e75. Judging a Show by its Pilot?

It’s fall and if you’re a television fan that means you know that we are on the cusp of dozens — or these days maybe even hundreds — of new shows hitting the TV airwaves. And every new TV show starts with a pilot… an episode that introduces you to the show and tries to convince you to keep watching. But how effective are these pilots? What makes a pilot good or bad? How much does it have to do with the rest of the series? And should you really make your decision to continue watching the show based on it? Hannah, Mav and Wayne are joined by Dan and Jen Greenwald, the hosts of the Pilot Season Podcast, to talk about how TV pilots work and discuss some of their favorites, least favorites and what makes a good one. Give it a listen and let us know what you think. Citations and Links: * This episode’s Call for Comments* “The 50 Best TV Pilots of the 21st Century” by Valerie Ettenhofer* “The 15 Best TV Pilots of All Time” by Matthew Jackson* “The Pilot Script Checklist” by Priyanka Mattoo* “The Anatomy of a Great TV Pilot” by Sophia Stewart* “4 Things You Must Include in Your Tv Pilot” by Britton Perelman* “Damon Lindelof Explains His Vision for HBO’s ‘Watchmen’ in Heartfelt Letter to Fans” by Graeme McMillan* The Revolution Was Televised by Alan Seppinwall * Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme * Listen to Jen and Dan on the Pilot Season Podcast * Also check our Dan on the Comic Book Pitt Podcast * Follow Hannah on Twitter: @hannahleerogers * Follow Mav on Twitter: @

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Vox Populorum is a blog and podcast devoted to pop culture criticism. We believe that the best way to understand culture is to discuss it. But we also believe that it's a lot more fun to have these conversations throwing back a couple beers at the bar rather than in a classroom. Please join our weekly round table of media critics, academics, creators, artists, professors, students and fans for an engaging discussion about movies, novels, comic books, television, video games, music or whatever else we happen to think of! Nec audiendi qui solent dicere, Vox populi, vox Dei, quum tumultuositas vulgi semper insaniae proxima sit.