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Creating a brand new drama series, whether it makes use of other genres or stays purely in the drama category, is never easy. It's necessary not only to figure out what the audience and the network want to watch but also to make sure the show works as a whole.
As many shows proved, even an initial worse impression doesn't mean the show cannot become a huge success. Sometimes it simply takes a show a bit longer to find the right direction, and as a result, the pilot episode seems all that weaker for it in comparison. Luckily, multiple shows more than made up for it in later episodes and became truly great.
7 Doctor Who
Every show has to start somewhere, and the legendary ones like Doctor Who are no exception. While Christopher Eccleston does an excellent job right from the start and his Doctor has both the charisma and gravitas needed to be believable and sympathetic, the story itself isn't the best.
The Doctor and Rose take on the Autons, who look funny rather than terrifying...even though the people caught in the crossfire no doubt thought otherwise. The Ninth Doctor later went on to have some truly great episodes, such as The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances, so his first adventure ever pales in comparison.
6 Star Trek
Multiple Star Trek series got better as time progressed, most notably the original Star Trek series and Star Trek: The Next Generation. In TOS, the pilot episode works with another captain and keeps a slow pace, unlike the following episodes with William Shatner's Captain Kirk.
The Christopher Pike pilot isn't entirely bad but the characters aren't yet fleshed out and the show would only go on to become truly great when it delved deep into the friendship between Kirk and Spock. However, the first episode is still worth watching, especially if the audience wants to compare it with the later stories and they also wish to see the later stoic Vulcan Spock smile.
5 Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Thousands of fans love Buffy to this day but it's difficult to overlook the fact that the first episode isn't nearly as exciting as what came afterward. Once the characters and the relationships between them became established, it was more fun to watch the show and enjoy its often dark and serious, but also sometimes funny and light-hearted episodes.
Overall, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a classic for a reason, but the pilot episode doesn't stand out among the competition, and the somewhat questionable fighting scenes don't help. As the choreography of the fighting scenes between Buffy and her enemies got better, so did the show.
4 The X-Files
The X-Files was another classic show that its fans adore also didn't start with a bang. Once again, it took a while to fully establish who Mulder and Scully were and to create the intriguing dynamic between them.
The first episode has a slower pace and the mystery at the heart of it just isn't as interesting as many future cases the duo would deal with. When Scully and Mulder got to know each other better, that's when the show became legendary. So much so that Mulder and Scully even came back for two new seasons in 2016 and 2018.
3 Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The first episode of the later successful Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. tried to introduce too many characters at once, bringing them all into action at the same time. That made it difficult to start caring for any of them, with the only exception being Phil Coulson, who had already previously played a part in the MCU movies.
Fortunately for the show, it later found its footing as it took the time necessary to build up the characters and also mixed action and drama more coherently. Some fans believe the show only got great in the second season when it delved even deeper into Hydra's activities.
2 The Walking Dead
Despite its success right from the start, The Walking Dead's first episode was only a promise of better things to come. It took some time to establish what was going on and bring all the necessary characters to the scene. As a result, the first episode was surprisingly slow-paced and unexciting in comparison to the ones that followed.
The characterization also leaves a lot to be desired, and the viewers don't yet fear for the characters since they haven't had time to start caring about them just yet in the first episode.
1 Supernatural
Supernatural went on to become one of the most beloved fantasy series of all time, but just like many great hits, it wasn't always so strong. The initial concept of the show worked with the case-of-the-week scheme, which proved not to work as well as the later scheme of returning villains did.
Also, in the pilot episode, the brotherly bond between Sam and Dean wasn't yet at realistic as it would be in later episodes and seasons. The more details the viewers learned about the heroes, the more they grew to love them and the show's quality and popularity grew as a result.