Let’s face it—TV pilots are a gamble. They’re like your worst first dates that you can’t forget: sometimes it just works, sometimes it’s a disaster, and sometimes you still wonder how that awful beginning turned into your favorite binge session. The majority of hit shows initially were drastically different in looks and vibes from what they eventually became, and they’re proof that the magic really happens in the rewrite. So take control of your TV viewing and check out these 10 series whose pilots were vastly transformed for the better.
10. Game of Thrones
Before becoming the fantasy series that ruled pop culture, Game of Thrones had a pilot so bad that HBO threw away much of it and began again. The original version featured a wholly different Daenerys and Catelyn, along with a tone that simply did not work. The reshoot corrected nearly everything—tied up the pacing, honed the character interactions, and laid groundwork for one of the most ambitious shows ever produced.
9. New Girl
If you’re curious about what became of Coach after the pilot, question well asked. Damon Wayans Jr. appeared as him in the pilot, but when his other series, Happy Ending, got picked up, he couldn’t stay. Lamorne Morris stepped in as Winston in episode two, and our beloved loft dynamic was formed. Coach would return here and there, but Winston’s introduction totally redid the group dynamic.
8. Sherlock
BBC’s Sherlock went on to earn its reputation for feature-length episodes and cinematic flair, but the pilot that preceded it was shorter, less expensive, and lacked some essential elements (including Mycroft Holmes). What the BBC saw was potential, and so they commissioned a longer, reworked version of “A Study in Pink.” That second pilot got the tone right, improved the production, and introduced one of the smartest thrillers on TV today.
7. 30 Rock
Tina Fey’s back-stage humor was quite different. In the never-aired pilot, Jenna was portrayed by Rachel Dratch rather than Jane Krakowski. Dratch’s interpretation was quirkier and more realistic, but replacing her with Krakowski served to mold Jenna Maroney into the larger-than-life diva that fans love. Fortunately, Dratch continued to make appearances throughout the run of the show in comedic cameo roles, so nobody actually lost out.
6. The Inbetweeners
Believe it or not, The Inbetweeners began life as something entirely different. The original pilot, titled Baggy Trousers, was set in the 1980s with a different cast—Jay hadn’t even been born then! James Buckley (later to play Jay) was originally cast as Neil. The producers came to realize that the story was better told in the present day, with a revised cast and wittier script, and the rest is comedy history for teens.
5. Family Guy
The original cut of Family Guy resembles something from another dimension. Lois was blonde, Meg wore a blue hat, and miraculously, everyone actually liked her. Quagmire wasn’t even a thing yet. The pilot that aired on television took the same basic premise but retooled everything from the animation to the humor, cementing the show’s wild, boundary-pushing personality that still holds decades later.
4. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Hitchcock and Scully existed in the first Brooklyn Nine-Nine pilot as part of a three-person crew with a female detective named Daniels, whose most notable contribution was that she made coffee. She disappeared after episode one, never to be spoken of again. The writers decided that the two buffoons functioned better as a two-man unit, and by streamlining the cast, they provided us with one of the most beloved precincts in sitcom history.
3. The Office (US)
If you’ve seen the first episode of The Office and thought, “This feels… weirdly British,” that’s because it was almost a direct copy of the UK version, right down to the awkward tone. Thankfully, the U.S. show found its own rhythm fast. Michael Scott became less mean-spirited and more endearingly clueless, and new characters like Kelly, Toby, and Meredith brought fresh energy. It’s a perfect example of a show finding its voice after a shaky start.
2. The Big Bang Theory
Your Big Bang Theory and the almost-made-one couldn’t have been more opposite. The original pilot had a female lead named Katie instead of Penny, and Sheldon wasn’t nearly as socially inept. The chemistry just didn’t work. After they reworked the idea, introduced Penny, and embraced Sheldon’s oddities, the show blew up into one of television’s largest hits.
1. Bob’s Burgers
You may not know Bob’s Burgers from its original pilot. Tina Belcher used to be a teenage boy named Daniel (voiced by the same voice actor, Dan Mintz), but Gene and Daniel were too much alike for the creators to handle. So Daniel was turned into Tina, and the rest is animation history. The early style of animation also gave characters awkwardly placed noses that were… let’s just say disconcerting. After they worked it all out, the Belchers became one of television’s favorite families.
So the next time you watch a clunky pilot, don’t write it off too fast. Even the greatest shows sometimes start rough before finding their rhythm. A few smart rewrites, a new cast member, or a total tonal overhaul can make all the difference, and as these ten series prove, sometimes that second chance turns TV misfires into masterpieces.