Pilot (Glee)

"**Pilot**"
"Pilot"
Glee episode
	New Directions performs "Don't Stop Believin'" on stage, convincing Will not to leave the school.
Episode no.	Season 1; Episode 1
Directed by	Ryan Murphy
Written by	Ryan Murphy; Brad Falchuk; Ian Brennan
Featured music	"You Keep Me Hangin' On"; "Shining Star"; "Where Is Love?"; "Respect"; "Mr Cellophane"; "I Kissed a Girl"; "On My Own"; "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat"; "Can't Fight This Feeling"; "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'"; "You're the One That I Want"; "Rehab"; "Leaving on a Jet Plane"; "Don't Stop Believin'"
Production code	1ARC79
Original air date	May 19, 2009
Running time	48 minutes
Guest appearances
	Stephen Tobolowsky as Sandy Ryerson; Patrick Gallagher as Ken Tanaka; Iqbal Theba as Principal Figgins; Romy Rosemont as Carole Hudson; Ben Bledsoe as Hank Saunders; Justin Gaston as a football player; Kent Avenido as Howard Bamboo; Naya Rivera as Santana Lopez;
Episode chronology
← Previous; —	Next →; "Showmance"
	Glee (season 1)
	List of episodes

"Pilot" is the first episode of the American television series Glee. It premiered on the Fox network on May 19, 2009.^[1] An extended director's cut version aired on September 2, 2009. The show focuses on a high school show choir, also known as a glee club, set within the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio.^[2] The pilot episode covers the formation of the club and introduces the main characters. The episode was directed by series creator Ryan Murphy, and written by Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan. Murphy selected the music featured in the episode, with the intention of maintaining a balance between showtunes and chart hits.

The episode achieved 9.619 million viewers on first broadcast,^[3] and 4.2 million when the director's cut version aired.^[4] Critical response was mixed, with The New York Times's Alessandra Stanley highlighting the episode's unoriginality and stereotyped characters, but praising the showmanship and talent of the cast. The Daily News's David Hinckley opined that the show was imperfect and implausible but "potentially heartwarming", while USA Today's Robert Bianco noted casting and tone problems, but commented positively on the show's humor and musical performances. Mary McNamara for the Los Angeles Times wrote that the show had a wide audience appeal, calling it: "the first show in a long time that's just plain full-throttle, no-guilty-pleasure-rationalizations-necessary fun."

^ "Fox Holds "Glee" Tryouts After "American Idol" Tuesday, May 19 – New One-Hour Musical Comedy Series to Preview Post-American Idol" (Press release). Fox Broadcasting Company. March 5, 2009. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
^ Kelly, Mike (May 17, 2009). "'Glee' series set in a Lima high school has Toledo connection too". The Blade. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
^ Seidman, Robert (May 20, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, May 18–24, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 26, 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2009.
^ Seidman, Robert (September 3, 2009). "TV Ratings: Wipeout leads ABC to win, FOX previews its Wednesday". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 6, 2009. Retrieved September 5, 2009.

[FoxPR-20090305-1] "Fox Holds "Glee" Tryouts After "American Idol" Tuesday, May 19 – New One-Hour Musical Comedy Series to Preview Post-American Idol" (Press release). Fox Broadcasting Company. March 5, 2009. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2009.

[2] Kelly, Mike (May 17, 2009). "'Glee' series set in a Lima high school has Toledo connection too". The Blade. Retrieved May 19, 2009.

[pilot-3] Seidman, Robert (May 20, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, May 18–24, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 26, 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2009.

[directors-4] Seidman, Robert (September 3, 2009). "TV Ratings: Wipeout leads ABC to win, FOX previews its Wednesday". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 6, 2009. Retrieved September 5, 2009.

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