"Pilot" is the first episode of the American satirical television sitcom Arrested Development. It premiered on Fox in the United States on November 2, 2003. It introduces the Bluth family, which consists of series protagonist Michael (Jason Bateman), his twin sister, Lindsay (Portia de Rossi), his older brother, Gob (Will Arnett), his younger brother, Buster (Tony Hale), their mother, Lucille (Jessica Walter) and father, George Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor); as well as Michael's son, George Michael (Michael Cera), and Lindsay and her husband Tobias' (David Cross) daughter, Maeby (Alia Shawkat). In the episode, George Sr. prepares to announce his retirement from the Bluth Company, but he is arrested for using his company's funds for personal expenses. Aspects of "Pilot" have been likened to Plato's allegory of the cave.

Arrested Development was created by Mitchell Hurwitz, who pitched the series as a satirical take on the American family. Katie O'Connell, who worked closely with the series' production, gave praise towards Hurwitz's script for the episode and noted its similarities to scandals like the fall of Enron. "Pilot" received positive reviews from critics, who praised its unique humor, wit, and lack of a laugh track. Some criticism of the episode came from the unusual romantic interest that George Michael develops on Maeby, his cousin. An extended version of the episode was released as a special feature on the first season's DVD home release.

For ten years, Michael has been waiting for his father, George Sr., to make him a partner in the family's real estate development company. After dropping his son, George Michael, off at the frozen banana stand the family also owns, Michael goes to see his oldest brother, Gob, to ask for his check to cover party expenses. Gob informs Michael that their sister Lindsay has been staying at the Four Seasons for a month with money from the company. Upset by the lying his family has done, Michael goes to tell his mother, Lucille, that the company checkbook is closing. At the banana stand, George Michael's cousin Maeby suggests they kiss at the boat party to teach their parents a lesson that their family should see each other more often, giving George Michael strange thoughts. Back at the hotel, Lindsay's husband, Tobias, mistakes a group of garishly dressed men for pirates, and boards a van of homosexual protesters.

George Sr. gives his retirement speech and appoints Lucille the new CEO. The dismayed Michael decides it is time to move on. The SEC raids the ship. Lindsay takes command of the boat and Lucille tells Buster, her youngest son, to find a channel to the ocean on the maps, to no avail. The SEC hauls George Sr. away, leaving the family in turmoil. At the police station, Tobias, following a visit to a local theater, informs the family that he has decided to become an actor. Michael then tells the family that their dad is being kept in jail, and the SEC is putting a halt on the company's expense account. Lucille decides to put Buster in charge.

Michael, tired of doing everything for his family, accepts a job in Arizona with a rival development company. When Buster discovers his academic pursuits didn't prepare him for running a big company, the family turns to Michael, begging for his help. Visiting his father in jail, George informs him that he put Lucille in charge on the false grounds they cannot arrest a husband and wife for the same crime. At the model home, Lindsay is trying to steal some belongings that she can grab and sell when she comes across George Michael. He opens up, saying he wishes the family could see each other more often; when Michael sees this, he decides to stay in California and try to save the family business.

Initial discussions for the series began in the summer of 2002, when Ron Howard conceived the idea of a sitcom focusing on a dysfunctional family. Howard met several people, including Mitchell Hurwitz, who would go on to create the series. In light of recent corporate accounting scandals, such as the fall of Enron, Hurwitz suggested a story about a "riches to rags" family. Howard and Imagine were interested in using this idea, and signed Hurwitz to write the show. According to Howard, it was originally planned to have the series be shot more like a "faux-documentary" than a sitcom; the idea was eventually dropped.

The concept was pitched and sold to Fox in the fall of 2002. There was a bidding war for the show between Fox and NBC, with the show ultimately selling to Fox as an already agreed-upon put-pilot, which included a six-figure penalty if not aired. Over time, Hurwitz developed the characters and plot of the series.

Katie O'Connell, who worked closely with the series' production, found casting the series "daunting" due to needing to find people who would be believable as a family. Alia Shawkat was the first person cast; Michael Cera, Tony Hale, and Jessica Walter were cast from video tapes and flown in to audition for Fox. Hurwitz had seen Cera in another pilot prior to casting, and had specifically requested for him to read the script; Cera liked the script, but Hurtwitz had already forgotten about him before being told this. Jason Bateman and Portia de Rossi both read and auditioned for Michael and Lindsay, respectively, and were chosen. Hurwitz felt that casting Bateman would be "bad luck" for the series, mainly due to the amount of failed television pilots he had done. He had to audition four separate times before he was cast. The character of Gob was the most challenging to cast. When Will Arnett auditioned, he depicted the character different from expectations and was chosen. The characters of Tobias and George Sr. were originally going to have minor roles, but David Cross's and Jeffrey Tambor's portrayals mixed well with the rest of the characters, and they were given more significant parts. Cross was hesitant to do the series, due to a desire to move away from television shows that could potentially last for many seasons. He only agreed on the condition he would have a minor role in only a few episodes, but, during the shooting of "Pilot", thought the show was "amazing", and decided to stay.