Which one of these would make the best "Pilot" episode?

Number 2 with some changes.
Other characters are only quickly introduced, and get a more indepth characterisation later in the series, each with its own episode or arc.
No fast forward or time skip, the pilot would cover only the twin’s arrival there.

(is there a romance between the twins?)

At the end of episode one, they knock on the door of the foster home. At the beginning of episode 2, they knock on the door, and then it’s a montage of the year in review, while one of the twins narrate about their experience and the other characters. Then it goes to the present, which is one year later. They are getting ready for an adoption interview. Then after everyone gets ready, the episode shows their interviews. One of the twins (even though they blew the interview) is confident that they will get adopted. The gullible actual son of the of the foster parent tries to sabotage that twin’s chances, because he likes him (as a friend). Then at the end, an insignificant character gets adopted.

And yes I agree with the brief introduction of characters

I liked number three. I think with a situation like this, you definitely have to have some background info and the narration device works pretty well (like on How I Met Your Mother).

Are they identical twins? Fraternal twins? Male/female twins? I would really play up the part about twins needing to be together, even if they are not very similar in personality, even if they bicker a lot. Even if they don’t realize it yet, everybody else needs to understand why they need to be together.

I am not a fan of a quick one episode review of an entire year.
I would prefer having the series slowly proceed to show the twins adapting to their new environment, making friends, relationships, etc, over the course of the series, while having a closer look at the other characters over the same time span.

@ragingloli
thanks, i’ll discuss your idea with my co-writers. but to start with, that’s not really what the series is about, but we can make minor tweaks to make it happen.

@Kardamom
they’re identical, and seen as “buddies” in this series. But they bicker like an old married couple :)

Reminds me of those guys

It’s so much like them! Wow, great minds think alike!

I never seen Heroes. But, honestly, not a one of them would get me to tune in. Orphaned twins just wouldn’t attract me none, especially when you never stated the age or genders of the kids.

@12Oaks
By “like Heroes” I mean it starts out with the characters’ origins; how they got into the foster home.

And they are teens (14–17) and all boys.
It’s not 100% about the twins though.
Here’s the rest of the characters:
*Adam and Mason are the identical twins. Adam is the cheesy jokes guy, and Mason makes light of bad situations. Mason’s character traits are not completely developed yet.
*Greg is basically the show’s idiot, he’s quick-witted, yet dim-witted. He’s also the foster parent’s actual son.
*Mr. Cox is the foster parent. He is also a pedophile.
*Matt is condescending, smart, and gregarious
*Andrew is a smartass
*Ethan is crazy
*Eric is passive and shy, also the youngest of the kids.

I think the facility needs some girls, too.
Romance, intrigue, broken hearts, etc.
For example, one of the girls takes interest in one of the twins, but can not tell them apart, which the twins realise, so they start toying with her. This could be the source of both drama and comedy.

@iwannamakemovies This looks an awful lot like the original Facts of Life, before they tweeked it and slimmed it down to four gals. There were even twins in the original Facts of Life, and Molly Ringwald.

I guess a lot of series’ are similar in that sense
All the characters are connected in some way.. this time it’s a foster home.
All the characters are a certain age.. they’re teens
This series is original because it’s in a foster home. Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends is nothing like this, just as a heads up.

@ragingloli
I think making it a romantic comedy would officially make it a cliche.
The foster home won’t have any girls, but it won’t be the only setting for every episode, so they can meet others in other places. The series would be boring if we didn’t have any new characters (not permanently added to the series).

I asked this question on numerous sites, and Number Two got the most votes.
So I’m gonna do the second one…
1 question:
Should I fast forward (through a montage and narrating) or make the series about the twins settling in? (like in the show, Outsourced)

I’d go with settling in, for I really like Outsourced. Fish out of water, if you will, seems to work well on TV. If I were you, I’d think hard about that narration idea. It seems to be done to death anymore (How I Met Your Mother, Malcon In the Middle, The Middle, Scrubs, Arrested Development, Greys Anatomy, and so many others) and having one twin narrating may confuse the audience. These are just suggestions. I wish you well and, sincerely, hope this works out well for you. It just may win Emmy for Best New comedy.

By narration I mean like The Sandlot (looking back on the event)

But I agree with the Outsourced thing