10 Greatest Season Premieres In TV History, Ranked

When we talk about season premieres, we’re not talking about pilots or series premieres, but rather the greatest opening episodes of returning shows. Pilot episodes and series premieres are some of the toughest episodes to get right — second only to series finales with a lot of questions to answer and mysteries to explain — because they have to set up the characters and their world and make it interesting enough that viewers will want to come back every week for, potentially, years and years.

But season premieres have to reintroduce you to familiar worlds and characters, and get you hooked for the next installment of a given tale. Lost’s season 2 premiere revealed what was in the hatch. The Wire’s season 4 premiere established the show’s critique of the American public school system. The Americans’ season 6 finale set up the endgame of the series, and made it clear that the Jenningses’ undercover mission wouldn’t turn out well for anyone.

10 No Sanctuary

The Walking Dead Season 5, Episode 1

The cast of The Walking Dead spent the back end of season 4 trudging across the post-apocalyptic wasteland and following signs to Terminus, a supposed safe haven where survivors are welcome. But when they got there, unsurprisingly, it turned out to be a trap, and they were all locked in a train car to be eaten by cannibals.

The next season began with a white-knuckle rollercoaster ride of a premiere episode. Within one episode, Rick and his group manage to burn Terminus to the ground and escape to freedom, and it’s just as exhilarating as we were promised.

9 A Lie Agreed Upon (Part I)

Deadwood Season 2, Episode 1

While Deadwood never had a season as perfect as its first, the season 2 premiere was a perfect reintroduction to the series. It brings Al Swearengen’s feud with Seth Bullock to a boil, as Al insinuates that Seth’s affair with Alma Garret is affecting his duties as sheriff, and Seth removes his badge for a brutal, bloody fight in the street.

Throughout the episode, Seth’s estranged wife Martha slowly but surely makes her way to Deadwood to reunite with him. In arguably the series’ defining moment, Martha arrives in town just in time to see Al taking a blade to Seth’s throat and gleefully telling her, “Welcome to f**king Deadwood!”

8 Guy Walks Into A Psychiatrist's Office...

The Sopranos Season 2, Episode 1

The Sopranos kicked off its best season with one of its best episodes. “Guy Walks into a Psychiatrist's Office...” picks up a few months after the events of season 1, as Tony gets back to business, has Uncle Junior’s successor killed, and brings Dr. Melfi out of hiding.

As Tony’s panic attacks return, he wants to go back to therapy, but Dr. Melfi is still mad at him. Meanwhile, Janice is back in town and Big Pussy is acting more suspicious than ever. It was a perfect reintroduction to the wild world of Tony Soprano.

7 Dead Hand

The Americans Season 6, Episode 1

Right up to its final season, The Americans was a very deliberate slow burn. But the season 6 premiere, “Dead Hand,” was an uncharacteristically fast-paced installment for the Cold War-era spy drama.

The Americans’ season 6 premiere wasted no time setting up the show’s endgame. It’s clear from the get-go that the Jenningses’ mission won’t end well for anyone on board, and you’re hooked.

6 Axis Mundi

The Leftovers Season 2, Episode 1

From its opening prehistoric flashback, The Leftovers’ season 2 premiere made it crystal clear that we couldn’t predict where it was going. “Axis Mundi” pulled off the magic trick that made The Leftovers such a masterpiece, balancing the mystery-box intrigue with the deeper human emotions.

There are plenty of tantalizing new questions begged by The Leftovers’ season 2 opener, not the least of which being where all the water from the lake went. But the focus remains on Kevin Garvey and his family, and how they’re dealing with all this.

5 Heavy Is The Crown

Arcane Season 2, Episode 1

The season 1 finale of Arcane brought one of the most jaw-dropping midpoint twists in TV history. Exactly halfway through the story, just as the Piltover council is about to vote Zaun into independence, an impatient and grief-stricken Jinx shoots them with a rocket launcher.

Arcane then spent its season 2 premiere dealing with the fallout of that attack. Jinx fully begins her villain arc, played spectacularly by Ella Purnell, and the conflict between the overworld and the underworld quickly escalates into a bloodbath. It’s as brilliant as it is devastating.

4 May The Giant Be With You

Twin Peaks Season 2, Episode 1

The critical reception to Twin Peaks took a nosedive in its second season. Where season 1 had thrown the rulebook out the window, season 2 became a more traditional TV drama. David Lynch had less involvement, the writers shaped it into a typical soap opera, and the network pressured them to reveal who killed Laura Palmer, which effectively killed the golden goose.

But Twin Peaks’ second season got off to a terrific start. The premiere, directed and co-written by Lynch, is every bit as confounding and visually striking as we’d come to expect after season 1, and the resolution of the previous season’s cliffhanger was suitably shocking (complete with a visit from The Giant).

3 Box Cutter

Breaking Bad Season 4, Episode 1

Traditional TV logic would dictate that Gus Fring is a one-and-done villain. He’d be the big bad for one season, then Walt would defeat him in an epic showdown, and they’d move on to a new threat in season 4. But the season 4 premiere confirmed that Gus wasn’t going anywhere; he was just getting started.

After Walt sent Jesse to kill Gale in Breaking Bad’s season 3 finale, Gus is forced to keep Walt alive, but he’s not happy about it. The season 4 premiere, “Box Cutter,” has you on the edge of your seat for a full hour, waiting to see how Gus will retaliate, and the gruesome payoff does not disappoint.

2 Man Of Science, Man Of Faith

Lost Season 2, Episode 1

Lost’s season 2 premiere deserves a spot on this list for its opening scene alone. After the season 1 finale ended with Jack and Locke finally getting that pesky hatch open, Lost fans spent all summer debating what might be inside there.

When the smash-hit survival drama returned for its second season, the answer to that mystery did not disappoint. Lost season 2 opens with the revelation that a charming Scottish man named Desmond has been living down there, idly punching numbers into a computer and listening to Mama Cass. Lost’s sophomore season hit the ground running with this thrillingly unpredictable premiere.

1 Boys Of Summer

The Wire Season 4, Episode 1

The Wire season 4 is arguably the single greatest season of television ever produced, and the premiere set the stage perfectly. Each season of The Wire tackled a different American institution, and highlighted the cracks in the system. In season 4, David Simon and his writers turned their sights on the failing public school system.

“Boys of Summer” introduces us to these four innocent kids who are about to be corrupted and doomed by a broken system. The rest of the season was appropriately heartbreaking, because the premiere episode had successfully endeared us to those characters.