The Greatest TV Pilots Of All Time

The West Wing

It’s rare that the main character of a show is absent in the pilot episode, but Aaron Sorkin’s political drama The West Wing took that risk with President Bartlett, portrayed by Martin Sheen. Though he’s physically absent until the last six minutes of the pilot, his weight is felt throughout the episode. He has the power to make or end the careers of everyone in the series.

Sorkin’s rapid-fire dialogue and intellectual banter were praised by critics. The show won three Golden Globe Awards and 26 Emmy Awards, and aired for seven seasons. Garth Ancier, who was President of NBC Entertainment at the time, told Hollywood Reporter, “It is rare in your career to see [a pilot] that absolutely must make it to air. The West Wing was one of those rare instances. The only challenge was NBC internal politics. Senior management was dead set against it: ‘Too liberal.’ ‘Isn’t this Aaron Sorkin guy difficult to deal with?’ The attitude was, essentially, you can put it on the air, but it’s on your head.”