The S1E1 Podcast
Join us every week where we’ll be picking a different sitcom and judging it solely on its very first televised episode. In doing so we’ll be challenging ourselves to erase any knowledge of future episodes so we can deliver an unbiased opinion. At the end of each show we’ll tell you if this is a show we would green light or cancel. Tune in to find out which mega shows wouldn’t make the cut, what forgettable mistakes we give a pass, and who started exactly where they should be.
Listen on:
Episodes
Thursday Dec 15, 2022
Thursday Dec 15, 2022
Starting in the year 2000 "Titus" was able to accomplish something that seemed near impossible in the world of television... Test the limits on what Fox was okay with airing. This show which was based on the life and comedy of the shows leading man Christopher Titus was not afraid to push boundaries. In fact, there were multiple episodes of the show that either weren't aired or were postponed and aired out of order due to content. With all that being said this show isn't necessarily that edgy, it was more that the people in charge of this show were very unwilling to compromise on almost every detail behind it. There was even a rule that the studio couldn't add any canned laughter to strengthen the sound if the studio audience wasn't lively enough. Eventually Fox had their fix and despite pulling decent ratings the show was cancelled after its third season. Were the boundaries really being pushed too far or were they sitting right in the comedic sweet spot? Find out as we review Titus' pilot episode, "Sex With Pudding".
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Starring: Christopher Titus, Cynthia Watros, Zack Ward, David Shatraw, Stacy Keach, & Lesley Fera
Thursday Dec 08, 2022
Thursday Dec 08, 2022
A show that George Clooney was quoted as saying was "a particular low point" in his career. "Baby Talk" was a television adaptation of the hit movie "Look Who's Talking" The show was created by Amy Heckerling, the writer and director of the original film and Ed Weinberger, who co-created such hit shows as "Taxi" & "The Cosby Show". The show was even originally slated to be called Look Who's Talking until it was determined that it may cause confusion with the sequel that would be airing concurrently. This show also readapted and recast the main characters so we don't see the likes of John Travolta and Kirstie Alley reprising their roles and instead of the baby being voiced by Bruce Willis the network went with Tony Danza who was already starring in the show "Who's The Boss" at the same time.
Despite having the likes of Danza and Clooney involved in the project the show just didn't perform well. Shockingly a full second season was eventually ordered but not before a total re-haul changing nearly the entire cast and location. Those adjustments did little to improve ratings and the show was canceled at the conclusion of the season. But with all this in mind does the pilot episode have enough laughs to make you want to watch more? Listen as we do a deep dive of the show's pilot episode, "Baby Love".
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Starring: Tony Danza, George Clooney, Julia Duffy, Lenny Wolpe, Ted McGinley, & William Hickey
Thursday Dec 01, 2022
Thursday Dec 01, 2022
"Grounded For Life" was a sitcom that depicted a family where the parents had children early in life and are now raising three kids while in their early 30s. The show's original network Fox made the decision to cancel the show early into its 3rd season but then was picked up by The WB where it remained until the end of its fifth and final season.
The show was met with mediocre fanfare through it's entire run from 2001-2005, but does that mean the S1E1 guys will feel the same? Find out as they do a deep dive of their pilot episode, "Lily B. Goode."
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Starring: Donal Logue, Megyn Price, Kevin Corrigan, Lynsey Bartilson, Griffin Frazen, Jake Burbage, Bret Harrison, & Richard Riehle
Thursday Nov 24, 2022
Thursday Nov 24, 2022
It would be safe to assume that a large percentage of people remember the show "Charles In Charge". The show ran for 126 episodes and had a very strong run in syndication. But despite being one of the more popular shows of the late '80s, if you were to start watching the show again from the first episode the majority of you would have a hard time remembering most of the cast. That's because after a first season of mediocre ratings, CBS decided to pull the trigger on the show. The entire cast, with the exception of Scott Baio (Charles) and Willie Aames (Buddy) was changed. With a new look the show started gaining some traction and became what you know remember today.
Was the original cast strong enough to keep the show running without the need to change it? Find out as we deep dive Charles In Charge's 1984 pilot episode.
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Starring: Scott Baio, Willie Aames, Jennifer Runyon, April Lerman, Jonathan Ward, Michael Pearlman, Michael Sharrett, James Widdoes, & Julie Cobb
Thursday Nov 17, 2022
Thursday Nov 17, 2022
LL Cool J is one of those artists that has seemed to effortlessly transition from the music world to acting. From shows like "NCIS: Los Angeles" to movies such as "Deep Blue Sea" it's pretty common to see him on your television screen. But in 1995 LL still had a fairly limited amount of acting credits when he was cast to be the main role in the NBC sitcom "In The House".
In the show he stars as Marion Hill, a former NFL player who due to some unfortunate financial troubles needs to rent his house to a woman and her two children to help cover the bills. The show took on a total overhaul when the majority of the cast was changed in season 3 after the show moved to UPN. But was the original format solid enough to last? Listen as the boys deep dive their pilot episode, "Getting To Know You".
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Starring: LL Cool J, Debbie Allen, Lisa Arrindell, Jeff Wood, & Maia Campbell
Thursday Nov 10, 2022
Thursday Nov 10, 2022
"The Nanny" is the result of a chance meeting between Fran Drescher and former president of CBS, Jeff Sagansky on a transatlantic flight. On said flight Drescher was able to convince Sagansky to meet with her in LA to pitch a television show. Although at the time she didn't actually have a pitch in mind she eventually came up with an idea for a modern twist on "The Sound of Music". From this the Nanny was born and Fran Drescher herself would be in the starring role playing a fashionista turned nanny after a day of door to door cosmetic sales lands her at the house of a rich widowed Broadway producer. The Nanny would go on to be one of the biggest shows in the '90s.
Despite all the show's success were they able to land all that TV magic in their pilot episode? Listen as the boys do an extreme deep dive of The Nanny's pilot episode.
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Starring: Fran Drescher, Charles Shaughnessy, Daniel Davis, Lauren Lane, Nicholle Tom, Benjamin Salisbury, & Madeline Zima
Thursday Nov 03, 2022
Thursday Nov 03, 2022
That '80s Show was given all the tools to succeed. The show had both the creators and network from That '70s Show behind it. But instead of having a 200 episode run of its own, this show fell a little shy... By about 187 episodes. Was the magic just not in the air for this one? What was so different about the approach that kept it from succeeding like its '70s counterpart? Listen as the boys review the pilot episode, "That '80s Pilot" to find out.
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Starring: Glenn Howerton, Tinsley Grimes, Chyler Leigh, Eddie Shin, Brittany Daniel, Margaret Smith, & Geoff Pierson
Thursday Oct 27, 2022
Thursday Oct 27, 2022
It's very rare when someone is able to star in back to back hit television shows but Melissa Joan Hart was able to do just that when shortly after wrapping up "Clarissa Explains It All" went on to star in this weeks episode, "Sabrina The Teenage Witch". The show chronicles the adventures of Sabrina Spellman, a girl who discovers on her 16th birthday that she is a witch. The show, which was based on the Archie Comics series of the same name was a near instant hit and ended up with a seven season run. So with that in mind a sitcom about a witch living in Massachusetts seemed like the perfect Halloween episode for this year. Will the boys give this one a green-light or are they just too far removed from when we were the target demographic. Listen as they review the pilot episode and find out.
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Starring: Melissa Joan Hart, Beth Broderick, Caroline Rhea, Nate Richert, Nick Bakay, Jenna Leigh Green. Michelle Beaudoin, Paul Feig, Penn Gillette, Teller, & Debbie Harry
Thursday Oct 20, 2022
Thursday Oct 20, 2022
In "Deadbeat" Tyler Labine plays a medium for hire named "Pac" who uses his actual ability to see ghosts to help them move on to the afterlife. And much like most mediums he does so with the aid of his drug dealer. Despite this very unique ability Pac possesses he still struggles to pay the bills.
Deadbeat first premiered in 2014 and marks the first Hulu original show we've covered. It earned itself 3 seasons which is amazing because it was all done without any of us even being aware of its existence.
Can Hulu dish out great original content? We aim to find out when review this show's pilot episode, "The Sexorcism".
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Starring: Tyler Labine, Brandon T. Jackson, Cat Deeley, Lucy DeVito, Samantha Bee, Danielle Dallacco, Paul Iacono
Thursday Oct 13, 2022
Thursday Oct 13, 2022
The Munsters is one of the most beloved shows to come out of the 60s... But we're not covering that show, we tackled that one last year (go back in the archives to listen). This week we're here to talk about "The Munsters Today"!
The Munsters Today is a revival of the original show where the family accidentally sleeps for over 20 years and then find themselves having to adjust to life in the 80s. The new version of the show is shot in color and has a whole new cast portraying the same characters we came to know and love in the original.
Despite being forgotten in time The Munsters Today actually produced more episodes than the original show. Is the show's 70+ episode run an indicator that they were able to recreate the same magic with this spin-off? Listen as we review their pilot episode, "Vampire Pie" to find out.
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Starring: John Schuck, Lee Meriwether, Jason Marsden, Hilary Van Dyke, & Howard Morton