Pilot (These Times)

The pilot episode of the sitcom These Times finished being written on Tuesday, July 21, 2020. The episode sees aspiring actor Tyler McLaughlin move to the Northern England countryside to live with his uncle who owns a local tavern, the regulars of which decide to throw Tyler a welcome party after making a bad first impression.

The episode recieved favourable reviews, with critics praising the characters and the comedic and dramatic writing, with a lot of praise going to the episode's ending.

Plot
During a regular meeting at McLaughlin's Tavern, a local pub, a group of friends find out that the owner's nephew, Tyler McLaughlin, is moving into town to live with his uncle. Once he arrives, the group bombards him with introductions, overwhelming him and causing his uncle to take him away from the pub. Embarassed, the group decides to throw a welcome party at the pub to try and win the nephew's approval.

Despite James initially disliking the party, it's a resounding success, and Tyler tells the group that he thinks they're cool. As the night goes on, he walks outside for some fresh air and is joined by one of the members of the group, Abi Davenport. He admits to her that he's scared of leaving the city due to his dream to be an actor, and that he feels like he's come to the countryside "to fail". Abi tells him that she did a very similar thing, dropping out of university and making a seemingly stupid move to live in the countryside, but that she doesn't regret a thing and has now found what she wants to do with her life, drawing portraits for people. This encourages Tyler and the two kiss.

Characters
The episode primarily focuses on introducing the characters to the audience and their relationships with each other. The episode also introduces Albert the Shopkeeper as a recurring character.
 * Jonny King - An immature narcissist and the self-appointed leader of the group.
 * James McLaughlin - The owner of McLaughlin's Pub, which is the central setting of the series and where the group primarily resides in. Prior to Tyler moving in with him, he lived alone. His old age is often mocked by the group.
 * Elise O'Brien - Jonny's girlfriend of three years. The primary voice of reason in the group who prides herself on being the mature and smart one.
 * Tyler McLaughlin - James' nephew and an aspiring actor who moved to the countryside after spending his entire life in the city.
 * Abi Davenport - A part-time punk artist who draws "shitty portraits". She moved to the countryside after dropping out of university.
 * Shawn Lam - Jonny's often sarcastic and not-so-bright best friend.
 * Nina Lowe - Elise's university roommate and Abi's current roommate who is often made fun of by the group for her love of nature and strong opinions about social issues.