Series premiere

Short description: First installment of an episodic entertainment series

A series premiere is the first aired installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. In the United States, many series premieres are aired in the fall time or, for mid-season replacements, either in the spring or late winter.

## Contents

* 1 As distinguished from a pilot
* 2 Most watched series premieres in the United States
* 3 See also
* 4 References

## As distinguished from a pilot

Main article: Engineering:Television pilot

A television series' first episode often originates as a pilot, a standalone episode that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its creation, the pilot is meant to be the testing ground to gauge whether a series will be successful. As such, "Pilot" is overwhelmingly the most common title used for a series premiere.[1]

Sometimes a series' pilot may be aired as a later episode or never aired at all. For the Canadian supernatural drama Lost Girl, the pilot that sold the series to Showcase, "Vexed", was used as the eighth episode of the first series.[2] In the case of Firefly, the original pilot ("Serenity") was intended to serve as the series premiere but was rejected by the network, and a new first episode, "Train Job", was shot specifically for broadcast.[3]

Other television series are commissioned "straight-to-series" where a network orders a season without viewing any produced episodes, hence no episode is considered a pilot. The straight-to-series model is usually used when established talent is attached to a series, or it is based on an established property or franchise. Amazing Stories (1985–1987) is credited as one of the first series to be commissioned without a pilot. The model has seen a rise since Netflix popularized it.[4]

## Most watched series premieres in the United States

Rank  | Show  | Viewers (in millions)  | Rating  | Date  | Network

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1  | A Different World | 38.9  | 31.3%  | September 24, 1987  | NBC
2  | Undercover Boss | 38.7  | 19.1%  | February 7, 2010  | CBS
3  | The Last Precinct | 39.7  | N/A  | January 26, 1986  | NBC
4  | Dolly | 37.4  | 24.7%  | September 27, 1987  | ABC
5  | Veronica's Closet | 35.07[5] | 23.3%  | September 25, 1997  | NBC
6  | Twin Peaks | 34.6[6] | 21.7%  | April 8, 1990 (two hours)  | ABC
7  | Brothers and Sisters | 31.722  | N/A  | January 21, 1979  | NBC
8  | Full House | 31.3  | 21.7%  | September 22, 1987  | ABC
9  | Roseanne | 30.8  | 23.7%  | October 18, 1988
10  | Grand Slam | 30.765  | N/A  | January 28, 1990  | CBS
11  | seaQuest DSV | 30.4 (8–10pm) [citation needed] | 17.8 rating  | September 12, 1993  | NBC
12  | Chicken Soup | 30.2  | 21.8%  | September 12, 1989  | ABC
13  | Suddenly Susan | 30.1[7] | 20.4%  | September 19, 1996  | NBC
14  | Caroline in the City | 30.0  | 20.5%  | September 21, 1995
15  | Delta | 30.0  | 20.5%  | September 15, 1992  | ABC
16  | Dear John | 30.0  | 19.8%  | October 6, 1988  | NBC
17  | The Single Guy | 29.1  | 19.2  | September 21, 1995
18  | Frasier | 28.1  | 19.3%  | September 16, 1993

## See also

* Season premiere
* Season finale
* Series finale

## References

1. ↑ "The 20 most common/laziest TV episode titles" (in en). 2017-01-18. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/common-lazy-tv-episode-titles-stock-title-a7533671.html.
2. ↑ Typaldos, Olivia (2021-07-19). "The Untold Truth Of Lost Girl" (in en-US). https://www.looper.com/465267/the-untold-truth-of-lost-girl/.
3. ↑ Whedon, Firefly: The Complete Series: "Train Job" commentary, track 1
4. ↑ Adalian, Josef (27 November 2013). "Straight to Series: The Networks' Big-Money Bet to Skip Pilots" (in en-us). https://www.vulture.com/2013/11/tv-pilots-endangered-species.html.
5. ↑ "A New Team at NBC". https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-oct-05-ca-39311-story.html.
6. ↑ "Sorry, Haters: The Lost Finale Was a Powerful, Misunderstood Ending to One of TV's Boldest Shows". http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a28323/twin-peaks-turns-24/.
7. ↑ "Shields Can Thank Her Neighbors For Show's Ratings". https://web.archive.org/web/20160610115240/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1996-09-26/features/9609260123_1_spot-seinfeld-high-stakes-game.

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