Pilot Episodes Ranked
by smshplay | created - 18 May 2022 | updated - 10 Sep 2022 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1.
The Walking Dead (2010–2022)
Episode:
Days Gone Bye
(2010)
TV-14 | 67 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes awakens from a coma, and searches for his family in a world ravaged by the undead.
Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden
Votes: 29,913
2.
Invincible (2021– )
Episode:
It's About Time
(2021)
TV-MA | 47 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
When Mark Grayson finally inherits powers from his superhero father, it's a dream come true. But there's more to being a hero than just choosing a name and costume.
Directors: Robert Valley, Jeff Allen | Stars: Steven Yeun, Sandra Oh, J.K. Simmons, Mahershala Ali
Votes: 12,234
3.
Cowboy Bebop (1998–1999)
Episode:
Asteroid Blues
(1998)
TV-14 | 25 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Spike and Jet pursue an outlaw who is smuggling a reflex-enhancing drug.
Directors: Yoshiyuki Takei, Shin'ichirô Watanabe, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn | Stars: Kôichi Yamadera, Unshô Ishizuka, Rintarô Nishi, Yurika Hino
Votes: 4,401
4.
Samurai Champloo (2004–2005)
Episode:
Shippû dotô
(2004)
TV-MA | 23 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
When two vagrant samurais stumble into waitress Fuu, the three get in trouble with the local magistrate.
Directors: Shin'ichirô Watanabe, Mamoru Hosoda | Stars: Kazuya Nakai, Ginpei Sato, Ayako Kawasumi, Steve Blum
Votes: 897
5.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005– )
Episode:
The Gang Gets Racist
(2005)
TV-MA | 22 min | Comedy
The guys hire Dee's friend as a promoter for the bar and get more than they bargained for. Charlie seeks black friends to prove he isn't a racist.
Director: John Fortenberry | Stars: Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson
Votes: 5,177
6.
Community (2009–2015)
Episode:
Pilot
(2009)
TV-PG | 26 min | Comedy
An ex-lawyer is forced to return to community college to get a degree. However, he tries to use the skills he learned as a lawyer to get the answers to all his tests and pick up on a sexy woman in his Spanish class.
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo | Stars: Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown
Votes: 6,009
7.
The Boys (2019– )
Episode:
The Name of the Game
(2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
When a Supe kills the love of his life, A/V salesman Hughie Campbell teams up with Billy Butcher, a vigilante hell-bent on punishing corrupt Supes -- and Hughie's life will never be the same again.
Director: Dan Trachtenberg | Stars: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty
Votes: 18,566
8.
Rick and Morty (2013– )
Episode:
Pilot
(2013)
TV-14 | 22 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A strangely eccentric genius scientist and inventor moves into the home of his daughter and her family and begins to strongly influence his young grandson.
Director: Justin Roiland | Stars: Justin Roiland, Chris Parnell, Spencer Grammer, Sarah Chalke
Votes: 17,263
9.
Attack on Titan (2013–2023)
Episode:
To You, in 2000 Years: The Fall of Shiganshina, Part 1
(2013)
TV-MA | 26 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
After 100 years of peace, humanity is suddenly reminded of the terror of being at the Titans' mercy.
Directors: Tetsurô Araki, Hiroyuki Tanaka | Stars: Yûki Kaji, Yui Ishikawa, Marina Inoue, Hiroshi Tsuchida
Votes: 32,861
10.
Arcane (2021– )
Episode:
Welcome to the Playground
(2021)
TV-14 | 43 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Orphaned sisters Vi and Powder bring trouble to Zaun's underground streets in the wake of a heist in posh Piltover.
Directors: Pascal Charrue, Arnaud Delord | Stars: Kevin Alejandro, Shohreh Aghdashloo, JB Blanc, Miles Brown
Votes: 16,007
11.
Death Note (2006–2007)
Episode:
Rebirth
(2006)
TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Crime, Drama
Brilliant but bored high school student Light Yagami discovers a Shinigami's notebook and plans to use it to create a better world.
Directors: Tetsurô Araki, Norimitsu Suzuki, Kei Tsunematsu | Stars: Mamoru Miyano, Ai Satô, Nobuko Miyazaki, Tsunehisa Fujii
Votes: 6,445
12.
Gravity Falls (2012–2016)
Episode:
Tourist Trapped
(2012)
TV-G | 22 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
After finding a strange book in the forest, Dipper begins to learn about the dark side of Gravity Falls, and suspects that Mabel's new boyfriend is a zombie.
Director: John Aoshima | Stars: Kristen Schaal, Jason Ritter, Alex Hirsch, Linda Cardellini
Votes: 4,019
13.
Gurren Lagann (2007)
Episode:
Omae no doriru de ten o tsuke!!
(2007)
TV-PG | 26 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
The story of the distant future. The human has lived in the underground for a long time. Simon, the boy who digs to expand the village, finds a shining small drill. Kamina, the guy who ... See full summary »
Directors: Hiroyuki Imaishi, Masahiko Ôtsuka | Stars: Tetsuya Kakihara, Katsuyuki Konishi, Marina Inoue, Shizuka Itou
Votes: 543
14.
Arrested Development (2003–2019)
Episode:
Pilot
(2003)
TV-14 | 21 min | Comedy
After his father fails to promote him within the family business, Michael accepts a job in Arizona -- until his dad is arrested for shady bookkeeping.
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo | Stars: Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett, Michael Cera
Votes: 4,212
15.
Breaking Bad (2008–2013)
Episode:
Pilot
(2008)
TV-MA | 58 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, chemistry teacher Walter White teams up with former student Jesse Pinkman to cook and sell crystal meth.
Director: Vince Gilligan | Stars: Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul, Dean Norris
Votes: 43,197
16.
Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995–1996)
Episode:
Angel Attack
(1995)
TV-MA | 23 min | Animation, Action, Drama
Shinji Ikari, a 14-year-old boy in the city of Tokyo-3, is delivered to the secret organization NERV, where he is requested by his enigmatic father to save the city from an invading creature called an Angel.
Directors: Hideaki Anno, Kazuya Tsurumaki | Stars: Megumi Ogata, Kotono Mitsuishi, Yuriko Yamaguchi, Megumi Hayashibara
Votes: 2,642
17.
Jujutsu Kaisen (2020– )
Episode:
Ryomen Sukuna
(2020)
TV-MA | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
As Itadori cares for his grandpa, Fushiguro worries that he's carrying a cursed object of rare power. The Occult club messes with something far beyond their understanding.
Directors: Sunghoo Park, Yui Umemoto | Stars: Junya Enoki, Yuma Uchida, Yûichi Nakamura, Jun'ichi Suwabe
Votes: 5,356
18.
Tokyo Ghoul (2014)
Episode:
Tragedy
(2014)
TV-MA | 27 min | Animation, Action, Drama
An ordinary college student named Kaneki encounters Rize, a girl who is an avid reader like him, at the café he frequents. Little does he realize that his fate will change overnight.
Director: Shûhei Morita | Stars: Sora Amamiya, Ben Ambroso, Shintarô Asanuma, Ed Blaylock
Votes: 1,359
19.
Atlanta (2016–2022)
Episode:
The Big Bang
(2016)
TV-MA | 27 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Broke and low on options, Earn seeks to enter the music industry, by offering to be a manager for his rapper cousin, Paper Boi.
Director: Hiro Murai | Stars: Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Stanfield, Zazie Beetz
Votes: 3,917
20.
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008)
Episode:
The Boy in the Iceberg
(2005)
TV-Y7 | 23 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
The legend of the Avatar is told. Katara and Sokka find a strange boy within an iceberg.
Director: Dave Filoni | Stars: Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack De Sena, Dante Basco
Votes: 6,730
21.
The Sopranos (1999–2007)
Episode:
Pilot
(1999)
TV-MA | 59 min | Crime, Drama
A mobster passes out at a family barbecue and seeks therapy to understand why.
Director: David Chase | Stars: James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli
Votes: 12,097
22.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009–2010)
Episode:
Hajimari no hi
(2009)
TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A glimpse into the past reveals the pain and desperation that drove the Elric boys to break alchemy's greatest taboo - human transmutation - and their reasons for becoming dogs of the military.
Director: Yasuhiro Irie | Stars: Romi Park, Rie Kugimiya, Miyoko Asô, Ed Blaylock
Votes: 2,744
23.
Squid Game (2021– )
Episode:
Mugunghwa kkoch-i pideon nal
(2021)
TV-MA | 59 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
Hoping to win easy money, a broke and desperate Gi-hun agrees to take part in an enigmatic game. Not long into the first round, unforeseen horrors unfold.
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk | Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Oh Yeong-su, Hoyeon
Votes: 16,150
24.
Code Geass (2006–2008)
Episode:
Majin ga umareta hi
(2006)
TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Action, Drama
Lelouch Lamperouge, a Britannian student, accidentally gets involved with a group of terrorists. He meets a mysterious woman who gives him the powers of Geass, the "Power of Kings".
Directors: Noriaki Akitaya, Gorô Taniguchi | Stars: Jun Fukuyama, Takahiro Sakurai, Yukana, Noriaki Sugiyama
Votes: 1,436
25.
BoJack Horseman (2014–2020)
Episode:
BoJack Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Story, Chapter One
(2014)
TV-MA | 25 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
A publishing house eagerly awaits BoJack's memoirs, but he hasn't even started yet. His agent/ex and his publisher try to talk him into working with a ghost writer, but BoJack's too despondent about being washed up to focus.
Director: Joel Moser | Stars: Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F. Tompkins
Votes: 6,573
26.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (2019– )
Episode:
Cruelty
(2019)
TV-MA | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Tanjiro Kamado's life gets turned upside down when he finds out that his family was murdered by demons.
Director: Haruo Sotozaki | Stars: Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kitô, Takahiro Sakurai, Houko Kuwashima
Votes: 5,351
27.
WandaVision (2021)
Episode:
Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience
(2021)
TV-PG | 27 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
Wanda and Vision struggle to conceal their powers during dinner with Vision's boss and his wife.
Director: Matt Shakman | Stars: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn, Fred Melamed
Votes: 26,911
28.
30 Rock (2006–2013)
Episode:
Pilot
(2006)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy
Liz Lemon is called upstairs to meet the new network exec, Jack Donaghy, who instructs her to hire movie star Tracy Jordan to draw a young male audience to 'The Girlie Show'.
Director: Adam Bernstein | Stars: Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer
Votes: 1,863
29.
Loki (2021–2023)
Episode:
Glorious Purpose
(2021)
TV-14 | 51 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Loki, the God of Mischief, finds himself out of time and in an unusual place and forced - against his godly disposition - to cooperate with others.
Director: Kate Herron | Stars: Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku
Votes: 34,020
30.
Chappelle's Show (2003–2006)
Episode:
Popcopy & Clayton Bigsby
(2003)
TV-MA | 22 min | Comedy, Music
First show of the series. Sketches include a training film for employees of PopCopy, Dave plays Clayton Bigsby, a white supremacist, then unveils racy videos starring an iconic singer.
Directors: Andre Allen, Rusty Cundieff, Bobcat Goldthwait, Peter Lauer | Stars: Dave Chappelle, William Bogert, Erin Keefer, Jane Cronin
Votes: 1,065
31.
Steins;Gate (2011–2015)
Episode:
Turning Point
(2011)
TV-14 | 25 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
A scientist can't recall events that others claim he experienced.
Directors: Hiroshi Hamasaki, Kazuhiro Ozawa, Takuya Satô | Stars: Mamoru Miyano, Asami Imai, Kana Hanazawa, Tomokazu Seki
Votes: 1,757
32.
The Office (2005–2013)
Episode:
Pilot
(2005)
TV-14 | 23 min | Comedy
The premiere episode introduces the boss and staff of the Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company in Scranton, Pennsylvania in a documentary about the workplace.
Director: Ken Kwapis | Stars: Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer
Votes: 10,326
33.
The Boondocks (2005–2014)
Episode:
The Garden Party
(2005)
TV-MA | 20 min | Animation, Action, Comedy
When tycoon Ed Wuncler invites the Freemans to his garden party, Huey hopes to shock his white wealthy neighbors with his brand of "the truth". But things don't go as he planned.
Directors: Anthony Bell, Lesean Thomas | Stars: Regina King, John Witherspoon, Cedric Yarbrough, Gary Anthony Williams
Votes: 810
34.
Berserk (1997–1998)
Episode:
Kuroi kenshi
(1997)
TV-14 | 23 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
The Black Swordsman is coming.
Directors: Naohito Takahashi, Kazuya Tsurumaki | Stars: Nobutoshi Canna, Marc Diraison, Carrie Keranen, Kan Tokumaru
Votes: 1,229
35.
Cowboy Bebop (2021)
Episode:
Cowboy Gospel
(2021)
TV-MA | 50 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
After getting shortchanged on the fee for a bounty, Spike and Jet head to New Tijuana on the trail of another mark - but they're not the only ones.
Director: Alex Garcia Lopez | Stars: John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, Daniella Pineda, Elena Satine
Votes: 2,210
36.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)
Episode:
New World Order
(2021)
TV-14 | 47 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes realize that their futures are anything but normal.
Director: Kari Skogland | Stars: Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Don Cheadle
Votes: 18,810
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