The Informer

Hogan's Heroes
Season 1
Episode 1

This is the only Black & White episode of Hogan's Heroes and served as the pilot. Most of the regular cast is in attendance, and the basic groundwork for the series is laid. Olsen, the "outside" man is never seen again, nor is the Russian prisoner, but the basic cast is all present and accounted for.

As a pilot, it works very well, especially for a series that never really changes. It lays the general idea for the forthcoming episodes and gives some of the "behind the scenes" information on the workings of Stalag 13's "traveler's aide" that are missing from following episodes. But for the fact that this episode is in Black & White, it could have been played in any order through out the six years of the series. As with all the other episodes, save the couple that are two-parts, it can be played in any order and there is no difference. Many series have an overarching story arc that carries from one episode to the next. Hogan's Heroes is not one of those series. The characters do not significantly age, there are no real cast changes, and as much as I would have loved to see the Stalag 13 Prisoners escape or the War end, there is nothing that really differentiates a Season 1 episode from a Season 6 episode. Each season is just a collection of self-contained half-hour episodes. Heck, it almost never changes seasons!

The Pilot is one of my favorite episodes, but only because it shows the underground operation a bit better than the others. Truly, as far as Hogan's Heroes goes, if you have seen one episode, you have seen them all. There is no need to start with the Pilot and work your way through. It is possible to pick it up at any point in the series.