Grey's Anatomy has been a top-rated show and cultural touchstone since premiering in 2005, resulting in its stars and creator Shonda Rhimes becoming household names.

The FX original Nip/Tuck got off to a fast start with its graphic depiction of plastic surgery and a dense, crime-driven plot.

The pilot of Scrubs introduced a style of humor new to the medical genre, balancing heartfelt stories with slapstick comedy and surreal daydreams.

In the mid-90s, the definitive hospital drama ER rushed onto primetime television with a barrage of life-or-death situations and a memorable ensemble cast.

Like its namesake hospital, the 80s drama St. Elsewhere was modest and full of talent. The pilot episode introduced an ensemble cast and an intricate story structure that laid the foundation for the medical genre as we know it today.

We've got some new prescriptions for TV pilots, all belonging to the medical genre! To kick things off, we're going back to the 70's for the premiere of M*A*S*H which expanded the potential of television storytelling throughout its eleven-season run.

For the final HBO pilot we're discussing (for now), we're returning to New York City for the first episode of Girls which captured the millennial experience of young adulthood in the 2010s.

When you play the game of TV pilots, you're either greenlit or you get canceled. There is no middle ground. In 2011, HBO premiered Game of Thrones which reigned as the biggest television event of its time.

The strength of HBO's programming drew Martin Scorcese to direct the first episode of Boardwalk Empire, one of the most expensive but also award-winning pilots in TV history.