"Pilot" | |
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Awake episode | |
![]() Michael and Hannah Britten mourn over the loss of their son, Rex. The episode introduces the main characters and concept of the series. | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
Directed by | David Slade |
Written by | Kyle Killen |
Editing by | Jordan Goldman Paul Trejo |
Production code | 1ATR79 |
Original air date | March 1, 2012 |
Running time | 43 minutes |
"Pilot" is the pilot episode of the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake, which originally aired on NBC on March 1, 2012. Written by series creator Kyle Killen, "Pilot" earned a Nielsen rating of 2.0, being watched by 6.247 million viewers upon its initial broadcast. Directed by David Slade, it became the highest-rated non-sports program in its respective time slot on NBC in over a year. The episode has generally received positive reviews, with many critics commenting on the episode's unique script, and the cast members, particularly Jason Isaacs' performance as Michael Britten, who they felt effectively embodied the characteristics of the lead role. It was one of eight honorees at the Critics' Choice Television Awards.
The pilot introduced the main character, Michael Britten, a detective who works for the Los Angeles Police Department. He is involved in a fatal accident with his family. Michael is conflicted with two parallel realities; in one reality, in which he wears a red wristband, his wife Hannah Britten (Laura Allen) survived the accident, and in another reality, in which he wears a green wristband, his son Rex Britten (Dylan Minnette) survived. Michael does not know which reality is real, and sees two separate therapists: Dr. John Lee (BD Wong) in the "red reality", and Dr. Judith Evans (Cherry Jones) in the "green reality". Michael deals with a kidnapping in the "green reality", and a murder in the "red reality".
The concept of Awake was devised by Killen, who previously created the American television drama Lone Star for the Fox network. NBC encouraged Killen to conceive a concept for a future television series after Lone Star's cancellation. Although it was inspired by the processes of dreaming, its script was cited as potentially being too complex for mainstream American television.