Glee, "Pilot"
Watching this new musical explode onto the TV screen was like biting into the juicy center of an explosive sweet-tart candy. Satirical and completely earnest at the same time, this jubilant pilot took elements from many TV hits (American Idol, High School Musical, various high school dramedies) and turned them into something like nothing else on TV. Glee would deepen over the season (and make some missteps), but all the parts were here at the beginning: the emotion, the cutting humor, the message that there's power in being a misfit. And above all, the music, which played for both comedy and drama: the show choir bursting into Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" remains TV's funniest moment of the year, while the closing "Don't Stop Believin' " was a shot of pure joy.
(Fox)