Take Us to the Pilot

The final mark in our series on TV killers is Barry, the darkly comedic crime drama, which earned widespread acclaim for co-creator and star Bill Hader.

Our next fictional TV killer narrates in the second person as he stalks his victim in the pilot of You.

The pilot of Mindhunter begins a journey into the psychology of serial killers, framed through the vision of director David Fincher.

This week we're up north for the pilot of Fargo, the (sort of) anthology series that captures the same blend of drama, absurdity, and dark humor as its film counterpart.

We're checking in to the pilot of Bates Motel, the A&E drama that expanded the world and fleshed out the backstory of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.

The series Hannibal expanded the limits of broadcast programming while serving a fresh new depiction of its namesake cannibal.

We're back with a whole new slate of pilots, this time focused on the serial killer genre. First up is the iconic Showtime drama Dexter, which blends several tones while putting viewers in the mind of its bloody lead character.

We're debriefing our final entry in the drug crime genre, last year's gritty and character-driven drama Task.

The premiere of Snowfall juggles three storylines while delivering an intoxicating blend of fact, fiction, and flash.

The Ozark pilot focuses on the money laundering part of the drug trade, as well as the family theme common in the crime genre.

We are heading to South America for the pilot of Narcos, the Netflix series that hooked viewers with a dramatic flair on a true crime story.

We're riding along with the Sons of Anarchy pilot, which took the crime genre to a new locale while establishing a franchise with a lot of mileage for FX

Next in our lineup is the pilot of Weeds, which highlights creator Jenji Kohan's signature mix of dark humor and social commentary.

Take Us to the Pilot is back, and this year we’re focusing on the crime genre! The first several shows in our lineup are related to the drug trade, and what more iconic series to kick off the category than Breaking Bad. For this pilot, creator Vince Gilligan engineered the perfect chemistry for groundbreaking TV.

Take Us to the Pilot has officially reached 100 episodes! To mark this milestone, we're discussing the fictional pilot of Jerry. As the focus of Seinfeld's fourth season, the show-within-a-show arc was self-referential in a way never seen on a sitcom before.

Happy Halloween! We're wrapping up our month of witchy TV pilots by discussing Mayfair Witches, which adds to the mythology of AMC's Immortal Universe.

Our witchy pilot this week, Charmed, features three times the magic and demonstrates the power of sisterhood.

The pilot of Sabrina the Teenage Witch not only revitalized the Archie Comics character but also updated the fantasy comedy genre for 90s family television.

It's October, so we're getting in the Halloween spirit by discussing shows about witches! Our first witchy pilot, Bewitched, is a classic from the era of 60s fantasy comedies.

We wrap up our series on new technology with the pilot of Severance, whose surreal setting and central concept give a new meaning to the idea of work/life balance.

In the pilot of Upload, creator Greg Daniels explores how new tech can transform human life and the afterlife.

The epic pilot episode of Westworld reinvented its source material to begin an ambitious story about how technology brings out the dark side of human nature.

There's a dark side to new technology, as explored in the USA thriller Mr. Robot, whose pilot establishes the show's unique look and atmosphere.

The TV tech genre focuses on innovation and disruption, as exemplified by the pilot of Halt and Catch Fire, which takes us back to the 80s tech boom in the Silicon Prairie.

We're beginning our next miniseries on the tech genre with the pilot of Silicon Valley, which lampooned the culture of the tech industry through the satirical lens of Mike Judge. 

We're completing our assignment to gather intel on the spy genre with the pilot of Slow Horses, the acclaimed AppleTV+ drama, which takes the category in a less glamorous direction.

The pilot of Killing Eve began a cat-and-mouse story elevated by its talented leads, adding another strong entry into the TV spy genre.

We continue our mission to observe the TV spy genre with the premiere of The Americans. The series opens on spy couple Elizabeth and Phillip Jennings whose story focuses on themes of patriotism, loyalty, and marriage.

As part of our mission to gain intel on the TV spy genre, we're now discussing the pilot episode of Homeland, whose intricate plot and layered characters earned universal praise.

Continuing our mission to break down the TV spy genre, this week we discuss the pilot of 24, which introduced the famous ticking clock and iconic hero Jack Bauer.

We're embarking on a new mission to redefine the TV spy category, starting with the pilot of Alias, which marked the beginning of a new era for the genre with its intricate plot and high production values.

The Last of Us is the final remaining pilot in our survival mode series, having brought together fans of the video game and viewers new to the franchise.

The next destination in our survival mode series is the Canadian Rockies, where a high school soccer team is left stranded in the pilot of Yellowjackets.

Survival mode takes shape as a high-stakes contest in the pilot of Squid Game, which won Netflix another hit franchise.

Survival mode TV pilots don’t always have to be so serious, as Will Forte proves when he’s having fun being The Last Man on Earth.

Survival mode continues for Take Us to the Pilot. We now find ourselves in a world overrun by zombies in the premiere of The Walking Dead, which grew to dominate TV viewership and continues to live on through its many spin-offs.

Take Us to the Pilot is entering survival mode, venturing into shows that frequently put their characters in life-or-death scenarios. Our first entry is the two-part premiere of Lost, which expanded the TV format to explore a new world of storytelling possibilities.

The final show we'll be discussing related to mass media is The Boys. The pilot quickly establishes a cynical tone, depicting superheroes as products marketed and sold by a corrupt media corporation.

The Morning Show pilot marked Apple's entry into original content, making use of a large budget to attract A-list stars and tackle current events through the lens of broadcast news.    

The Succession pilot introduced TV viewers to the Roy family, whose conflicting business strategies reflect the media industry's real-world state of flux.

Next in our lineup focusing on mass media is the pilot of Lifetime's UnREAL, a scripted drama that observes the manipulative and exploitative nature of reality television.

We're continuing with the mass media genre discussing the pilot of The Newsroom. In this series, Aaron Sorkin examines the workings of a cable news show fighting to improve the quality of TV journalism.

Our next batch of pilots centers around mass media, starting with the award-winning premiere of Mad Men. As AMC's first original series, this acclaimed drama cemented its network as a major player in the golden era of television.

We're wrapping up our series on female leads in comedy by discussing the pilot of Hacks. This series showcases multigenerational humor with a nod to the trailblazing women of prior decades.

Awkwafina's rise to fame in the 2010s culminated in the launch of her own TV series, Nora from Queens, which drew on her experience growing up in New York's Asian American community.

In the premiere of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, creator Amy Sherman-Palladino pushes the title character into the world of stand-up comedy while exploring themes of family, gender, and tradition.

When Broad City transitioned from YouTube to television, the series became an instant hit for Comedy Central and quickly cemented Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer as an iconic comedic duo.

Ellie Kemper's ability to convey innocence and strength inspired Tina Fey when developing Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, a comedy that emphasized how females are strong as hell.

When Ugly Betty premiered in 2006, the series stood out for its comedic take on telenovelas and propelled its star, America Ferrera, into becoming a household name.

The pilot of Gilmore Girls kicked off a long-running series that earned a dedicated fan base for its lovable leads, quirky supporting cast, and compelling family drama.