page_title: Pilot (Preacher)
section_title: Critical reception
hierarchical_section_title: Pilot (Preacher) / Reception / Critical reception
caption_attribution_description: English: Ruth Negga speaking at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California.
context_page_description: "Pilot" is the series premiere of the supernatural drama television series Preacher, which originally aired on AMC in the United States on May 22, 2016. The episode was written by the creators of the television adaptation, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Sam Catlin; with both Rogen and Goldberg directing. The pilot encore was followed by Talking Preacher, AMC's after-show hosted by Chris Hardwick.
  The episode introduces Dominic Cooper as Jesse Custer, Joseph Gilgun as Cassidy, and Ruth Negga as Tulip O'Hare, as well as series regulars played by Lucy Griffiths, W. Earl Brown, Tom Brooke, Anatol Yusef and Ian Colletti. In Preacher's pilot, Jesse Custer's past slowly catches up to him and he struggles to escape it, while a mysterious entity arrives on Earth, causing a wave of destruction in its path.
  Principal photography for the pilot began on May 13, 2015, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Filming took place over two months, ending in early July. Principal photography was confirmed to have ended on July 10, 2015, with post-production beginning in August 2015.
context_section_description: The pilot of Preacher received acclaim from critics, who praised its acting (particularly by Joseph Gilgun and Ruth Negga), Gilgun's subversion of 'sexy vampire' tropes, Rogen and Goldberg's direction, as well as the dark humorous tonality. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 95% of critics gave the episode a "Certified Fresh" rating, based on 20 reviews with an average score of 8.8/10, with the site's consensus stating, "Despite its departures from the source material Preacher is a funny, gory, over-the-top good time."
  James White of Empire spoke most highly of Gilgun's performance, with him writing: "One of the best casting choices in recent memory, [Gilgun] tears it up as Cassidy, bringing his typical sly, chatty confidence to the role, as good as match for his abilities [...]" Melanie McFarland of Variety heralded the pilot by remarking: "[...] Rogen and Goldberg succeeded in realizing what was heretofore considered to be an impossible project — and they've done so with amazing panache". She also praised Gilgun's performance, describing him as: "[...] the real scene stealer, exuding puckish joy in every moment of his performance, but in the quieter moments between Cassidy and Custer, when they gently spar over the validity of basic moral values, he really shines". David Sims, wrote in his review for The Atlantic, "[...] Negga is undoubtedly Preacher's ace card, and Rogen and Goldberg prove they know it, directing her first appearance with gleeful bravura".
  In a B+ grade review, The A.V. Club journalist Zack Handlen summarized, "Jesse wants to do good, but over and over again, we see that doing good is never as simple as you want it to be. If the show sticks to that [...] we might be onto something here". The Daily Telegraph's Michael Hogan affirmed that Preacher was "blood-spattered, breakneck-paced and blackly comic".
  Jacob Clifton of The Austin Chronicle described the pilot as "Gleefully gory, mysterious to a fault, and carrying all the swagger and smugness of the source material, Preacher's pilot is set just before the comic begins". The Independent's Daniel Dylan Wray appraised the pilot as opening "strongly and with a visceral brutality", adding that the small towns of the locations permeates a "foreboding and ruminating sense of dread". Dylan Wray commended the episode overall, stating that the pilot "[...] fuses the slow, menacing dread of programmes such as True Detective alongside more high-octane supernatural science fiction. It was an auspicious outing and one that has set-up an intriguing world and bizarre narrative backdrop to explore further". Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly gave the episode an 'B+' grade, and stated, "Throughout Preacher, you'll switch back and forth between rolling your eyes and not wanting to blink".
  Eric Goldman of IGN evaluated the pilot episode as gory, and felt that it to be a respectful interpretation of the source material. He added that: "Rogen, Goldberg, Catlin and their talented cast effortlessly draw you into this world and make it easy to be excited about what's to come on this series". Evan Valentine of Collider scored the film five out of five stars, writing, "ABC's Lost is a prime example of a series that was able to reel audiences in instantly, and Preacher stands shoulder to shoulder with it".
  Luke Y. Thompson of Forbes simply wrote, "...the unfilmable has been televised, and so far it's everything it needs to be". Bryan Bishop of The Verge "The Rogen / Goldberg-directed pilot, which airs on May 22nd, is a bizzarro mix of shock gore, adolescent humor, and shattered faith that tees up what could be an oddly compelling TV series". Bishop also commented on the "slow pace" of the pilot, to which he wrote, "[...] there are minor clues that the show is using its slow pace to acclimate the audience in preparation for something that’s far more disturbing than anything Rogen and Goldberg serve up in their initial outing". Reflecting on the pilot, JoBlo's Paul Shirey wrote, "There's so much potential and a terrific set-up that should really allow this show to g
caption: Critics were near unanimous in praise for Ruth Negga's portrayal of Tulip
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