10 Best Comedy Pilots In TV History

10 Best Comedy Pilots In TV History

More so than drama or sci-fi pilots, which get a full hour (minus commercials) to establish a premise and introduce all their characters, sitcom pilots have an even more Herculean task to accomplish -- they've got to do all of this while staying consistently funny with only 22 minutes to pull it off. That's why some of the greatest sitcoms of all time aren't yet fully developed by the time they hit the airwaves, spending a few weeks to find their groove, develop characters, and figure out what works.

Take Seinfeld and The Simpsons, two of the most influential and beloved TV comedies of all time, as examples of series whose first episodes, while promising, are pretty unremarkable. Despite the many hurdles that a sitcom pilot must overcome, there have been a few shows that have burst out of the starting gates fully formed. Let's take a look at some of the best sitcom pilots of all time.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot