The Greatest TV Pilots Of All Time

Arrested Development

Mitchell Hurwitz’s sitcom Arrested Development introduced us to the dysfunctional and wealthy Bluth family with the help of the show’s narrator and executive producer, Ron Howard. In the pilot, squeaky clean son Michael Bluth has to decide if he’s going to help is family through a rough patch or cut ties. The impressive part is just how many running jokes are established in the pilot episode.

In an interview with A.V. Club, Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz explained Ron Howard’s idea to create a single-camera comedy, while most comedic TV shows at the time were filmed with multiple cameras in front of a live audience. The use of a single-camera required a show that was quick-witted and fast paced, but they struggled with creating a comedy that could sustain that. Hurwitz said, “So we, as a group, decided to make a show about a family, and from there I started developing these characters… I knew I wanted a show about rich people who lost their money, and had never really developed as human beings, because they had money. They were enduring this hangover in their lives, and were being forced to downsize and get to know each other. Then I started building up from there.”