Best & Worst Title Sequences (1 Viewer)

[Paul Sandhu]

Yeah... in the 80s that CG knight and book must have looked cool.

 

[PhilipG]

Themes I like:
Jim Henson's The Storyteller
Carnivale
Family Guy
Farscape (with the first theme)
Married...With Children
Lexx

I don't like:
old Alias (the new one cracks me up though)
The Sopranos (I'm in the minority here, apparently!)

 

[Tarkin The Ewok]

I really like the title sequences for AAAH! Real Monsters and The Angry Beavers.

 

[PhilipG]

Of course, I forgot my all-time favourite:

The Prisoner

 

[Lew Crippen]

Who is Number One?

 

[PhilipG]

You are Number Six!

 

[Ray H]

Yeah, I love the Angel theme too. It captures the mood of the show perfectly. It's darker and more somber but still catchy at the same time.

 

[MatthewLouwrens]

I was just remembering this thread the other day, and thought I might throw in a comment.

I was just thinking about how great the opening credit sequences for HBO shows (or at least, the HBO shows that I watch) are.

If we exclude Curb Your Enthusiasm (which doesn't have any real opening credit sequence - although it still deserves a mention just for the music), there are four HBO shows that I watch, and each one has a credit sequence so great that I would never even think about skipping or fast-forwarding through them.

* The Sopranos - Nicely understated in comparison to the others I'll mention, just footage of an unseen Tony driving through New Jersey towards his house, but the images and the song perfectly match the tone of the show.
* Carnivale - it has already been mentioned repeatedly in this thread, and deservedly so. The tarot cards, the 1930s images, the battle of good and evil, all combined with an incredible piece of music, really create an enchanting lead in to the show.
* Rome - the living graffiti through the streets of Rome. Very cool.
* Big Love - we only got this show last week in NZ, but again I love the credits. The ice skating/dancing, the threatening cracked ice, the dinner in a world of their own, perfect.

I think the thing I love about these sequences is that they are all absolutely unique, unlike any other sequence I've seen, and provide almost a summary of the show's main themes. Wonderful to see so much care taken in this area.

 

[Alex-C]

It begins and ends with Blossom

I only wish I could link the Melanie Hutsell SNL Blossom parody.

"They're not condoms, they're.... balloons !

 

[Nicodemus]

Best:

Carnivale (sets the mood for the show perfectly)
Twin Peaks (same here)
Farscape (the first one was probably the best although I like the others as well)
The 4400
Star Trek: Enterprise
Dead Like Me (as clever as the show as whole)

Worst (too many to mention):

Deadwood (too bland and unoriginal)
Medium (hate the music and the images)
The Dead Zone (the first one was little better, the new one sucks)

 

[Josh Dial]

Best: Twin Peaks
NCIS
The West Wing
Enterprise
X-Files
Carnivale
Futurama
Sopranos
JAG
Law & Order
Las Vegas
Cosby Show
Ducktails
Gummi Bears

Worst: Buffy
Angel
Full House
Malcolm in the Middle
Tailspin
Darkwing Duck
American/Canadian Idol
King of the Hill
Southpark
Friends

 

[AlexSchwarz]

After having placed my vote for Carnivale earlier in this thread I just thought of my "Worst title sequence": Farscape.

I am a first-time-on-DVD-viewer and right now, I'm in the middle of season 2. I really like the images and the music, don't get my wrong, but....the spoken intro of Crichton is really annoying me. Somehow, it's different from the spoken passage in the TNG-intro....it seems somewhat unnecessary. It's hard to explain, but tell me this: Will this voiceover disappear again?

 

[Yee-Ming]

Following on from the nomination of Miami Vice, for the same reasons, I rather liked LA Law -- that bombastic theme, shots of the lawyers doing what they do in, decked out in 80's power dressing...

MASH -- haunting theme, shots of helicopters flying the wounded in, aerial shots of the hospital, shots of the doctors and staff doing what they do, all quite appropriate really.

Hawaii 5-0 -- best theme song ever? Shots of Hawaii and the cops perfectly set the tone.

The Muppet Show -- loved the song, which was spot-on appropriate, and all the goofiness in the titles just encapsulate the show.

Similarly, Greg The Bunny -- the song was exactly right, and again the puppets (sorry, "fabricated Americans") doing what they do (Count Blah mooning!) was great.

Conversely, I don't much like the titles to The Shield. Although the music is I suppose somewhat appropriate, I don't much like it, and the jarring, jerky titles of text only are rather blah.

Sex And The City -- just focused on Carrie, though I did like the shots of NYC. I know she's the star (as well as the City), but something of the other three would have been nice: the show wasn't just about her after all. Music was good, though.

 

[Nicodemus]

No, but it will change - for the better, I think. At least it gets more content.

 

[Jeff Pounds]

I agree Matthew... I watch all of those shows you highlighted, and let me just add Entourage to the list. Another title sequence from HBO that perfectly captures the tone of the show... cool music...the four guys, cruising around Hollywood, with the actors' names illuminated on various Hollywood landmarks... just like the show... laid back and cool.

Most of my other favorites have been mentioned, but I'm shocked that nobody has brought up another one of my favorites -- The Office.

From the perfect music, to the "Welcome to Scranton" sign, to the quick in-office shots, to the cubicle name plate at the end that says "The Office" ... just perfect.

 

[Holadem]

I posted in this thread last year. I have since logged in many shows, and have come to realize that opening themes of shows I like always grow on me regardless of initial reaction. Veronica Mars, Sopranos and The Wire are examples of otherwise unremarkable opening themes I now really enjoy by association.

Firefly is definitely original.

Deadwood is just baddass.

The openings of 24 and LOST last all of 5 seconds, but provoke a pavlovian response "fuuuunnnnnnnn!!!!" in this viewer.

--
H

 

[LarryDavenport]

I like the openings to Medium, Dead Like Me, The Avengers, and The Persuaders.

 

[Josh Dial]

The Unit also has a nice theme, forgot to mention that in my list,

 

[Stephen Orr]

A couple of newer ones for me.

The Closer occasionally incorporates the opening credits into whatever's going on (the one with the body in the garage, and the two cops trying to decide to go to the ball game comes to mind.)

I like the theme song to Psych "I know you know that I'm not tellin' the truth..."

 

[mattCR]

It's been said repeatedly, but the Carnivale title sequence isn't just good, it's art. It may be one of the most imaginative sequences not just of title but of the way it plays out. The first time I watched it I was stunned. It does a perfect job of setting the mood, and each time I see the title sequence it makes me pause as I seem to notice something new within it.