Go For Character

From the "Running With My Eyes Closed" blog:

A pilot script can be rich in scenes that are only present to develop character and don't drive the story forward in any other way. Written well, they don't stop the action. Instead, they up the viewer's commitment to the series.

The pilot script for a TV series is like the opening scene of a screenplay or the first chapter of a novel. If you give the audience someone they're interested in, they will become more invested in the plot and the story you are trying to tell.