With the resurgence of highly popular shows like Stranger Things, and the heartfelt conclusions of others, including This is Us, fans of all the most binge-worthy shows can unite on feeling hooked from episode one. The best TV shows start off with an unexpected twist that keeps the audience on their toes and eager to queue the next episode.
The best of the pilot episodes for beloved TV shows featuring unexpected turns became a hot point of discussion, to which fans took to Reddit and advocated for some of their favorites.
This is Us
This is Us set its series up with a promise of a loving family. However, hardships and the realities of life threatened this goal. Viewers see the tragic loss of one baby in a set of triplets and the abandonment of a seemingly unrelated child, but fans were surprised when it because clear that the show is simultaneously telling intertwined stories that are set across several decades instead of at the same time.
This is Us kicks off its series with a perfectly well-rounded introduction that is enjoyable as a one-shot storyline and as a starting point for the rest to come. Redditor sanandreas_fault has a particular fondness for the "mind bending twist" of the pilot.
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother starts with a seemingly predictable storyline, based on the title and the first impression of the pilot episode when the protagonist, Ted, courts and eventually confesses his love for the woman formally introduced at the end of the episode. The audience only learns the woman's name when Ted narrates "and that kids, is how I met your aunt Robin" in the final moments of the episode.
In contradiction to the widely disliked end of the series, the relationship between Ted and Robin is made out to be something pleasantly unexpected. Redditor bafkstudios is especially fond of the play on the episode's means of withholding information that created the big twist in the conclusion, and adds that they enjoyed it being "A more light hearted [twist]."
Modern Family
The Modern Family pilot follows three families of varying structures and temperaments who face their unordinary and hilariously frustrating routines. Right when the audience gets attached to the three different families and grows fond of their colorful uniqueness, that fondness becomes whole in the end when it is revealed that they are all part of one big family.
Redditor noahzasin shares his appreciation for the big reveal in the final act of the pilot, admitting that they "...wouldn’t call it a mind bending," but that it was unexpected, especially for those that hadn't watched pre-release marketing for the sitcom.
Lost
At first, Lost is framed like a classic disaster series following the events of a misfortunate plane crash on a remote island. At the end of the pilot, however, it is revealed that some sinister, supernatural force is among the stranded.
Redditor Sonova_Vondruke shares their appreciation that the pilot starts off like a straightforward disaster drama until the supernatural element is revealed at the end. They admit that "it wasn't mindblowing," but it was still an unexpected angle for an episode that had so far been grounded in reality.
The Flash
The Flash starts with the acquisition and development of Barry Allen's powers under his trusted mentor Harrison Wells. At the end of the episode Wells is revealed to be hiding more than he lets on when he enters a hidden room with futuristic technology, and he rises from his supposedly paralyzed legs.
UntilTmrw loves that, while fans are shown that something is going on right away, "[the twist] builds up throughout the season, [and fans] then get [their] confrontation in the mid season finale." Wells would, of course, later revealed to be Barry's arch-nemesis, Reverse Flash.
Only Murders in the Building
Only Murders in the Building begins with a highly incriminating scene with Mabel Mora over a dead body covered in blood who exclaims "It's not what it looks like!" At the very end of the same episode, a picture is shown of Mabel with a group of boys, including the supposed murder victim, with a note, "My Hardy Boys."
The finale of the first season alludes to a similar premise of reluctant mistrust in the protagonists, which may allude to some interesting twists in the second season, coming this summer. dutchiesweets appreciates the "nice little twist" of the informational reveal at the end of the episode.
Westworld
In Westworld, the protagonist, Dolores, and her community are introduced as a seemingly normal town in the early-century American West. Dolores grows increasingly confused about the unsettling interactions she has with newcomers in their home until the interactions turn violent and horrifying. Then, Dolores is revealed to be a sentient, conscious robot part of a corrupted amusement park where humanoid machines are abused for others' entertainment.
Furthermore, the pilot hints that the robots may be breaking from their programming. RampantNRoaring explains that, "I guess it's pretty in line with the plot, but still, it manages to be subtle and jarring all at once" when Dolores kills something after the people running the park expressly say that she can't harm any living things. This scene was one of many iconic scenes in Westworld so far.
Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad begins with Walter White in his underwear, in the middle of a desert, with alarming sirens approaching his location. The jarring introduction is followed by the events that led Walter to this situation, having been diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer, and incentivized to cook meth for the money.
AvalancheOfOpinions likes how there were two twists in the pilot, the first being confusion surrounding how the events of the beginning could have came to be, and how in the end the sirens were revealed to be from a fire truck, rather than police to take Walt away. These unexpected turns were a big reason why they say,"I remember watching the pilot when it premiered and I was hooked. Never missed an episode premiere from then on."
Raised by Wolves
Considered one of the best Sci-Fi shows of the last decade, Raised by Wolves begins with a robot mother and father raising six human children on a planet with deadly dangers that kill five of them. Throughout the increasingly tragic events of the pilot the mother robot malfunctions and her empathy causes her to take increasingly violent actions in retaliation to her losses.
Redditor spicyface revels in the unpredictability of the pilot, and appreciates the mind-bending nature of the show, saying "I don't know if "twists" are the right word, but it is the most unpredictable show I've ever seen."
Dead to Me
Dead to Me begins with Jen, an emotionally turbulent and overbearing woman revealed to be a grieving widow pushes the boundaries of social politeness in her pursuit to establish a stop sign on a busy road. In her new normal, Jen meets Judy, a sweet, laid-back woman who complements and tempers her high-impact energy.
The twist creates a high-stakes dramatic tension when it is revealed that Judy was the driver behind Jen's husband's manslaughter. k-jo2 states that "The plot twist at the end of the pilot is what sold me on rest of the show."