere of Marvel Studios’ first streaming show is that Wanda is unprepared to host Vision’s boss for dinner.
“Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience” is a spot-on recreation of old black-and-white multi-camera sitcoms likeI Love LucyandThe Dick Van Dyke Show, butit also got viewers hooked with some eerieTwin Peaks-ian hints that things aren’t what they seemand something ominous is going on.
14F*ckin' Rez Dogs
Reservation Dogs Season 1, Episode 1
Sterlin Harjo brought his unique voice as a filmmaker to the small screen inReservation Dogs. The pilot episode introduced us to four Indigenous teenagers living in a small reservation community in rural Oklahoma. They’re so desperate to leave the reservation behind and escape to California that they’ll even resort to petty crimes.
Harjo’s co-writer Taika Waititi brings plenty of his signature zany humor to the proceedings — particularly when a spirit on horseback shows up — butHarjo keeps the whole thing grounded in an emotional naturalism, touching on grief and identity and, most importantly, an underrepresented culture.
13The Birds Don’t Sing, They Screech In Pain
Beef Season 1, Episode 1
The genius ofBeefis that itstarts out with a situation that everyone can relate to— a road rage incident — and takes it to the extreme. After Steven Yeun’s Danny and Ali Wong’s Amy almost get into a car crash, they both set out to destroy each other’s lives.
If either one of them was happy or well-adjusted, they could just let it go. But Lee Sung Jin’s pilot script does a hilarious job of showing that these two people were both teetering on the brink of self-destruction, and this near-crash is the final straw, perfectly setting the stage for their escalating feud.
12The End
Fallout Season 1, Episode 1
Falloutestablished its uniquely satirical outlook on the nuclear apocalypse within its very first episode. The retrofuturistic opening creates the gorgeously cinematic visual style for the series, and the post-apocalyptic production design brings the world of the video games to life beautifully.
But the aesthetic is just gravy. Director Jonathan Nolan keeps this pilot episodefocused squarely on the characters inhabiting that post-apocalyptic wasteland, from a mutated gunslinger to a naive kid who grew up in a bunker.
11There Is No Line
Hacks Season 1, Episode 1
Very few showbiz satires havegotten the world of comedy as spot-on asHacks. The first episodeintroduced audiences to the dynamic duo that would carry the series: Deborah Vance, a has-been standup icon with a residency in Vegas, and Ava Daniels, a recently canceled comedy writer.
They’ve both reached an impasse in their careers, and as much as they hate to admit it, they need each other to get back on track. Deborah and Ava’s relationship has been the backbone of the show ever since, and the pilot episode was the perfect introduction to that relationship.
10A Son For A Son
House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 1
Ultimately,the second season ofHouse of the Dragonended up being a disappointment. After the constant time-jumping momentum of season 1, season 2’s wheel-spinning was a bit of a let-down. Season 1’s jaw-dropping finale had set up an all-out war, and season 2 ended up putting off that war until season 3.
Having said that, “A Son for a Son” was a very promising premiere episode. It saw Rhaenyra ruthlessly plotting her revenge after the shocking events of the season 1 finale, and an ill-advised assassination mission and crucial miscommunicationled to one of theGame of Thronesfranchise’s darkest moments.
9Orange Juice, No Pulp
The Rehearsal Season 1, Episode 1
After the end ofNathan for You,Nathan Fielder’s next show arrived as an even more outlandish and ambitious TV experiment. Although its later episodes would deviate wildly into new areas,The Rehearsalset itself up as a docu-comedy about using elaborate roleplay scenarios to prepare people for uncomfortable situations.
The first episode, “Orange Juice, No Pulp,” sees the production team recreating a bar, subliminally spoiling trivia answers, and hiring actors to interview and then impersonate real people just to help a bar trivia afficionado come clean to his teammate about his education. It laid the groundwork for a very different kind of show.
8Anjin
Shōgun Season 1, Episode 1
FX’s readaptation ofShōgunput its blockbuster budget to good use bringing 1600s Osaka to life and getting all the cultural and historical details just right, and that was apparent from its very first episode.“Anjin” has impressive production values, poignant performances by its cast, and breathtaking cinematography, courtesy of Christopher Ross.
This premiere fits a heck of a lot of information into a single episode. It fills in all the characters’ backstories, it sets the stage for the political conflicts that will permeate throughout the series, and it takes plenty of time to just bask in the gorgeous historical milieu.
7The Promotion
The Studio Season 1, Episode 1
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s Hollywood satireThe Studioproved itself to be one of the best new comedies of the decade in its very first episode. “The Promotion” showed that this series had an in-depth understanding of the industry it was satirizing, but that it wouldn’t be so inside-baseball that it would alienate casual viewers.
As soon as Rogen’s Matt Remick scores his dream job as the head of Continental Studios, he’s faced with a very unenviable task:kill Martin Scorsese’s passion project. The episode instantly established the show’s characters, the world they inhabit, andthe chaotic filming style capturing the chaos of the film industry.
6Pilot
Yellowjackets Season 1, Episode 1
The pilot episode ofYellowjacketsset up two different shows at once — and they’re both just as compelling as each other. The ‘90s storyline follows a girls’ soccer team as they get stranded in the harsh, unforgiving wilderness following a gruesome plane crash. The present-day storyline sees the grown-up survivors trying to conceal their dark secrets.
The pilot episode of Yellowjackets set up two different shows at once — and they’re both just as compelling as each other.
These dual timelines introduced a unique way to tell a story on television, and both casts were full of incredible actors giving incredible performances. If that wasn’t enough to get you hooked, the final stinger gives away the darkest secret the survivors are harboring: cannibalism.
