15 Best Character Introductions In Television History

Few moments in a television series are as important as the first time we meet an important character. Whether they're the star of the show or a late-season villain, their debuts often have to show viewers why they should care about them and their place in the story. 

For these 15 entries, spanning genres from sitcom to crime drama, they were not only memorable introductions, but ones that set the tone for their entire character arc. These essential TV cast additions also include characters who the series had been building up to for years, only to knock it out of the park when it came time to reveal them to audiences. Maybe a favorite character of yours didn't make this list, but you can't deny that all 15 of these TV icons had great entrances to their respective shows. 

We usually don't think of theme songs as integral to a show's story, but that's certainly not the case for "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." The iconic, instantly memorable theme song features Will Smith rapping everything you need to know about his character and the show's premise: "Now this is a story all about how / My life got flipped, turned upside down..." Smith perfectly sets up his character through song as a rambunctious teen who, based on his mom's fear of him getting hurt living in Philadelphia, is sent to live with his wealthy aunt and uncle in Los Angeles.

While some, including Smith himself, may argue that "Fresh Prince" jumped the shark as it went on, this theme song at the top of every episode, including the very first, catches any audience member up on everything they need to know to follow Will's story. Few series replay a character's introduction at the start of every episode, but fortunately for "Fresh Prince," they couldn't have made a catchier song to go with a show that introduced the world to the future Man in Black. 

"Friends" is arguably the most famous sitcom of all time. However, because it went on for 10 memorable seasons, fans can sometimes easily forget how the pilot episode has a downright iconic character debut. 

The very first scene takes place in Central Perk, as Chandler (Matthew Perry), Monica (Courteney Cox), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), and Joey (Matt LeBlanc) console Monica's brother Ross (David Schwimmer) over his recent divorce. As Ross laments about wanting to get married again, who walks in but Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Monica's teenage best friend and Ross' former crush, crying in a wedding dress.

As if this isn't already a perfect set-up to the 10-season-long on-and-off relationship between Ross and Rachel, the moment is perfectly capped with sarcastic Chandler, noticing the irony of the moment, saying, "And I wish for a million dollars!" By the end of the scene, we understand everything we need to know about Rachel's personality, a stuck-up and shallow, but lovable, friend to Monica ... albeit one who didn't invite her to her wedding and now needs her help. Even as "Friends" ended, it became harder to imagine a more perfect introduction to the Rachel we know and love than this. 

Alec Baldwin was already a massive movie star when "30 Rock" began, but it'd be difficult to name a sitcom character who better utilizes their actor's natural charisma. In the "30 Rock" pilot, the everyday workings of a female-led sketch comedy show, run by Liz Lemon (Tina Fey), is upended by NBC's new programming executive, a conservative businessman, Jack Donaghy (Baldwin). He forces the series to hire problematic comedian Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) in an effort to boost waning ratings. 

For a character who enters the lives of the "30 Rock" cast to create nothing but problems, Donaghy's introduction to Liz and her producer Pete (Scott Adsit) feels emblematic of that disruption. Liz and Pete walk into Donaghy's office expecting to find their beloved boss Gary, only for Donaghy to kick through a wall and bluntly state, "Gary's dead" before introducing himself to the two. His unsentimental personality and bravado becomes a staple of the character from this moment until the finale, and thankfully his relationship with Liz Lemon gets past him telling her she has "the boldness of a much younger woman" in this scene. 

There are many characters to keep track of in "Game of Thrones," but when one makes an entrance like Tywin Lannister, you don't forget it. Charles Dance doesn't show up in the first season of until the beginning of the seventh episode. Fans first meet him skinning a dead stag (perfectly symbolizing his utter contempt for House Baratheon and King Robert) whilst his son Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) informs him of Ned Stark's (Sean Bean) actions against House Lannister.

Though it's enough of a statement for Tywin to be introduced literally getting his hands dirty, this scene also sees him drop some lines that say all you need to know about his character and the kind of father he is: "The lion doesn't concern himself with the opinions of sheep" and "I need you to become a man you were always meant to be. Not next year, not tomorrow, now." Of all the season's most jaw-dropping moments, this one still makes us watch in awe every time. 

Technically, Andrew Scott makes his debut in BBC's "Sherlock" earlier than the introduction of Jim Moriarty. The first time he appears on-screen opposite Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Watson (Martin Freeman), he's casually introduced as "Jim," the awkward boyfriend of the great detective's associate and admirer Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey), who Holmes pays little mind to other than to assume he's gay. Little does Holmes know, this meek "Jim" turns out to be his devious arch-enemy. 

As if this sort of comedic, imperceptible first meeting isn't enough of a clever way for Holmes to be blindsided by his rival, Scott's first scene as Moriarty at the end of the first season of "Sherlock" immediately made him an all-time great TV villain. His back-and-forth between flirtatious banter with Sherlock to the contempt in his voice and eyes is downright chilling. Add on Scott's roaring "That's what people do!" and you have an unforgettable character introduction.

"How I Met Your Mother" went on for eight seasons without introducing its titular character, so by the time the season eight finale rolled around, the creators had huge expectations to fill. How were they going to satisfyingly wrap up this series and bring in a new character who would supposedly become the love of Ted Mosby's (Josh Radnor) life? Well, while some believe the "HIMYM" series finale completely ruined the show, everyone can agree on the fact that they truly knocked it out of the park with the mother, Tracy McConnell, played by Cristin Milioti. 

Milioti debuts as a new lead of the show in its ninth season, but her first on-screen appearance is in the season eight finale, "Something New." Leading up to Barney's (Neil Patrick Harris) wedding with Robin (Cobie Smulders), the central gang head to Farhampton. Unbeknownst to them, the Mother is also heading to Farhampton with a bass guitar and her calling card, a yellow umbrella, a satisfying end to a season that promised we'd get to spend the final chapter getting to know her. 

A comedy about cops isn't exactly a novel idea, but when you have someone like Andy Samberg as the lead, you know you're going to get something television fanatics haven't seen before. That's exactly how "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" starts; creators Dan Goor and Michael Schur had gained enough credibility on TV with mockumentaries like "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation," so doing something completely different for "Nine-Nine" was a bold move for them. Nevertheless, the first episode of the series kicks off with a dramatic close-up of Samberg's Jake Peralta delivering a serious monologue about how this job is "eating him alive."

However, it is then revealed that Peralta is talking into a camera at a video store, goofing off while his partner Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) actually does work interviewing the store owner. It's a great moment that pokes fun at melodramatic cop dramas and showcases that Peralta is far more childish and irresponsible than the average detective. His immediate ability to solve the case behind Santiago's back, however, does a great job of proving that despite his behavior, he's very good at his job. 

Even though The Punisher had debuted in Marvel films before, portrayed by actors like Dolph Lundgren and Ray Stevenson, the character was completely redefined when Jon Bernthal made his debut as the violent vigilante in Season 2 of Netflix's "Daredevil" series. It's at the very end of the first episode that Frank Castle is introduced, though he spends most of it shrouded in shadows as he stalks Karen Page and a client of Murdock's in a hospital. Murdock appears on the roof to stop Castle, the episode ending with Murdock brutally shot in the head.

It's not until the second episode that it's revealed that Murdock's suit helmet saved him, but the action sequence from the episode prior perfectly sets up Bernthal's definitive iteration of this iconic Marvel character. Odds are the character will continue to kick butt in the upcoming "Punisher" Disney+ special, but thankfully they don't have to worry about topping this terrifying introduction to a longtime rival and occasional ally of Daredevil and friends. 

"Fleabag" has the advantage as a TV show of being adapted from a one-woman play by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who also wrote and stars in the BBC adaptation. The show, across both seasons, is a complicated exploration of womanhood, grief, sexuality, and love. The very first scene sets the tone for the entire series without even letting viewers know the protagonist's name. Waller-Bridge's titular anti-heroine breaks the fourth wall (as she does throughout the series) to relate to the audience about the thrill of hooking up with someone out of the blue at two in the morning.

In a moment that sets up just how crude the show is going to be, Fleabag allows the man she's seeing to ... go in through the back door, so to speak. After he graciously thanks her for the experience the morning after, the series cuts to titles right after Fleabag wonders out-loud: "Do I have a MASSIVE a–hole?" The sheer hilarity of this moment is one of many reasons why "Fleabag" is peak comedy, perfectly introducing mainstream audiences to this foul-mouthed, reckless, hilarious woman at the center of it all. 

If it took "Superman" to introduce you to Rachel Brosnahan, then frankly you missed out on one of the great television performances of the past decade. "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" follows a 1950's housewife who, after her husband abruptly leaves her, drunkenly stumbles into a West Village comedy club and ends up on stage ranting about her life falling apart, later persuaded by the club's manager Susie (Alex Borstein) to seize her clear talent for public speaking as a professional comedienne. However, before that first episode monologue, the audience has to believe that Midge is really good at this stand-up comedy thing.

Fortunately, the pilot does this with a clever scene in which Midge gives a speech at her own wedding, cleverly introducing herself as the type of high-strung woman who would make a speech at her own wedding. As Midge regales her family with the story of her meet-cute with Joel Maisel (Michael Zegen), flashbacks juxtapose her speech with the truth of their courtship, which is a lot less squeaky clean and PG than she makes it out to be. 

There are plenty of incredible character introductions in the "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" universe: Walter White's underwear-clad videotape confession in the original show's first moments, Giancarlo Esposito's covert meeting with Walt as the stoic Gus, and even getting to see Carol Burnett in the final episodes of "Better Call Saul" as a sweet old lady who Bob Odenkirk's Saul Goodman manipulates. However, few character introductions are as memorable, and subtly terrifying, as Tony Dalton's first appearance as Lalo Salamanca.

Lalo is briefly mentioned in Saul's first appearance in "Breaking Bad," establishing him as someone the criminal lawyer has a good reason to be afraid of. He finally shows up at the end of Season 4, Episode 8's "Coushatta," in which Nacho (Michael Mando) is caught off-guard by the arrival of the yet-unseen Salamanca cousin, cooking in the kitchen with a charismatic smile on his face and promising to be invisible to the day-to-day workings of the Salamanca's business, though we can correctly guess based on Nacho's fear that he'll be anything but. 

"The Queen's Gambit" is one of Netflix's best miniseries, following the life of an orphaned chess prodigy, Beth Harmon (portrayed with a knockout performance by Anya Taylor-Joy), as she rises to competitive stardom whilst battling addiction. It kicks off introducing an older version of the character in a state of disarray as she wakes up late, downs some pills, and shows up to a crowded room to begin a chess match. 

Though the series immediately flashes back to decades earlier in Beth's childhood, this brief but engaging prologue sets the tone for the series as not about chess, but how a young woman grapples with the pressure of sudden stardom and expectations of success at a highly-competitive mental sport. Furthermore, it promises just how far into Beth's story we'll go, given we'll soon spend an entire episode with her as a precocious orphan first discovering the game of chess. 

"The Bear" began taking the television world by storm when it debuted on Hulu in 2022, centering on an emotionally-stunted ex-fine dining chef, played by Jeremy Allen White, who reluctantly takes over running his recently-deceased brother's struggling sandwich shop in Chicago, The Beef. White's performance as Carmy Berzatto is nothing short of excellent. His very first appearance in the series takes place during a dream sequence, which subtly sets up his mental struggles throughout the series.

In the scene, Carmy is standing outside in Chicago, facing a caged bear on the street. Terrified, he approaches and unlatches the cage, allowing the bear to exit before it pounces on him, causing the real Carmy to wake up in a cold sweat on the table of The Beef's kitchen. It's a short, largely dialogue-free moment, but it makes for an engaging hook to the series and to White's complicated, albeit well-intentioned, character and his own proclivity to self-sabotage. 

Leave it to Vince Gilligan to be behind one of the most fascinating TV shows in recent years. Apple TV's "Pluribus" is a new but familiar direction for the "Breaking Bad" creator, a sci-fi series in which humankind is overwrought by an intergalactic virus that connects them all to a friendly, ant-like hive mind, save for 13 individuals including Rhea Seehorn's Carol Sturka, a misanthropic romantasy author. Though Seehorn truly shines in the post-apocalyptic mayhem that ensues halfway through the first episode, it's her introduction that sets her up as the perfect reluctant hero for this story.

In Carol's introduction, she's reading an excerpt from her latest installment of "The Winds of Wycaro," a successful book series that's attracted a devout audience. She signs books and meets fans after, fielding inane questions about continuity and theories about everyone's favorite sexy pirate Raban. After graciously saying goodbye to all these fans, she gets in a car with her manager and wife, Helen (Miriam Shor), brusquely telling the curious driver that her books are "mindless crap." It's a fun, surprising twist that really shows the core of who Carol is: a very jaded person in spite of her ridiculous success and how happy her books make people, which will be especially integral as she becomes the one jaded person amongst a hive mind of, literally, "mindless crap."