Pilot (No Ordinary Family)
Encyclopedia
"Pilot" is the first episode of the ABC
series No Ordinary Family
. The episode's teleplay was written by Jon Harmon Feldman
, from a story by Greg Berlanti
and Feldman. David Semel
directed the episode, which was originally broadcast on September 28, 2010.
) successful career as a research scientist and their kids becoming teenagers. Jim Powell (Michael Chiklis
) is the only one who seems to notice. During a family vacation research trip (which Jim forced his family to take), the plane they are in crashes into a lake during a storm. The family safely returns home, but doesn't seem to be any closer to each other. Eventually, Jim, Stephanie, Daphne (Kay Panabaker
) and JJ (Jimmy Bennett
) discover that they have superpowers. Jim attempts to use his newly discovered invulnerability and strength to stop crime, but ends up being shot and injured by high calibre bullets. He eventually ends up revealing his newfound powers to his wife, who has discovered that she has superspeed. They eventually reconcile and have a heart to heart talk, finally admitting that their marriage needs help. Meanwhile their daughter faces normal teenager issues, which are worsened with the arrival of her telepathy, enabling her to learn that her boyfriend is cheating on her. Initially distraught, she eventually accepts her new power. Meanwhile, JJ, who prior to the crash had a learning disability, suddenly becomes a genius. The episode ends with the family spending more time together, playing and Jim and Steph visiting a marriage counselor.
.
. Chris Carabott of IGN
gave the episode a 7.5 out of 10, stating "the show has a whimsical flair that's not hard to appreciate." Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle
said, "There's lot of promise here, of drama, action, comedy, etc, all wrapped up in a family-friendly series." Review aggregator
Metacritic
gave the series a score of 65 out of 100, indicating generally favorable reviews based on 28 professional critics. Alessandra Stanley
from The New York Times
gave an average review, praising the fact that the show offers "calmer, more restrained fantasy about paranormal prowess" by combining shows like Heroes
and Lost
with the wholesome fantasy of Disney's The Incredibles
and The Swiss Family Robinson
, but concluded her review by saying that "it's not clear whether this series—a hybrid of family drama and graphic novel—can sustain interest once the premise is fully established".
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
series No Ordinary Family
No Ordinary Family
No Ordinary Family is an American television series on ABC. The 45-minute science fiction comedy-drama was produced by ABC Studios for the 2010–11 television season. The series ran from September 28, 2010 to April 5, 2011, on Tuesdays at 8 pm ET/PT...
. The episode's teleplay was written by Jon Harmon Feldman
Jon Harmon Feldman
Jon Harmon Feldman is an American screenwriter and director.He has created and worked on TV series such as The Wonder Years, Tru Calling, Reunion, Dawson's Creek, Doctor, Doctor,American Dreams, Roswell, American Town, Dirty Sexy Money and Big Shots .He wrote and directed the 1997 romantic comedy...
, from a story by Greg Berlanti
Greg Berlanti
Greg Berlanti is an American television writer and producer.- Personal life :Berlanti was born in Rye, New York. His parents are Barbara Moller Berlanti and Eugene Berlanti. Greg has one sister, Dina and is the uncle of two nieces...
and Feldman. David Semel
David Semel
David Semel is an American director and television producer.- Film Director :* Lone Star State of Mind*Revelations* Campfire Tales - TV filmography Director :*Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip *Heroes...
directed the episode, which was originally broadcast on September 28, 2010.
Plot
An average, ordinary family, the Powells have been growing apart steadily thanks to Stephanie Powell's (Julie BenzJulie Benz
Julie M. Benz is an American actress, best known for her roles as Darla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel and as Rita Bennett on Dexter, for which she won the 2006 Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television...
) successful career as a research scientist and their kids becoming teenagers. Jim Powell (Michael Chiklis
Michael Chiklis
Michael Charles Chiklis is an American actor, voice actor, occasional director and television producer. Some of the previous roles for which he is best known include Commissioner Tony Scali on the ABC police drama The Commish, LAPD Detective Vic Mackey on the FX police drama The Shield, Thing in...
) is the only one who seems to notice. During a family vacation research trip (which Jim forced his family to take), the plane they are in crashes into a lake during a storm. The family safely returns home, but doesn't seem to be any closer to each other. Eventually, Jim, Stephanie, Daphne (Kay Panabaker
Kay Panabaker
Stephanie Kay Panabaker , better known as Kay Panabaker, is an American film and television actress. She is the younger sister of fellow actress Danielle Panabaker.-Early years:...
) and JJ (Jimmy Bennett
Jimmy Bennett
James Michael "Jimmy" Bennett is an American actor and musician. He is known for his roles as a child actor in Daddy Day Care, Hostage, Poseidon, and more recently in Orphan and as young James T. Kirk in Star Trek...
) discover that they have superpowers. Jim attempts to use his newly discovered invulnerability and strength to stop crime, but ends up being shot and injured by high calibre bullets. He eventually ends up revealing his newfound powers to his wife, who has discovered that she has superspeed. They eventually reconcile and have a heart to heart talk, finally admitting that their marriage needs help. Meanwhile their daughter faces normal teenager issues, which are worsened with the arrival of her telepathy, enabling her to learn that her boyfriend is cheating on her. Initially distraught, she eventually accepts her new power. Meanwhile, JJ, who prior to the crash had a learning disability, suddenly becomes a genius. The episode ends with the family spending more time together, playing and Jim and Steph visiting a marriage counselor.
Production
Part of the episode "Pilot" was filmed in location at the Amazon RiverAmazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
.
Ratings and viewership
A total of 10.70 million American viewers watched the pilot episode, placing third in its timeslot and first in family viewing. The episode was also watched by 2.07 million Canadian viewers, placing eleventh for that week.Critical reception
The episode received mixed reviews from Zap2itZap2it
Zap2it is an American website and affiliate network that provides news, photos and video, local TV listings and movie showtimes. The site is produced by Tribune Media Services , part of the publishing division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
. Chris Carabott of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the episode a 7.5 out of 10, stating "the show has a whimsical flair that's not hard to appreciate." Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
said, "There's lot of promise here, of drama, action, comedy, etc, all wrapped up in a family-friendly series." Review aggregator
Review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services . This system stores the reviews and then uses them for purposes such as: creating a website for users to view the reviews, selling information to third parties about consumer tendencies and creating databases for...
Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
gave the series a score of 65 out of 100, indicating generally favorable reviews based on 28 professional critics. Alessandra Stanley
Alessandra Stanley
Alessandra Stanley is an American journalist. In 2003 she became the television critic for The New York Times. Stanley was previously co-chief of the paper's Moscow bureau, Rome bureau chief, and as a correspondent for Time. She is the daughter of defense expert Timothy W...
from The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
gave an average review, praising the fact that the show offers "calmer, more restrained fantasy about paranormal prowess" by combining shows like Heroes
Heroes (TV series)
Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
and Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
with the wholesome fantasy of Disney's The Incredibles
The Incredibles
The Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...
and The Swiss Family Robinson
The Swiss Family Robinson
-History:Written by Swiss pastor Johann David Wyss and edited by his son Johann Rudolf Wyss, the novel was intended to teach his four sons about family values, good husbandry, the uses of the natural world and self-reliance...
, but concluded her review by saying that "it's not clear whether this series—a hybrid of family drama and graphic novel—can sustain interest once the premise is fully established".