7.9/10223 votes#1 - Pilot
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/28/1996
After being kicked out of his house by his wife, Gary Hobson is forced to move into a hotel room. It's a regular Monday morning - apart from a mysterious newspaper that is delivered to his door by an even more mysterious orange cat. At first, Gary doesn't pay much attention to the newspaper but, after a while, he realises that it isn't a regular newspaper, it's tomorrow's.
Director: Michael Dinner
Writer: Bob Brush
8.1/10181 votes#2 - The Choice
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 10/5/1996
Gary must choose between stopping a fatal plane crash or saving the life of one girl.
Director: Michael Dinner
Writer: Bob Brush, John Romano
7.4/10148 votes#3 - Baby
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 10/12/1996
Gary helps Chuck deliver twins in an elevator after Chicago has a blackout due to Gary's inability to stop street workers to keep a water pump turned off. Meanwhile, Gary keeps chasing for a mysterious blonde woman while his ex-wife attempts to get back together.
Director: Randall Zisk
Writer: Bob Brush
7.5/10145 votes#4 - The Paper
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 10/19/1996
While searching for answers about the paper, Gary becomes involved with a reporter who is suspicious of his apparent knowledge of a certain story.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.1/10139 votes#5 - Thief Swipes Mayor's Dog
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 10/26/1996
Lottery fever grips Chicago with the jackpot climbing every night. Meanwhile, Gary tries to understand why someone would want to steal the Mayor's dog.
Director: Susan Seidelman
Writer: Bob Brush, John Romano
6.9/10132 votes#6 - Hoops
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 11/2/1996
Gary tries to stop a popular basket-baller with a medical condition from risking his life on the court.
Director: Rick Rosenthal
Writer: Bob Brush
7.2/10125 votes#7 - After Midnight
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 11/9/1996
Gary has to stop a 17 year-old single mother from abandoning her child. But as always, Gary gets more involved with her than he should, and finds out she left home pregnant and now works for a drug dealer. Meanwhile, Chuck uses the paper to get a date with an attractive woman he had to share a cab with.
Director: Michael Toshiyuki Uno
Writer: Deborah Joy LeVine
7.1/10115 votes#8 - Gun
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 11/16/1996
Gary poses as a social worker in order to stop a little boy from shooting his brother, but he gets more involved with the family than he should. Gary steals the gun, but has to give it back after the paper announces that the wife will be beaten to death. When the husband drops by, Gary shows up with the police, but little Tommy had already stolen the gun and almost killed his brother. Meanwhile, Chuck has a really hard time trying to get rid of the cat's fleas.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.4/10114 votes#9 - His Girl Thursday
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 11/23/1996
Meredith is back. She wants to pick things up with Gary where they left last time they met. But the paper seems to be in the way of Gary developing anything deeper with her, since he doesn't want her to have access to it. She promises not to read it, but Chuck walks in on her reading the paper. They make a deal, and Chuck wins over 15 million in the stock market. He gets in trouble and steals the paper to lose the 15 million, but Gary thinks Meredith stole it. After reconciliation, Meredith leaves for Washington.
Director: Stephen Cragg
Writer: N/A
7.5/10117 votes#10 - The Wrong Man
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 12/7/1996
Gary has to stop a man from his old office from killing himself. Marcia visits him with the news that she's getting married. She won't reveal the identity of her soon-to-be husband, but Gary finds out it's Phil Pritchard, his old jerky boss. Gary is not happy about it and a series of accidents make it look like he's trying to purposely hurt Pritchard and get in the way of their wedding. When the paper brings the headline that Pritchard is going to be murdered, Gary refuses to help him, but Chuck convinces him to do so. He also must stop Sam (the office mailboy for the past 9 years) from killing Pritchard.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.4/10121 votes#11 - Christmas
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 12/21/1996
Gary has to stop a bomb from killing 20 ice skaters on a park. He goes to Det. Crumb for help, who still doesn't quite believe Gary. The headline on the paper changes to a department store, but still the bomber seems to be ahead of them. Meanwhile, Chuck is arrested for not paying 106 parking tickets. In his cell there's a man who thinks he's Santa, and he convinces Chuck to escape from jail and steal a car to deliver the gifts.
Director: N/A
Writer: Bob Brush
7.4/10123 votes#12 - Frostbit
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 1/11/1997
It's 20 below zero in Chicago but Gary still has to rescue people around the city, even if the paper doesn't bring any important news. Plus, Chuck temporarily moves in to Gary's place after the heat in his place goes down, which is just another reason for Gary to be out of the house. He keeps running into a homeless kid, who is later featured in paper saying he froze to death. Now Gary has to find the kid, who got stuck under a pipe of an abandoned building. They both get locked there after the door is blocked, and now they rely on Chuck to save them from freezing to death.
Director: N/A
Writer: Bob Brush, Deborah Joy LeVine
7.3/10113 votes#13 - Mob Wife
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 1/25/1997
Gary and Chuck get mistakenly involved with the mob after they save a gangster's ex-fiancé from being shot. They spend days trying to escape from trouble and death themselves, and to make it easier Chuck falls for the woman.
Director: Rick Rosenthal
Writer: Dusty Kay
7.8/10112 votes#14 - The Wall (1)
Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 2/1/1997
The paper reveals that the U.S. president will be murdered during his upcoming visit to Chicago - by Gary.
Director: Michael Dinner
Writer: Bob Brush
7.7/10114 votes#15 - The Wall (2)
Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 2/8/1997
Gary continues to try and stop the assassination of the president while eluding the FBI who is convinced Gary is the suspected assassin. His friends try to protect Gary from exposure.
Director: N/A
Writer: Bob Brush
7.3/10103 votes#16 - Bat Masterson
Season 1 Episode 16 - Aired 2/22/1997
Gary meets an ex-cop who took the identity of Bat Masterson to continue his work against crime. The guy seems to be crazy, but helps Gary with his paper duties. As he learns more about Bat (or Mike Killebrew, his real identity), Gary discovers that he went crazy after his partner died.
Director: Rick Wallace
Writer: Dusty Kay
7.5/10108 votes#17 - The Jury
Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 3/8/1997
Gary is chosen to serve as a juror in the trial of a man accused of stealing money from his company. Since the defendant is defending himself, the judge has the jury sequestered, which means Gary can't get access to the paper.
Director: Matt Dearborn, Stephen Cragg
Writer: N/A
7.6/10112 votes#18 - Psychic
Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 4/12/1997
Gary is unable to stop a child from being kidnapped and looks for help in Claire (a psychic who pursued him about opening a fortune telling business with her after he saved her from dying). She "felt" there was something wrong with the child, but Gary thought it was just a part of her act.
Director: Mel Damski
Writer: N/A
7.6/10107 votes#19 - The Cat
Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 4/13/1997
Gary takes the cat to the vet thinking he's not feeling good. He is obligated to leave him there overnight, but rushes to the clinic in the morning for the paper, only to find out it's not there (nor is the cat). The cat mysteriously appears at Eunice's (the vet's mother) house with the paper, and Gary wonders if the cat decided to abandon him. He later finds out that the cat only wants him to save Eunice, who was madly in love with Lucius Snow 40 years ago and is now dying from cancer.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.9/10118 votes#20 - Phantom at the Opera
Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 4/19/1997
Gary saves a woman named Emma Shaw from being murdered during an art robbery. Gary keeps helping Emma establish herself in the city and develops romantic feelings for her, but the paper keeps getting in his way and interrupting their dates.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.6/10110 votes#21 - Faith
Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 4/26/1997
Gary and Chuck wait on a bridge to help a man who will be run over by a car, but they don't realize that the man is Gary, who is knocked unconscious. At he hospital, Gary meets a girl named Rachel, who is waiting for a compatible heart. Rachel questions Gary about his beliefs in God, a role the paper imposes him to play after announcing that Rachel will find a heart - from a young boy killed in a hold-up. Now Gary must choose between ignoring the boy and letting Rachel live or saving the boy, at the cost of Rachel's life.
Director: John T. Kretchmer
Writer: Bob Brush
7.5/1095 votes#22 - Dad
Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 5/3/1997
Gary's father, Bernie, temporarily moves in with his son after his wife kicks him out. After learning about the paper, and enjoying helping others, Bernie decides to stay permanently.
Director: Randall Zisk
Writer: Bob Brush
7.5/1095 votes#23 - Love is Blind
Season 1 Episode 23 - Aired 5/17/1997
Marissa is at school when Gary saves her college professor from being killed. Marissa soon has dinner and a study date with a fellow student she meets during the incident.
Director: Michael Lange
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of Early Edition Season 1
Every episode of Early Edition Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Early Edition Season 1!
Gary Hobson thinks he may even be losing his mind when tomorrow's newspaper mysteriously arrives today giving him a disconcerting look into the future. What...
Genres:Sci-Fi & FantasyDramaComedy
Network:CBS
Season 1 Ratings Summary
"Pilot" is the best rated episode of "Early Edition" season 1. It scored 7.9/10 based on 223 votes. Directed by Michael Dinner and written by Bob Brush, it aired on 9/28/1996. This episode is rated 0.2 points higher than the second-best, "The Choice".