What was the name of House M.D.’s first episode?

The first episode of House M.D. is titled “Pilot.”

“Pilot” introduced Gregory House, the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, and the original diagnostic team. The episode follows the doctors as they investigate a kindergarten teacher whose symptoms initially suggest a serious neurological illness. Its structure established the show’s recurring pattern of differential diagnosis, testing, disagreement, and revision.

The title is a production term commonly used for the first episode of a television series. It is not a diagnosis or a character name. This makes it easy to confuse with later episode titles such as “Occam’s Razor,” “Detox,” or the series finale “Everybody Dies.”

David Shore wrote the episode, and Peter O’Fallon directed it. The episode aired on November 16, 2004, the same date as the series premiere. It served both as the opening chapter for viewers and as the formal introduction to the show’s medical and character premise.