The purpose of a pilot in a TV show is to get audiences hooked, and establish their expectations for the show. It needs to introduce the characters, their situation, their dynamics, engage in some serious world-building and more, all while being a good and entertaining piece of television.

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With all of that in play, many pilots don't have time to drop an earth-shattering twist in their ending. Some do, however, changing things up within the first episode. Often, this serves well to generate buzz and discussion for the show with positive word-of-mouth, and can also serve as a way to establish the tone for plot-heavy or twist-heavy narratives.

10 They're All One Extended Family (Modern Family)

The family all gather together in the pilot for Modern Family show

One of the best examples of a mockumentary sitcom, Modern Family presents itself as a documentary series about three different families, each with different dynamics. Claire and Phil head a typical upper-middle class suburban household; Jay, Gloria and Manny are an interracial family and Jay's second marriage; and Cameron and Mitchell are a gay couple adopting a Vietnamese child.

The show seems to be keeping these families separate, to compare and contrast their lifestyles. At the end of the pilot, the three families are revealed to be one and the same — Claire and Mitchell are Jay's children from his first marriage. There is little indication prior to the reveal, but the twist forms the bedrock for the rest of the show's story.

9 Teddy Is Another Host (Westworld)

Teddy reunites with Dolores in the pilot of Westworld

Sometimes, a twist can be used in a "false beginning" for a pilot, leading the audience to believe one thing before pulling the rug out a few minutes later. During the pilot of Westworld, viewers follow Teddy as he returns to the park after a long absence.

Teddy, played by bankable star James Marsden, appears to be a human guest. He enters on the same train as the guests and there's nothing to suggest he is anything but what he appears. It is only when the Man in Black attacks him and Dolores that Teddy's revealed to be a host, setting up a show full of plot twists and brutality in a perfect snapshot of the show's best pieces.

8 Suzie Costello Dies And Jack Harkness Doesn't (Torchwood)

Suzie Costello holds Gwen Cooper and Jack Harkness at gunpoint in the Torchwood pilot

Prior to and during the last episode of Torchwood, Suzie Costello is treated like any other member of the team. She's heavily involved, has her own character profile, and appears to occupy a unique spot as the team's cold and logical second-in-command.

Over the course of the pilot, however, she's revealed to be murdering people in the interests of science. When protagonists Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper corner her, Suzie shoots Jack and then herself — setting up the first twist as a seemingly-major team member dies. In a second twist, Jack wakes up, revealing his immortality and a key part of the show.

7 Sam Tyler Wakes Up In 1973 (Life On Mars)

Gene Hunt, Sam Tyler, and Annie Cartwright in Life on Mars TV show

Sometimes, a show's very premise is the plot twist. The first fifteen minutes of sci-fi police drama Life on Mars appear to be a fairly run-of-the-mill detective show, with main character Sam Tyler living and working as a normal police officer in the 21st century. After the first third, however, Sam is hit by a car and wakes up in another time entirely — 1973.

The seeming time travel is at the core of the show's premise, and the mystery of whether Sam is dead, hallucinating, or really there is essential to the rest of the show. Taking things further, the marketing for the show gave no indication it was anything other than a police show, allowing the twist to really shock audiences.

6 Eleanor Shellstrop Doesn't Belong In The Good Place (The Good Place)

Eleanor wakes up in the afterlife in the Good Place show

The entire first episode of The Good Place builds up tension concerning the strange behavior of protagonist Eleanor Shellstrop as she reacts to the paradisiacal afterlife she wakes up in. It's clear something is off, but it's not until late in the episode that the truth is revealed: Eleanor is a bad person who doesn't belong in the Good Place.

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Like some pilot plot twists, the marketing for the show gave it away, as Eleanor's seeming lack of belonging forms the premise of the show's first season. Nonetheless, it's only the first of many twists — most far more shocking and revelatory than just Eleanor's indiscretions.

5 Jonathan Becomes A Vampire And Lets Dracula Kill Him (Dracula)

Jonathan Harker urned into a vampire Dracula 2020 TV show

In Bram Stoker's original Dracula novel, the main character is actually an English lawyer named Jonathan Harker, rather than the more famous Abraham van Helsing. Most adaptations focus on van Helsing, but 2020's Dracula TV series opens similar to the novel, with Harker trapped in Dracula's castle.

The series initially appears to stay true to the text, but it soon becomes clear something is wrong. Jonathan reveals himself to be undead, setting the series apart from the novel. In a further twist, he allows Dracula to kill him to end his suffering, putting the focus of the story once more on Dracula and the van Helsing family — this time represented by Agatha and Zoe.

4 Walter White Has Cancer (Breaking Bad)

Walter White points a gun in Breaking Bad pilot episode

The premise of Breaking Bad is well-known, with a milquetoast chemistry teacher deciding to become a drugs manufacturer and enter a life of crime. Due to pop culture osmosis, the main plot twist of its pilot is known even to those who haven't seen the show, but the episode nonetheless presents it as a twist.

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The factor motivating Walter White to make drugs is a shock cancer diagnosis on his 50th birthday, prompting him to find a way to provide for his family after his death, and to get himself out of the unhappy rut his life has become. A decent amount of the episode passes before this revelation, making it a potential shock to first-time watchers.

3 The Doctor And Susan Are Time Traveling Aliens (Doctor Who)

Ian and Barbara meet the Doctor and see the TARDIS in Doctor Who 'An Unearthly Child' pilot

In current times, the main character of Doctor Who is well-known as a Gallifreyan who travels through time in a police box which is bigger on the inside. However, in the first episode, "An Unearthly Child," this is a shock twist delivered late in the episode.

Rather than following the Doctor, the episode opens on Ian and Barbara, two teachers of the Doctor's granddaughter, Susan. They investigate Susan's unusual home life and force their way into the TARDIS. Inside, they discover the Doctor and Susan are time traveling aliens, and are promptly kidnapped far into the past, setting the stage for one of the most iconic TV shows ever.

2 The Mandalorian's Target Is An Infant Of Yoda's Species (The Mandalorian)

Din Djarin meets Grogu in the pilot of The Mandalorian TV show

Grogu, better known as "Baby Yoda" is by far the best-known thing about The Mandalorian. However, his first appearance comes at the very end of the pilot, and is a massive shock. Din Djarin, the title character, spends most of the episode hunting a target for the Empire, told only that the target is in his 50s.

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Upon finding the target, he learns that 50 years isn't very old at all, and his target is a child barely older than an infant. From then on, the premise of the series becomes almost entirely about Djarin traveling with Grogu and keeping him safe. Director Jon Favreau tried so hard to keep this twist a secret that there was even a dearth of merchandise for the character, despite his immense popularity.

1 Jaime And Cersei Are Lovers, And Try To Murder Bran (Game Of Thrones)

Jaime Lannister pushes Bran Stark from a window in Game of Thrones.

The first episode of Game of Thrones is slower-paced than most of the other episodes, devoting huge stretches of time to introducing characters, their relationships, and the world. Nonetheless, its first episode finishes on a shocking twist that sets the tone for the rest of the series.

After an episode of slow intrigue, politics, and character-building conversations, Bran Stark climbs a tower, and finds the siblings Jaime and Cersei Lannister making love. After shocking audiences once, the show tops it by having Jaime fling Bran from the tower, setting the rest of the series in motion.