The Pilot

Why do they call it a pilot anyway? Is it because it's the first episode of the show and it's flying the series? That sounds incredibly lame. So I'm not sure why it is called a pilot, but the television pilot is the premiere episode for a new television series, for which the goal is to establish characters, plot, mood, and direction from which an entire series may be spawned. Sounds easy right? I'm sure you've had a good idea for a TV show, I've had a few myself. And I've even gone as far as writing a pilot for one of them and I'm thinking I may begin working on the second soon. The hard part is getting it in the right hands and getting it made, but I'm not here to talk your ear off (or is it write your eyes out) about that part of a pilot, I'm here tell you about what they mean for us, members of the public who watch them for entertainment.

Last night I watched the pilot episode for Being Human, the American version not the UK version, and despite the ever present thought in the back of my mind warning me that this might be some messed up way to get me to watch Twilight, I actually enjoyed it. I'm going to put on the record now that I never saw the original series, so I have nothing to compare it to and I have no idea why it is that America seems to keep wanted to remake everything Britain is doing these days. We get it, they lost the war, why do we have to keep shoving it in their faces by stealing their ideas? Anyway, back to the US version: the actors and the plot were intriguing, and I actually felt for the characters. It opens with Sam "I'm a jedi" Witwer's Aiden talking about how difficult it is to be different. This is something that anyone can relate to, even if you're not some blood-thirsty vampire trying to kick the habit, werewolf trying to find a dog house, or ghost who can't leave the house. Admittedly, the episode seemed to move pretty quickly, but given the 44 minutes or so they had to wow the audience and pull them in (and those last 5 minutes did that perfectly) I'd like to think they did a good job, I'm definitely planning on sticking around for more. I would classify this pilot as good.

So let's get something straight about that good rating, there are three types of pilot episode for most television series:

• Good. This is the episode that starts a series like Lost which will ruin hours of your life around the water cooler at work. This type of pilot episode will go on to create a series that will be infamous. It may not last forever, and the show may fall from glory at some point, but for now at the start, the show has got you thinking and has you entertained. Verdict: Stick with it.
• Forgettable. Okay, so this is a bit misleading. This type of pilot is forgettable in comparison to the rest of the series. An example could be House. Can you remember the pilot for that show? Probably not. I can, but I just have a odd memory about things like that. The point is the pilot filled its role and now we're seven years later, far away from then. Verdict: You're glad you stuck with it.
• Sucks. This one is forgettable, but only because you want to forget it. A reused plot, somewhat lame actors, and you probably don't like the network (or the time slot). Either that or it's just plain confusing, and not in that good Lost kind of way, but The Event kind of way. Verdict: Tough call honestly, there have been some decent shows out of sucky pilots so it's in your hands (as is the fate of the show), but I'd probably pass.

So those are the types and they happen more often than not. Not always. Definitely not always, but still. In the past few weeks I've seen and rewatched a few pilot episodes for some TV shows: Castle, Chuck, Bones, and How I Met Your Mother. For fans of those shows, can you tell me what those first episodes were about and what happened? Can you remember if all the same actors were in the first or second episode? Well I can tell you that with the exception of Chuck, all of the main actors did return and no one was replaced. But I've taken the opportunity to think about the other pilots to the many other TV shows I own on DVD. Take Psych for example. I'd actually like to hold this episode up as an example of how most pilots work. (1) This episode was longer than a normal episode would be, clocking in around 80 minutes, even longer if you catch the extended version on DVD. (B) One of the main sets, the police station, was changed from this episode to the first episode to something completely different. (Lastly) Actors/Characters were dropped, in particular young Shawn and Lassiter's partner Lucinda (I didn't even remember that was her name until I looked it up on IMDB). Young Shawn was replaced a few times in the first few episodes but Lucinda was "moved to another precinct" and Juliette was brought up instead. Regrets? No. I'm thankful for the way things turned out, and a lot of pilots go this route.

My newest pilot, if I ever get the chance to even pitch the first one, revolves around-I probably shouldn't be sharing this in case one of you out there can actually get this made before me. Well, let's just say that it's a crime drama that follows the typical crime drama formula these days: detective + consultant + single word title = series. So what are your thoughts on the pilot episode of your favorite series or Being Human or anything? Feel free to comment below and disagree with me or agree with me or you know, whatever it is commenters do these days. TV is kind of a big deal if you couldn't tell, and this week a lot of shows are coming back and even a few new ones are sprouting up. Check out Perfect Couples this Thursday if you've got nothing else to do at 8:30 ET. You might already be tuned into NBC anyway, might as well give it a chance since it has Olivia "queen of the geeks" Munn in it. It could be good, or forgettable. I just hope it doesn't suck.

Dream on.

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