"Pilot"
Terriers episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 1
Directed byCraig Brewer
Written byTed Griffin
Produced by
Cinematography byCurtis Wehr
Editing byGregg Featherman
Production code1WAD79
Original air dateSeptember 8, 2010 (2010-09-08)
Running time52 minutes
Guest appearances

"Pilot" is the series premiere of the American crime comedy-drama television series Terriers. The episode was written by series creator Ted Griffin, and directed by Craig Brewer. It was first broadcast on FX in the United States on September 8, 2010.

The series is set in Ocean Beach, San Diego and focuses on ex-cop and recovering alcoholic Hank Dolworth (Donal Logue) and his best friend, former criminal Britt Pollack (Michael Raymond-James), who both decide to open an unlicensed private investigation business. In the episode, an old friend of Hank asks for their help in finding his missing daughter, who worked for a powerful real estate developer.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.61 million household viewers and gained a 0.5/2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, making it the most-watched episode of the series. The premiere received extremely positive reviews from critics, who praised the writing and performances, with Logue's and Raymond-James' chemistry being singled out for praise.

Plot

In Ocean Beach, San Diego, ex-cop and recovering alcoholic Hank Dolworth (Donal Logue) and his best friend, former criminal Britt Pollack (Michael Raymond-James) are surveilling a house. Working on an unlicensed private investigation business, they were hired by a friend of Britt to recover a dog from a man's house, who is her ex-husband. While Hank distracts the owner, Randy Oaks (Lee Reherman), Britt sneaks into the house and takes the dog, Winston. They escape just as Oaks discovers the event.

Forced to keep Winston for the rest of the day, Hank is contacted by his ex-wife Gretchen (Kimberly Quinn), who asks him to bail out Hank's old drinking buddy, Mickey (Gareth Williams), from jail. She also informs him that she is selling out their old house. After bailing him out, Mickey states that he was contacted by his daughter Eleanor (Rachel Miner), has not talked with her in years. Eleanor sounded scared and asked him for money and a gun, which caused Mickey's arrest for possession as he was going to meet her. Hank agrees to help Mickey in finding Eleanor.

Hank and Britt visit Eleanor's roommate, who informs them that Eleanor has been absent for one week and that someone broke into their house to steal. Discovering a parking ticket, they check on the location, which belongs to a mansion. Managing to get access, they meet the owner, Robert Lindus (Christopher Cousins), a local real estate developer and bigwig. They ask for Eleanor, who tells that she worked for him and has been absent for one week, having taken something of vital importance to him. He pays them $20,000 to find her and recover the stolen material. Hank uses part of the money to reserve part of his old house, much to Britt's annoyance.

Tracing Eleanor's cellphone to a beach, Hank and Britt find a cabin and assume they found her. However, they instead discover a lifeguard who was killed by a gunshot and leave the scene with Eleanor's cellphone. To complicate matters, their car is towed with Winston inside. After recovering Winston and the car, they are confronted by Detective Mark Gustafson (Rockmond Dunbar), who suspects them of searching for Eleanor while his squad investigates the lifeguard's death, which they deny. After leaving Winston with Britt's friend, they find that the cellphone contains a sex video of Lindus and Eleanor.

Hank returns home and discovers Eleanor, who holds him at gunpoint. She claims she did not kill the lifeguard, who was actually her boyfriend. Hank then deduces that they tried to blackmail Lindus for the money, but he responded by killing the lifeguard and trying to look for Eleanor. The video also reveals that Lindus is not planning to go forward with a previously established development deal. They contact Hank's attorney, Maggie Lefferts (Jamie Denbo), but she can't help them with their case. After fending off some of Lindus' henchmen, they leave Eleanor at a train station so she can leave town. Hank also meets with Gretchen, who allows him to buy their old house but also informs him that she is going to marry someone else, disappointing him.

Hank asks Gustafson to check Lindus' house but he refuses to do so. Their talk is interrupted when they are informed that Mickey has died from a drug overdose in an apparent suicide. With the authorities refusing to help them, Hank and Britt meet with Lindus on a development site. They give him her cellphone and inform her that she left town, something that pleases Lindus, who gives them another paycheck. Hank then coldly states to Lindus that he knows he is involved in Mickey's death and will destroy his life. The next day, Gustafson and the police get a warrant for his house and inspect it, finding a gun, unaware that Hank and Britt placed it there. Lindus is arrested, while Hank and Britt ponder over whether there will be consequences for their actions.

Production

Development

Development on the series started in August 2008, with FX announcing that Shawn Ryan and Ted Griffin were working on a series described as "a comedic drama about a private eye."[1] In June 2009, the series was given a pilot order, now officially titled Terriers.[2] In October 2009, FX officially announced a 13-episode series order for Terriers.[3]

Casting

In July 2009, Donal Logue was the first actor to join the series.[4] The next month, Michael Raymond-James, Kimberly Quinn, Laura Allen and Rockmond Dunbar joined the series as series regulars.[5]

Reception

Viewers

The episode was watched by 1.61 million viewers, earning a 0.5/2 in the 18-49 rating demographics on the Nielson ratings scale. This means that 0.5 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode, while 2 percent of all households watching television at that time watched it.[6]

Critical reviews

"Pilot" received extremely positive reviews from critics. Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8.5 out of 10 and wrote, "It's a shame that, for the most part, TV pilots usually represent the very least a series can offer; no matter the series. Sure, there have been occasional exceptions over the years, but most pilots, by nature, are weighed down with rushed introductions, bloated exposition, and a general feeling of 'once we get past this beginning part we can get into the good stuff.' I've infused myself with low expectations. But then a show like FX's Terriers comes along and presents a standard, time-honored TV genre in a gritty and fresh manner and the televisual world is made whole again."[7]

Noel Murray of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A−" grade and wrote, "The show has style, flavor, and man does it ever have wit. Judging by the first two episodes, Terriers may end up being the most quotable new show of the fall."[8]

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "A very strong start, very well-directed by Craig Brewer of Hustle & Flow and Black Snake Moan fame, and with a lot of fine small moments like Hank simultaneously figuring out why his ex wants to sell the house and trying to keep her from seeing how much that reason breaks his heart."[9] James Poniewozik of TIME wrote, "Terriers is a welcome complement to some of cable's bigger, more operatic dramas: it doesn't go for the gut-wrenching violence of Sons of Anarchy or the brooding emotion of Mad Men, but it also doesn't aim for simple high-gloss entertainment. Instead, it turns its small scale into an asset, charming viewers as Hank and Britt aim for something greater in their jobs and, therefore, their lives. In the process, Terriers becomes pretty darn good as well."[10]

Matt Richenthal of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.7 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "The premiere didn't suffer from the clunky dialogue that plagues so many other pilots, as many shows awkwardly throw a lot of information at viewers in order to educate them about their characters. Instead, Terriers just lets us see a day in the life of these men, specifically Hank, and I turned off the TV confident that I knew the former detective pretty well."[11] Cory Barker of TV Overmind wrote, "I imagine that Terriers will take a few more episodes to get its footing and define the relationship between the two leads before jumping back into the ongoing arc, but unlike last spring's Justified, I think FX will be fine to let this series do its thing. You should absolutely watch this series."[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Development Update: Thursday, August 7". The Futon Critic. August 7, 2008. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Development Update: Wednesday, June 10". The Futon Critic. June 10, 2009. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  3. ↑ "FX Orders Two New Drama Series". The Futon Critic. October 1, 2009. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Development Update: July 28-29". The Futon Critic. July 29, 2009. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Development Update: Thursday, August 6". The Futon Critic. August 6, 2009. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  6. ↑ Seidman, Robert (September 9, 2010). "Wednesday Cable: Top Chef, Tosh.0 Lead, Psych Down + More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 7, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  7. ↑ Fowler, Matt (September 7, 2010). "Terriers: "Pilot" Review". IGN. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  8. ↑ Murray, Joel (September 8, 2010). "Terriers: "Pilot"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  9. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (September 8, 2010). "'Terriers' – 'Pilot': Cheaters sometimes prosper". HitFix. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  10. ↑ Poniewozik, James (September 8, 2010). "TV Tonight: The Truth About Cats and Dogs". TIME. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  11. ↑ Richenthal, Matt (September 9, 2010). "Terriers Series Premiere Review: Off to a Great Start". TV Fanatic. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  12. ↑ Barker, Cory (September 9, 2010). "Terriers 1.01, "Pilot" Review". TV Overmind. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
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