Characters recognizable from first episode - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

wkomorow · 06-03-2008, 02:04 PM

I recently watched the pilot episodes for I Love Lucy, the Vicar of Dibley, Hogan's Heroes, Roseanne, and Mary Tyler Moore. One thing that struck me is that for I Love Lucy and Vicar of Dibley, the characters in the pilot were multi-dimensional and so well developed that the pilot could be placed anywhere within the series and except for content (not character development) it would not be out of place. But for the others, the characters seemed flat, unsure of themselves, and very different from what the character would eventually be. In fact, the pilot was not very good and a poor representation of the series. I remember thinking the same for Alice.

Are there other sitcoms in which the characters in the pilot or first episode were so well developed or so comfortable with each other that the episode would not be out of place anywhere in the series?

dakert · 06-03-2008, 02:43 PM

How about Laverne And Shirley

JulieSomoski · 06-03-2008, 04:13 PM

I think Murphy Brown and Mad About You had great pilots. They introduced the character great, and you could right away connect with every character. I also thought The Wonder Years was good at connecting to the audience in it's first couple episodes. TWY, on the other hand, you could tell was a pilot episode, where as Murphy Brown and Mad About You had pilot episodes that seemed like they fit in with any other ordinary episode.

dawsongirl · 06-03-2008, 09:26 PM

I don't think Hogan was any different from the pilot than he was all through season 6.

repeatshistory · 06-04-2008, 12:15 AM

I thought they did an excellent job of giving the characters dimension and a past with one another in SportsNight's pilot. There was some exposition as to Casey & Dana's past together, and Casey & Dan's, but it didn't seem forced, and more was revealed over the course of the series. I thought the pilot especially gave Casey a dimension beyond 'sportscaster', with the scenes about his ex-wife and son.

comedyfreak · 06-04-2008, 10:01 PM

Three's Company, the Ropers stood out.

wkomorow · 06-04-2008, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawsongirl

I don't think Hogan was any different from the pilot than he was all through season 6.

Maybe. To me the character that was true-to-form in the pilot of HH was Schultz. Hogan seemed a bit flat to me, but it only my opinion.

06-03-2008, 02:04 PM	#1
wkomorow Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Nov 24, 2005 Posts: 227	Characters recognizable from first episode I recently watched the pilot episodes for I Love Lucy, the Vicar of Dibley, Hogan's Heroes, Roseanne, and Mary Tyler Moore. One thing that struck me is that for I Love Lucy and Vicar of Dibley, the characters in the pilot were multi-dimensional and so well developed that the pilot could be placed anywhere within the series and except for content (not character development) it would not be out of place. But for the others, the characters seemed flat, unsure of themselves, and very different from what the character would eventually be. In fact, the pilot was not very good and a poor representation of the series. I remember thinking the same for Alice. Are there other sitcoms in which the characters in the pilot or first episode were so well developed or so comfortable with each other that the episode would not be out of place anywhere in the series?

06-03-2008, 04:13 PM	#3
JulieSomoski Roseanne Reboot - March 27! Forum Veteran Join Date: Nov 06, 2004 Location: Michigan Posts: 7,558	I think Murphy Brown and Mad About You had great pilots. They introduced the character great, and you could right away connect with every character. I also thought The Wonder Years was good at connecting to the audience in it's first couple episodes. TWY, on the other hand, you could tell was a pilot episode, where as Murphy Brown and Mad About You had pilot episodes that seemed like they fit in with any other ordinary episode.
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06-04-2008, 10:01 PM	#6
comedyfreak Cheers! Forum Fanatic Join Date: Dec 14, 2005 Location: Sunny California Posts: 11,061	Three's Company, the Ropers stood out.
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06-03-2008, 02:43 PM	#2
dakert Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: May 10, 2007 Location: Altoona PA Posts: 3,411	How about Laverne And Shirley

06-03-2008, 09:26 PM	#4
dawsongirl Member Forum Icon Join Date: Jan 04, 2001 Posts: 53,140	I don't think Hogan was any different from the pilot than he was all through season 6.

06-04-2008, 12:15 AM	#5
repeatshistory Doing my part to make your day Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 31, 2008 Location: Williams Bay, WI Posts: 381	I thought they did an excellent job of giving the characters dimension and a past with one another in SportsNight's pilot. There was some exposition as to Casey & Dana's past together, and Casey & Dan's, but it didn't seem forced, and more was revealed over the course of the series. I thought the pilot especially gave Casey a dimension beyond 'sportscaster', with the scenes about his ex-wife and son.