While watching this week’s American Horror Story I realised what the best thing about it is. It’s not the fact that 90% of the characters are dead. It’s not even the fact that there’s a thing in the basement and a thing in the attic. It is, in fact, the opening titles. (Actually it’s Jessica Lange, but go with it.) A good title sequence can define a show, so here, in reverse order, are my top 5 opening title sequences:
5. American Horror Story
The creepy children; the babies in jars; the loud, jarring, drilling noise…. That sequence encapsulates everything that’s brilliant about the show.
4. Mad Men
RJD2’s brilliant music combines perfectly with the stylistic visuals to create a sequence that is far simpler than the actual show, but just as cool.
They capture the show perfectly; the song is just right and we’ve simply got a camera fixed on a toilet, jump-cutting to introduce all the characters. After all, what better way is there to learn about people than in this intimate setting? This anarchic comedy sequence is completely Shameless and completely genius.
Of course, I had to include the title sequence of the best television drama ever made. Thomas Newman’s beautiful music was written first, then the visuals were sculpted around it to create this sequence which perfectly sets the unique tone of Six Feet Under.
1. Dexter
Obviously. Nothing more needs to be said.
So those are my favourite opening title sequences, what are yours? Apart from Lost, obviously.
Clacked by Dan Meier 
on Dec 17, 2011 @ 16:53 EST5EDT
The Sopranos opening has to be a top favorite of mine.
Game of Thrones – Superb.
BSG of course, perhaps mostly due to Bear’s work.
Something I hadn’t realized. Bear didn’t score the Mini series. He was on board by the time the series started (and thus did the the main titles) but it was Richard Gibbs who created alot of the themes.
Can’t remember if i knew that or not. My kids must have taken those brain cells. o_O Either way, interesting tid bit! :D
Maybe it’s because I’m a sucker for all things Bryan Fuller, but I think Dead Like Me’s opening sequence also deserves recognition.
That is a good beginning.
For some reason I really like the song in Community’s opening.
Also LOST’s opening is better than most of it’s episodes. ;)
An odie but a goody, the X files!!!
I completely agree about Dexter (although now that there are 11 producers and a bigger cast, there are way, WAY too many names cluttering up those beautiful images) and about Six Feet Under.
I’ve got to start with two older ones. First, The Rockford Files. Catchy theme, edited to scenes of 1970’s L.A. and the life of Jim Rockford, private investigator. Then, the original Hawaii 5-0. I’ve never seen an entire episode, but I’ve seen the opening countless times. It’s a classic of MTV-style video editing, made decades before there was such a thing. Although the music in the current series is almost as good (same orchestrations, some of the same musicians!), the original has two more things going for it: much, much better matching of the video and editing, and it’s twice as long.
The Prisoner definitely belongs on this list, for the combination of incredible music and the video images that are edited to it. And for telling us the setup every week without any words or narration.
I’ll add a few more from a slightly more recent decade: The West Wing. It’s virtually impossible to skip when watching an episode. Without it, the sweeping, optimistic tone of the show would be lost.
The Sopranos. Maybe not my favorite piece of music, but so appropriate for the series! And the way we’re taken along with Tony on his solo journey from New York through the gritty parts of New Jersey to his super-fancy suburbs really lays out the situation without a word of narrative.
The dark horse that probably few remember: Dark Skies. Wonderfully creepy music and visuals.
And a few places must be held for HBO miniseries, starting with the stellar “From the Earth to the Moon” (if that opening doesn’t put a lump in your throat, you’re made of iron), and going right through “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific”.
There’s a short list. I could come up with a dozen if I gave it a few minutes. Too bad opening credits are an endangered species today.
URLs for some of these:
“From the Earth to the Moon”
“Dark Skies”
“Hawaii 5-0″
“The Prisoner”
“Band of Brothers”
“The Pacific”
Good call on The Rockford Files!
Dexter definitely deserves that top spot. I’ve always thought that title sequence was the most brilliant I’d ever seen. At the same time, I only needed to see it once or twice. Now I fast-forward through it.
There are a couple title sequences that I actually enjoy watching every time:
The Simpsons – it’s actually a treat to see what they come up with for the title sequence
House – the titles are so aesthetically pleasing (the designer in me adores this); plus the music never gets old
Fringe – clever and creepy (the 6-fingered hand is disturbing!), sets the tone for the show and the location (i.e., the universe) for the episode
Game of Thrones’ is very cool, but that’s another one that I only need to see a couple times before I start skipping it.
But… but… you can’t skip the GoT titles, it changes every week! That’s the brilliance of it, it shows the places on the map where the action is taking place during the episode.
You’re right, Bob, but I just don’t have the patience for long title sequences. And perhaps more importantly, I’m not familiar enough with Westeros to recognize the different places on the map. It’s probably much more enjoyable and rewarding for knowledgable GoT fans such as yourself.
I loved the opening sequence for The Equalizer. It really helped create a mood and place for that show. To a lesser degree, I felt that same way about The Chicago Code, too.
Human Target’s was great as well – only in the first season, though, when it still had Bear McCreary’s kick-ass theme to score that beautiful animation. Wasn’t the same when they switched composers.
And I can’t think of title sequences without Police Squad! Always something hilarious, usually several somethings, every time.
Star Trek: Enterprise. The montage of Earth’s exploration and specifically the space program and the beginning of Starfleet is both sentimental and inspiring. Doubly so when they switched out the footage in the Mirror Universe episodes for scenes of human war and conquest.
I’ve also found Person of Interest‘s opening to be quite intriguing, but that’s due to the onscreen text, which I imagine you’d have to watch in HD to be able to read.
Love the Enterprise opening montage! (The theme song, not so much… )
It’s actually a regular feature at karaoke night among my friends, even those who have never watched Enterprise. I like it, but then I’ve never been accused of having good taste in music. ;-)