Pilot (Legends of Tomorrow)

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"Pilot"
Legends of Tomorrow episodes
Episode nos.Season 1
Episodes 1 and 2
Directed by Glen Winter
Written by
Featured music
Production codes
  • 4X6351 (Part 1)
  • 4X6352 (Part 2)
Original air dates
  • January 21, 2016 (2016-01-21) (Part 1)
  • January 28, 2016 (2016-01-28) (Part 2)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Blood Ties"
Legends of Tomorrow season 1
List of episodes

"Pilot" is the two-part series premiere of the American science fiction series Legends of Tomorrow ; it was directed by Glen Winter, and written by series creators Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Phil Klemmer, and Andrew Kreisberg. The episodes were shot in Vancouver, Canada; only one set was built and most of the filming was done on location. The episodes star an ensemble cast of Arthur Darvill, Franz Drameh, Victor Garber, Falk Hentschel, Caity Lotz, Dominic Purcell, Ciara Renée, Brandon Routh, and Wentworth Miller.

Contents

In "Pilot", Rip Hunter (Darvill) recruits several heroes and villains to help him defeat the immortal warrior Vandal Savage (Casper Crump), who has subjugated the planet. "Pilot, Part 1" premiered on January 21, 2016, to an audience of 3.21 million viewers, and "Pilot, Part 2" debuted on January 28 to an audience of 2.32 million. The episodes were broadcast on The CW and received mixed reviews from critics, who felt the series had a lot of potential. Part two was better received than the first, due to its focus on action sequences. The chemistry between the cast in both parts was met with mixed reception.

Plot

Part 1

In the year 2166, the immortal warrior Vandal Savage has conquered Earth. In an effort to save humanity, Rip Hunter, a Time Master, travels to 2016 to assemble a group of superheroes and supervillains to stop Savage's rise to power. The group consists of Ray Palmer, Sara Lance, Jefferson Jackson, Martin Stein, Mick Rory, and Leonard Snart. Additionally, he recruits Carter Hall and Kendra Saunders, the reincarnations of a prince and priestess from Ancient Egypt, and the only people capable of killing Savage. Hunter takes them to 1975 to talk to Professor Boardman, a leading expert on Savage. While providing information on Savage, Boardman reveals he is the son of Kendra and Carter from one of their past reincarnations. Meanwhile, a time-traveling bounty hunter named Chronos attacks Hunter's ship Waverider . Boardman is mortally wounded, but the team regroup and escape. The attack, along with Boardman's death, forces Hunter to reveal Chronos is chasing him for stealing Waverider and going on the mission against the Time Council's wishes, and that he wants to take revenge on Savage for murdering his wife and son in 2166. All members agree to aid Hunter, who warns time will resist the mission. In Norway, Savage possesses weapons of mass destruction.

Part 2

Still in 1975, the team infiltrates a weapons auction at which Savage intends to sell a nuclear warhead, but he becomes aware of their presence. A piece of Ray's suit is left behind as the team escape. Angry at the recklessness, Hunter points out what happens and how the technology of Ray's suit will be used to create super weapons that lead to the destruction of Central City in 2016. The team splits up; Stein, Jax, and Sara retrieve the missing piece of Ray's suit with the help of Stein's younger self, while Ray, Leonard, and Mick search for the dagger that killed Kendra and Carter in their first lives. The dagger is found in Savage's home, and he imprisons Ray, Leonard, and Mick, and calls the rest of the team. Kendra and Carter fight with Savage while the others fight with Savage's men. During the fight, Savage kills Carter with the dagger, revealing only Kendra can wield it to kill Savage. Kendra is injured and the team, who are determined to stop Savage, retreat and plan a new strategy.

Production

Series lead Arthur Darvill at the 2014 Fan Expo Canada in Toronto Arthur Darvill 2014 (cropped).jpg
Series lead Arthur Darvill at the 2014 Fan Expo Canada in Toronto

"Pilot" was written by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klemmer, and was directed by Glen Winter. [1] The episode was titled "Pilot" despite the series skipping the pilot phase and getting a "straight to series" order. [2]

In January 2015, it was revealed the show would feature Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer, based on the eponymous DC Comics and who was introduced in the third season of Arrow . [3] The following month, Wentworth Miller, Victor Garber, and Caity Lotz were revealed to be reprising their roles from previous Arrowverse media in the series as Leonard Snart / Captain Cold, Martin Stein / Firestorm, and Sara Lance respectively. [4] It was also announced Sara would use the name White Canary. The antagonist of the series was revealed to be Vandal Savage. In March, Dominic Purcell was revealed to be reprising his role as Mick Rory / Heatwave in the series. [5] It was reported that three characters had yet to be cast; one of whom, labeled "the Traveler", was speculated by fans to be Rip Hunter. [6] At the end of that month, Arthur Darvill was cast as Rip, and Ciara Renée was cast as Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl. [7] [8] In April 2015, Franz Drameh was cast as Jefferson "Jax" Jackson / Firestorm. [9] In August 2015, the final member of the main cast was revealed to be Falk Hentschel as Carter Hall / Hawkman. [10] Shortly after, Casper Crump was announced as Vandal Savage, the primary villain of the series. [11] According to Routh, for the first episodes of the series, Ray and Stein would have a rivalry that would further complicate the dynamic between Jax and Stein. [12]

Filming began on September 9, 2015. [1] The episodes were filmed back-to-back in Vancouver, Canada. [12] [13] According to Winter, the only set built was that for Waverider and most of the episode was filmed on location, which he said was typical for pilots. In an interview with Comic Book Resources , Winter said the "new facet for Legends was that there's no #1 on the call sheet. There are seven or eight leads"; he found the hardest part of filming was working out the chemistry between the actors. The fight scene at the auction was shot in one take; Winter stated it was his favorite part to film due to the technical elements involved. [14]

Several actors from Arrow made guest appearances in the episodes, including series lead Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, [15] series regular Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance, [16] and Neal McDonough as Damien Darhk the primary villain of Arrow's fourth season. [17] Peter Francis James appears as Aldus Boardman, the son of Kendra Saunders and Carter Hall in previous reincarnations. [18]

Release and reception

In November 2015, Legends of Tomorrow was given a release date of January 2016. [19] The premier was preceded by a two-part crossover between The Flash and Arrow titled "Heroes Join Forces", which aired in December 2015. [20] "Pilot" was released in two parts on The CW on January 21 and 28, 2016. The first part of the episode had a live audience of 3.21 million viewers. It held a 1.2 percent share of adults 18-49, meaning that it was seen by 1.2 percent of all households within that demographic. The second part was viewed by 2.89 million, 320.000 fewer than the first part, with a share of 1.1 percent. [21] [22] The third episode, "Blood Ties", was viewed by 2.32 million live viewers with a 0.9/3 share. [23] When accounting for seven day DVR viewership, the episodes were seen by an additional 2.03 million and 1.64 million viewers respectively. [24] [25] The episodes were the two most-viewed episodes of Legends of Tomorrow's first season. [26]

Critical response

The episodes were met with mixed reviews, with several critics believing that the series had good potential. [27] [28] [29] On the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, "Pilot, Part 1" holds a 67% approval rating, with an average rating of 6.2/10 based on 18 reviews. According to the website's consensus, the first part "suffers from too many characters and too much exposition, but there's fun to be had in the chaos". [30] "Pilot, Part 2" holds an 88% approval rating, with an average rating of 7.28/10 based on reviews from 17 critics. The consensus reads: "Legends sprints ahead in 'Part 2,' an exciting, action-packed episode that finishes setting up what could be one of the funnest comic book adaptations yet". [31]

Russ Burlingame, in an advanced review for ComicBook.com, praised the first part, writing that the episode "delivers a sharp, enjoyable pilot that's arguably the most attention-grabbing and entertaining from any of the current crop of superhero shows". He believed the episode was superior to Arrow and The Flash 's pilots. [27] However, The Hollywood Reporter 's Daniel Fienberg felt the first episode was a step down from the first two Arrowverse pilots. He found the episode suffered from a bloated cast and too much exposition. [32] Jesse Schedeen of IGN gave part one a 7.7/10 rating, praising the show's "epic scope", "fun character dynamics", and Darvill's performance. [28] He gave the second part of "Pilot" a rating of 8.4/10, saying it "improved in its sophomore episode thanks to great character dynamics and superhero action". [28] In a review for Screen Rant, Alice Walker felt that while the second part served as a good conclusion, separating the episodes hurt the story. [33] Oliver Sava of The A.V. Club opined that the second part was an improvement on the first; he praised the action sequences and the comparative lack of exposition. However, he found many of the problems with the first part were still present, including the poor characterization of the cast. He graded the episode a "B". [34] Writing for Vox, Caroline Framke felt while the premise was good, the execution was "exhausting." She stated the episode suffered from poor character dynamics, bad pacing, an inconsistent tone, and lack of action. [29]

The characters of Kendra and Carter were negatively received. Sava noted a lack of chemistry between Carter and Kendra, citing Hentschel's acting in particular. He added, "it’s actually a relief when Vandal Savage kills Carter at the end of the episode." [34] Walker felt the first part mishandled Carter, however she still found his death impactful. [33] Framke labeled the pair "the weakest characters by a mile" and found both Renée and Hentschel's acting to be dull. She also found their backstory boring and overshadowed by other scenes. [29]

References

  1. 1 2 Marc Guggenheim [@mguggenheim] (September 9, 2015). "Legends of Tomorrow begins production today" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 4, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2021– via Twitter.
  2. ↑ Dyce, Andrew (May 2, 2015). "'The Flash/Arrow' Spinoff Going Straight to Series; Premieres January 2016". Screen Rant . Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  3. ↑ "CW Eyeing 'Atom' As Next DC Series – TCA". Deadline Hollywood . January 11, 2015. Archived from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  4. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (February 27, 2015). "Arrow/Flash Superhero Team-Up Spinoff in Works at CW; Brandon Routh, Victor Garber, Wentworth Miller, Caity Lotz Star". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on February 27, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  5. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (March 17, 2015). "Dominic Purcell Joins Arrow/Flash Spinoff". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  6. ↑ Pollard, Andrew (March 30, 2015). "Arrow/Flash Spin-Off Show Casts Arthur Darvill as Rip Hunter". Starburst . Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  7. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (March 30, 2015). "The Arrow/Flash Spinoff Casts Ciara Renée As Hawkgirl". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  8. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (March 31, 2015). "Arrow/Flash Spinoff Enlists Arthur Darvill To Play Rip Hunter". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  9. ↑ Abrams, Natalie (April 23, 2015). "'Edge of Tomorrow' star joins the 'Arrow'/'Flash' spinoff". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  10. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (August 3, 2015). "CW's 'Legends of Tomorrow' Casts Hawkman". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  11. ↑ Couch, Aaron (August 4, 2015). "CW's 'Legends of Tomorrow' Casts Villain Vandal Savage". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  12. 1 2 Hayner, Chris (January 20, 2016). "6 'Legends of Tomorrow' teases that prove it's nothing like 'Arrow' or 'The Flash'". Zap2it . Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  13. ↑ Marc Guggenheim [@mguggenheim] (September 12, 2015). "Not for nothing, but we're shooting Legends Ep. 102 in tandem with Ep. 101..." (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2021– via Twitter.
  14. ↑ Cairns, Brian (January 29, 2016). ""Legends of Tomorrow" director promises to "push the boundaries" of superhero action". Comic Book Resources . Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  15. ↑ Melrose, Kevin (July 23, 2016). "SDCC: "Arrow's" Stephen Amell to Appear in "Legends of Tomorrow" Season Premiere". Comic Book Resources . Archived from the original on July 21, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  16. ↑ Marnell, Blair (January 22, 2016). "DC'S Legends of Tomorrow Recap: 'Pilot, Part 1'". Nerdist . Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  17. ↑ Burlingame, Russ (October 12, 2015). "Exclusive: Damien Darhk To Be On The Flash & Legends Of Tomorrow". ComicBook.com . Archived from the original on October 13, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  18. ↑ Burlingame, Russ (September 24, 2015). "Exclusive: Legends of Tomorrow Casts Peter Francis James As Key Part of Hawkman/Hawkgirl Story". ComicBook.com . Archived from the original on December 5, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  19. ↑ Hill, Libby (November 24, 2015). "On the CW's January schedule: 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow' and a vampire shuffle" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  20. ↑ Harp, Justin (December 4, 2015). "See an awesome Legends of Tomorrow poster". Digital Spy . Archived from the original on August 16, 2025. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  21. ↑ Porter, Rick (January 30, 2016). "Thursday final ratings: 'Apocalypse' premiere and all other shows hold". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  22. ↑ Porter, Rick (January 24, 2016). "Thursday final ratings: 'The Blacklist' adjusts up, CW premieres hold, 'My Diet' adjusts down". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  23. ↑ Porter, Rick (February 5, 2016). "Thursday final ratings: 'Big Bang Theory' adjusts up, 'Life in Pieces' and 'Mom' adjust down". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on February 6, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  24. ↑ Porter, Rick (February 8, 2016). "Broadcast Live +7 ratings: 'X-Files' premiere dominates week 18, 'Limitless' doubles". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on February 10, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  25. ↑ Porter, Rick (February 16, 2016). "Broadcast Live +7 ratings: 'Lucifer' premiere shows solid growth in week 19". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on February 17, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  26. ↑ Avalos, Regina (May 20, 2016). "DC's Legends of Tomorrow: Season One Ratings". TV Series Finale. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
  27. 1 2 Burlingame, Russ (December 30, 2015). "Legends of Tomorrow Advance Review: The Best DC Pilot Yet". ComicBook.com . Archived from the original on December 30, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  28. 1 2 3 Schedeen, Jesse (January 29, 2016). "DC'S Legends of Tomorrow: "Pilot, Part 2" Review". IGN . Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  29. 1 2 3 Framke, Caroline (January 22, 2016). "Legends of Tomorrow, The CW's new superhero show, throws everything at the wall. Nothing sticks". Vox . Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Pilot, Part 1 | DC'S Legends of Tomorrow Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Pilot, Part 2 | DC'S Legends of Tomorrow Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  32. ↑ Fienberg, Daniel (January 19, 2016). "'DC's Legends of Tomorrow': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  33. 1 2 Walker, Alice (January 29, 2016). "Legends of Tomorrow Review: The Butterfly Effect". Screen Rant . Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  34. 1 2 Sava, Oliver (January 29, 2016). "Legends Of Tomorrow's pilot improves as it settles into its ambitious concept". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on August 10, 2025. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
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