THE PILOT // TAKE 129 - SILICON VALLEY vs ITS ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA

When you have one TV show full of deplorable people with no redeeming features, you know you’re onto a winner. When you have TWO, then you know you’re going to have a great episode of the Pilot Podcast!

Now, the Pilot podcast have two really really (really really) likeable hosts, so it may be abrasive to watch two pilot episodes that have quite the opposite right? Wrong! These are two of the most entertaining television comedies of the century and you will hear a deep dive of why it works so well.

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THE PILOT // TAKE 128 - BANANAMAN vs DEFENDERS OF THE EARTH

This week Jed and Rob takes a deep dive into old skool kids animations with the British classic, BANANAMAN up against the American classic DEFENDERS OF THE EARTH.

There are alot of things to consider when deciding which one is better. For instance, one of them has a guy who can call upon the strength of ten (7 actually) tigers and leap tall buildings. On the other hand, one of them gives you the idea that you can turn into a hench superhero by eating fruit, singlehandedly giving parents the excuse they need to convince their kids that bananas are cool.

Now, as adults, we know bananas suck. It’s like eating a big stick of chalk covered in slime and sugar… but we do still hold a small hope that it will turn us into a superhero, so we eat it anyway.

Find out which pilot episode almost broke our Top 50 in this episode of the pilot podcast!

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THE PILOT // TAKE 127 - MOONLIGHTING vs THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO

Back in the days, it was rare for a movie star to slum it on a TV Show. You were either on your way out or on the way up. These two pilot episodes show big stars (and stars to be) making premium television, way before HBO was doing it.

Up first we have the Cybil Shepherd / Bruce Willis powerbomb in MOONLIGHTING. Wow what a cast. The ultimate “will they / wont they”. This is where we first saw Bruce Willis be that wisecracking, sorta charming, lovable goofball and we’ve never seen him stop yet. Up against that we have THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO, the godfather of gritty cop shows. Michael Douglas before he was the Michael Douglas we know and tolerate. This one was pitched as a film, so its very cinematic BUT which of the two were the best PILOT episode?

find out by listening to THE PILOT podcast right now!

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THE PILOT // TAKE 126 - GOOD OMENS vs BROADCHURCH

Welcome to TENNANT week! The most Tennant-y week of the year.

This episode we dive dome first into the post-doctor dramas that has made David Tennant become more than just a saturday afternoon actor for kids. He is legit a national treasure. First up with see him opposite the equally incredible Michael Sheen in Neil Gaiman’s Good Omens. Then we present our views on the idyllic yet ultra emotional show, Broadhcurch. He plays opposite one more national treasure in the totally scene-stealing queen, Olivia Coleman.

Which had the better pilot episode? Find out on this week’s pilot podcast!

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THE PILOT // TAKE 125 - TOP 50 PILOT EPISODE (SO FAR!)

its 2020 and Jed & Rob do the now annual Top 50 countdown of best pilot episodes ever (that we have done so far!). Below is the FULL chart so you can see what we’ve done. Let us know what you think on twitter @jedshepherd and @theejellyman!

The Pilot - League Table

  1. The A-Team (19)

  2. Stephen Spielberg’s Amazing Stories (19)

  3. Cowboy Bebop (19)

  4. Planet Earth (19)

  5. Lost (18.5)

  6. Sopranos (18.5)

  7. Sesame Street (18.5)

  8. The Office (UK) (18.5)

  9. The Haunting of Hill House (18.5)

  10. Breaking Bad (18.5)

  11. ER (18.5)

  12. Treasure Hunt (18.5)

  13. OJ: Made In America (18.5)

  14. The Walking Dead (18)

  15. The Good Place (18)

  16. Westworld (18)

  17. Battlestar Galactica (18)

  18. Robotech (18)

  19. Mr.Bean (18)

  20. Dungeons & Dragons (18)

  21. The Incredible Hulk (18)

  22. Dear John (18)

  23. Cobra Kai (18)

  24. Halt! And Catch Fire (18)

  25. Dawson’s Creek (18)

  26. Downton Abbey (17.5)

  27. X-Files (17.5)

  28. Stranger Things (17.5)

  29. 24 (17.5)

  30. Buffy The Vampire Slayer (17.5)

  31. Mike Tyson Mysteries (17.5)

  32. Crystal Maze (17.5)

  33. Reginald Perrin (17.5)

  34. RuPaul’s Drag Race (17.5)

  35. Bodyguard (17.5)

  36. Making A Murderer (17.5)

  37. Daredevil (17)

  38. Sherlock (17)

  39. People Just Do Nothing (17)

  40. The Simpsons (17)

  41. Orange Is The New Black (17)

  42. Luther (17)

  43. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (17)

  44. Flash Forward (17)

  45. Royal Family (17)

  46. The Young Ones (17)

  47. Blindspot (17)

  48. Twilight Zone (17)

  49. The Prisoner (17)

  50. Blacklist (17)

  51. Hill Street Blues (17)

  52. Fraggle Rock (17)

  53. Animaniacs (17)

  54. The Maxx (17)

  55. Derek (17)

  56. Jessica Jones (17)

  57. After Life (17)

  58. Taskmaster (17)

  59. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (17)

  60. The Capture (17)

  61. The Outer Limits (1990s) (17)

  62. Black Books (16.5)

  63. Columbo (16.5)

  64. Black Mirror (16.5)

  65. Atlanta (16.5)

  66. American Gods (16.5)

  67. Knight Rider (16.5)

  68. Gotham (16.5)

  69. Billions (16.5)

  70. Fringe (16.5)

  71. American Horror Story (16.5)

  72. Arrested Development (16.5)

  73. Killing Eve (16.5)

  74. Designated Survivor (16.5)

  75. Life On Mars (16.5)

  76. The Flash (16)

  77. Oz (16)

  78. Seinfeld (16)

  79. Homeland (16)

  80. The Crown (16)

  81. Garth Marengie’s Dark Place (16)

  82. Six Feet Under (16)

  83. Grey’s Anatomy (16)

  84. Blackadder (16)

  85. Line Of Duty (16)

  86. The Killing (16)

  87. Misfits (16)

  88. Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee (16)

  89. Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected (16)

  90. Mad Men (15.5)

  91. Star Trek (15.5)

  92. Porridge (15.5)

  93. GLOW (15.5)

  94. Green Wing (15.5)

  95. South Park (15.5)

  96. The Americans (15.5)

  97. Rainbow (15.5)

  98. Krypton (15.5)

  99. Friday Night Dinner (15.5)

  100. Kidding (15.5)

  101. Once Upon A Time... Life (15.5)

  102. Bad Blood (15.5)

  103. Prison Break (15.5)

  104. You (15.5)

  105. Sons of Anarchy (15.5) 

  106. SeaLab 2021 (15.5)

  107. Cheers (15)

  108. Knowing Me, Knowing You (15)

  109. Hard Knocks (15)

  110. The Exorcist (15)

  111. Mork & Mindy (15)

  112. Marvels Agents of Shield (15)

  113. The Flintstones (15)

  114. Beverley Hills 90210 (15)

  115. Modern Family (15)

  116. Allo Allo (15)

  117. Timeless (15)

  118. Disenchantment (15)

  119. End of the F’ing World (15)

  120. London’s Burning (15)

  121. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (15)

  122. Yes, Minister (15)

  123. The Boys (15)

  124. Euphoria (15)

  125. Elite (15)

  126. Barry (15)

  127. Dickinson (15)

  128. Series of Unfortunate Events (14.5)

  129. Attack On Titan (14.5)

  130. Bottom (14.5)

  131. Family Guy (14.5)

  132. Peaky Blinders (14.5)

  133. Ren & Stimpy (14.5)

  134. Bojack Horseman (14.5)

  135. Scrubs (14.5)

  136. True Detective (14.5)

  137. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (14.5)

  138. Jonathan Creek (14.5)

  139. Murder In Successville (14.5)

  140. Luke Cage (14.5)

  141. Big Little Lies (14.5)

  142. Tom & Jerry (14.5)

  143. Dr.Who (reboot) (14.5)

  144. Man v Food (14.5)

  145. M*A*S*H (14.5)

  146. The Outer Limits (1995) (14.5)

  147. Lost In Space (14.5)

  148. Mid-Morning Matters (14.5)

  149. This Time with Alan Partridge (14.5)

  150. The Mighty Boosh (14.5)

  151. W1A (14)

  152. Supergirl (14)

  153. Red Dwarf (14)

  154. Baywatch (14)

  155. Dr.Who (14)

  156. curb your enthusiasm (14)

  157. Deadwood (14)

  158. Chocky (14)

  159. Ozark (14)

  160. Skins (14)

  161. Home & Away (14)

  162. Neighbours (14)

  163. Art Attack (14)

  164. Kenan & Kel (14)

  165. Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends (14)

  166. Homicide: Life On The Street (14)

  167. Don’t Tell The Bride (14)

  168. Saved By The Bell (13.5)

  169. The Jetsons (13.5)

  170. Murder, She Wrote (13.5)

  171. Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) (13.5)

  172. Scrapheap Challenge (13.5)

  173. Horrible Histories (13.5)

  174. Cracker (13.5)

  175. Titan Games (13.5)

  176. The Gladiators (13.5)

  177. Tales from the Darkside (13.5)

  178. The Office (US) (13)

  179. Twin Peaks (13)

  180. House (13)

  181. Only Fools & Horses (13)

  182. The Wire (13)

  183. Futurama (13)

  184. Smallville (13)

  185. Nightflyers (13)

  186. Raggy Dolls (13)

  187. Whodunnit? (13)

  188. Dexter’s Laboratory (13)

  189. GBBO (12.5)

  190. Pugwall (12.5)

  191. CSI: Las Vegas (12.5)

  192. QI (12.5)

  193. Sharp Objects (12.5)

  194. Round The Twist (12.5)

  195. Scooby Doo! Where Are You? (12.5)

  196. Carnival Row (12.5)

  197. Dark Crystal (12.5)

  198. The IT Crowd (12)

  199. Friends (12)

  200. Everybody Loves Raymond (12)

  201. MacGyver (12)

  202. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (12)

  203. Robot Wars (12)

  204. Betty Boop (12)

  205. ALF (12)

  206. Wonder Woman (12)

  207. Total Wipeout (12)

  208. Transformers (11.5)

  209. Gogglebox (11.5)

  210. The Thick Of It (11.5)

  211. Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job (11.5)

  212. Celebrity Deathmatch (11.5)

  213. See (11.5)

  214. The Avengers (11)

  215. Heat Vision & Jack (11)

  216. Happy Days (11)

  217. Masterchef Australia (11)

  218. That 70s Show (10.5)

  219. Maniac (10.5)

  220. Russian Doll (10.5)

  221. Archer (10)

  222. Little Britain (10)

  223. Jam (10)

  224. Dad’s Army (9.5)

  225. Quantum Leap (9)

  226. Primeval (9)

  227. Peep Show (8)

  228. Snatch (7)

  229. Big Bang Theory (5)

THE PILOT // TAKE 122 - SEE vs DICKINSON

How many streaming platforms do we need to subscribe to in order to fully justify a proper investigation into the best TV show ever? the answer is ALL OF THEM! 2020 will be spent working 15 jobs each so myself and Rob can afford to subscribe to all 320 of them, including Apple Plus where you will find this week’s selections!

SEE stars Jason Momoa so it automatically gets points from me, but is it any good? Its the most expensive TV show ever apparently. totally wasted on people who are all blind no? Then you have the anachronistic DICKINSON that stars the equally amiable Hailee Steinfeld who I’d watch eat crisps.

Find out which show we loved the best and dont forget to hit us up on twitter @jedshepherd and @theejellyman

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THE PILOT // TAKE 121 - DEAR JOHN vs DONT TELL THE BRIDE

Two marriage themed episodes this week. One about the creation of a new partnership that will hopefully last forever and one thats completely gone to pot.

Sometimes its a real joy (well most of the time!) to revisit older TV shows and Dear John falls into that camp nicely. One of the most underrated sitcoms in British history for my money. It’s also brilliant when a show comes along that surprises you to its entertainment value. Don’t Tell The Bride (especially this episode) is superb car-crash television. It’s gonna be hard to separate these two, but we always do!

let us know how you felt about it on twitter @jedshepherd and @theejellyman.

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THE PILOT // TAKE 120 - DEXTER'S LABORATORY vs SEALAB 2021

This week we put two animations against each other (as we tend to do) but thats the only similarity because they are vastly different in tone. Rob takes the corner of DEXTER’S LAB and the fast paced madness that suits him well! Jed holds the towels for SEALAB 2021 with its slow paced surreal comedy that might turn away some.

Will either of these beauties break the TOP 50 pilot episodes though? Here are the standings so far:

The Pilot - League Table


The A-Team (19)

Stephen Spielberg’s Amazing Stories (19)

Cowboy Bebop (19)

Planet Earth (19)

Lost (18.5)

Sopranos (18.5)

Sesame Street (18.5)

The Office (UK) (18.5)

The Haunting of Hill House (18.5)

Breaking Bad (18.5)

ER (18.5)

Treasure Hunt (18.5)

OJ: Made In America (18.5)

The Walking Dead (18)

The Good Place (18)

Westworld (18)

Battlestar Galactica (18)

Robotech (18)

Mr.Bean (18)

Dungeons & Dragons (18)

The Incredible Hulk (18)

Dear John (18)

Cobra Kai (18)

Halt! And Catch Fire (18)

Dawson’s Creek (18)

Downton Abbey (17.5)

X-Files (17.5)

Stranger Things (17.5)

24 (17.5)

Buffy The Vampire Slayer (17.5)

Mike Tyson Mysteries (17.5)

Crystal Maze (17.5)

Reginald Perrin (17.5)

RuPaul’s Drag Race (17.5)

Bodyguard (17.5)

Making A Murderer (17.5)

Daredevil (17)

Sherlock (17)

People Just Do Nothing (17)

The Simpsons (17)

Orange Is The New Black (17)

Luther (17)

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (17)

Flash Forward (17)

Royal Family (17)

The Young Ones (17)

Blindspot (17)

Twilight Zone (17)

The Prisoner (17)

Blacklist (17)

Hill Street Blues (17)

Fraggle Rock (17)

Animaniacs (17)

The Maxx (17)

THE PILOT // TAKE 119 - WHODUNNIT vs THE FALL & RISE OF REGINALD PERRIN

This week we put forward two TV shows from the 1970s, a period we haven’t really explored that much yet. Some of you may have heard of THE RISE AND FALL OF REGINALD PERRIN, but how many of you sleuths out there have heard of WHODUNNIT? A truly bizarre but extremely watchable TV show where the viewer is invited to solve a murder! Why isnt this a thing now? come on BBC Three!

Find out which one we thought was best by listening in and then let us know what you think - and suggest more shows on twitter - @jedshepherd and @theejellyman.

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THE PILOT // TAKE 118 - CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH vs THE MAXX

90s MTV animation was brill wasn’t it? It seems like there were absolutely zero rules. Anything went. It felt dangerous and cool and if you weren’t watching these late night gems, you wouldn’t have anything to talk about at school/work the next day. So, Rob and I decided to pick two of the best of an unbelievably great bunch.

Rob went for the most fun choice, the claymation classic CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH while I went with one of my all time fave animations THE MAXX. See which one we decided was the highest rated pilot and if it reached the Top 50 of the Pilot charts!

let us know what you think on twitter @jedshepherd and @theejellyman.

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THE PILOT // TAKE 117 - ROALD DAHL'S TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED vs TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! This year we bring you two pilot episodes of safe-for-work horror that will chill and amaze you in equal measures. First up its TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED with a theme song scarier than its contents, put up against the pilot episode of TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE which is madder than a trick or treat pail of frogs. So which one is better? UNEXPECTED or DARKSIDE?

Theres only one way to find out on this TALES special, listen in! Let us know what you think by hitting us up on twitter @jedshepherd and @theejellyman.

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THE PILOT // TAKE 116 - HOMICIDE LIFE ON THE STREET vs THE CAPTURE

Murder sucks right? It really ruins your day. There you are, walking down the street minding your own business and then BAM, someone does a murder in front of you. Nightmare scenario right? Well why is it then, that crime shows are the most popular shows in the world? It’s because secretly, everyone is fascinated by the macabre and gruesome! They just don’t want to admit it, but we on the Pilot podcast know!

So this week we have two excellent examples of the genre in HOMICIDE LIFE ON THE STREETS and THE CAPTURE. One of these deals with the Baltimore streets long before The Wire ever did. The other, the similarly grim London streets. Which of these had the best pilot though? I think you’ll be surprised, so tune in while in the safety of your own homes, but lock the door just in case, and enjoy this week’s PILOT!

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THE PILOT // TAKE 115 - WONDER WOMAN vs THE INCREDIBLE HULK

Welcome back to The Pilot podcast! This week we bring you what the 70s imagined superhero entertainment to be… and its better than we ever expected! One of these shows gets an incredibly high mark and the other one is GREEN with envy. Okay, enough clues, just go listen to the episode because YOU WOULDN’T LIKE US WHEN WE’RE ANGRY.

Let us know what you think on twitter @jedshepherd and @theejellyman.

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THE PILOT // TAKE 114 - EUPHORIA vs ELITE

Another episode of the Pilot podcast and this week it’s the battle of the Es! First up we have the much hyped EUPHORIA with its beautiful teenage leads, stumbling through life on a path of self destruction. On the other hand we have Elite which is…. exactly the same really, BUT IN SPANISH. Both shows are better than I’ve described but you can hear the full details on this week’s episode!

tell us what you think on twitter @jedshepherd and @theejellyman.

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THE PILOT // TAKE 113 - CARNIVAL ROW vs THE DARK CRYSTAL

This episode is probably the spiciest one yet! We discuss two new fantasy shows, on rival streaming platforms. Up first we have Carnival Row (Amazon Prime) starring Cara Delavigne and Orlando Bloom (don’t laugh) and Rob discusses why he thinks this deserves to be considered to rise up the league table. Thats up against the nostalgic-tastic The Dark Crystal (Netflix) which stars… well literally everybody.

We genuinely nearly come to blows on this one. What is it about fairies and puppets that make two grown men so divided? Find out on this week’s episode of the pilot podcast!

get in touch on twitter @jedshepherd and @theejellyman!

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THE PILOT // TAKE 112 - THE BOYS vs SONS OF ANARCHY

Yeah, we can’t believe we haven’t done Sons of Anarchy yet either. Last week’s realisation meant that this week we get to explore the first episode of one of the most loved (and dense) TV shows of recent years. I remember watching this when it first aired and it took me 4 attempts to complete, so has it faired any better in the subsequent years? We pit SOA against a brand new show that appeared under the radar and very quickly filled that very same radar with a million dots. Those dots are people whatsapping me asking if I’ve seen it. Yes. Yes I have. All of it… but that doesn’t mean that the pilot episode is any good does it? We often cite the pilot episode of The Wire as an example of a TV show that is essentially the best show ever made, but starts off with one of the worst pilots.

Get in touch on twitter @jedshepherd and @theejellyman!

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THE PILOT // TAKE 111 - Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee vs Masterchef Australia

The connective tissue this week is food! Well sort of. If you consider coffee a food. It’s COMEDIANS IN CARS GETTING COFFEE starring Jerry Seinfeld once again playing Jerry Seinfeld, interviewing co-creator of SEINFELD Larry David in a car… while getting coffee. Its an odd one for us to cover on the Pilot podcast because its barely a story; but then Seinfeld is a show about nothing so he has previous. Up against this weird nugget, we have an equally oddball pick. It’s Masterchef Australia! Everyone knows the Australian version of Masterchef is the best one. Prettier people, Prettier weather and of course prettier food. Will this transfer to a pretty damn good pilot episode?

Find out this week on THE PILOT PODCAST!

Let us know what you think on twitter by hitting us up on @jedshepherd and @theejellyman.

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THE PILOT // TAKE 110 - ALF vs SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU?

Here on the PILOT it doesn’t always have to be intense 6 season long story arcs. It doesn’t need even need have a human as the central protagonist. Sometimes it can be an alien from the planet Melmac, with a penchant for eating pets. Sometimes it can be a pet themselves as the main character… and animated!

This week we see if two TV shows with the aforementioned characters, can reach the top of the charts. First up we have ALF (Jed’s choice of course!) and Scooby Doo Where Are You (Rob’s choice naturally!). Which of these beautiful and bonkers shows has the best pilot though? Find out on this week’s episode of The Pilot Podcast!

Let us know what you think on twitter @jedshepherd and @theejellyman.

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