The Greatest TV Pilots Of All Time

Glee

The pilot episode of the musical high school comedy- drama Glee promised a scripted version of American Idol. The pilot contains a dozen musical numbers, including Broadway tunes, classic rock hits, and Top 40 pop songs among all the high school drama of the pilot.

Casting for Glee was vital as the show’s creators wanted each character to be distinct and unique since they were in high school. Lea Michele, who plays Rachel Berry, told Out Magazine, “I first heard about Glee from my best friend Jonathan Groff. We were in Spring Awakening at the time, and he had just done a pilot with Ryan Murphy and Ryan had seen us in [Spring Awakening]. Jonathan said [Murphy] was writing this show with me in mind for the role of Rachel… I remember reading the pilot script for the first time and thinking it was brilliant. I remember reading the scene where we sang ‘Don’t Stop Believin” and I got the chills.”