Best TV Title Sequenes

Over the past few years I've noticed more and more shows casually opting out of having an opening sequence (and usually settling on little more than a title card). While I realize this is generally done due to time constraints (and don't get me wrong, when it comes to more story or more theme song, I'll take story every time), but I can't help but lament the decline. It seems that only HBO and Showtime babies have the luxury of using a minute and a half of airtime to properly introduce their shows (and as a result, they dominate my top ten).

I love a good title sequence. For the best of the best, I watch it, in its entirety, almost every time I watch an episode. A proper opener should set the tone for the show. For me, it acts as a sort of palate cleanser that washes away the residue left by the previous show, and gets me ready for the next course. Even though a good number of them actually appear after the cold open (or teaser scene of the episode), they still have the same effect. A title sequence should suck you in and put you in the proper state of mind for the show. The very best among them are works of art unto themselves (which is why I haven't really included intros that have rotating clips from the show).

Below are my top ten favorite title sequences. I've only included sequences for shows that I actually watch, so you'll notice some glaring omissions that I might not even be aware of. (I've tried to at least give a shout out to the awesome sequences from shows I don't watch, but I'm sure I've missed some... especially older shows.) After coming up with my basic list, I went online to see how my choices stacked up against others. There are quite a few that seem to grace just about every list out there, mine included. Now, I watch an obscene amount of TV, so narrowing this list down to ten was not easy. I was going to put these in order of awesomeness, but I had a hard enough time winnowing them down at all, let alone ranking them.

So, without further ado, here are my top ten favorites (for various, often totally unjustifiable reasons) in no particular order:

DEXTER
This title sequence made just about every list I came across, and with good reason. It's a work of art unto itself. It's more like a short film than a title sequence. It sets the tone for the show perfectly and points to the not-everything-is-as-it-seems nature of the show perfectly. Dexter appears to be your average, everyday nobody, but there's a lot more to him than that. Even the little things of a morning routine can point to something much more sinister. I watch the into, in its entirety, almost every single time.



SIX FEET UNDER
Another popular choice, this title sequence was created by Digital Kitchen, the masterminds behind several other intros on this list, including the aforementioned Dexter, and the soon to be mentioned True Blood. I only made it through about a season of Six Feet Under (it's still on my list, but other shows kind of took over), but this title sequence has always stayed with me. It's dark and sobering and beautiful. It terms of setting tone, this sequence captures the gravity of the show with miraculous aplomb.



TRUE BLOOD
After six seasons of the heaviness of Six Feet Under, Alan Ball decided to go in a VERY different direction with the tawdry, bawdy, overripe, over-indulgent supernatural-fest True Blood. The true unifying element? The awesomeness of the title sequence and the fact that Digital Kitchen was at the helm. The title sequence and song capture the south awesomely and set the stage for all the craziness the show has to offer. I love that right after the teaser scene of the episode, we cut to the ever-familiar catfish (or whatever it is) plumbing the murky depths of a swamp at the beginning of the sequence. The intro is subtle, but over the top at the same time, showcasing some fundamentally southern elements, and interlacing them with salacious innuendo. And, if you can find me someone who hasn't been stuck on that song at some point, I owe you a cookie.



SOUTHLAND
This show didn't really grab me in its first season, but it really seemed to find its footing in the second. Even in the early days though, when I wasn't all that enamored of it, I always loved the title sequence. It's still my favorite part of the show. It's slick and eerie and menacing and I end up watching it every time. It genuinely gets me excited for the show, just like a good intro should. The music is really powerful (and quite beautiful, really) and when tied to the sepia-toned archive photos of past crimes and policemen, it really sets a stage. In all honesty, it's the kind of intro that I would expect for a slightly different kind of cop show, but it works for Southland as well. It's gritty and dark and classic.



DEAD LIKE ME
This is one of those shows that you hate having to describe to people because it just sounds completely ridiculous on paper. It's got a lot of stuff going on a million different levels and in juxtaposing narrative tones that makes it nigh-impossible to do it justice. Such a show deserves an equally inexplicable opening, and this intro delivers. It's bizarre and absurd, dark and light, funny and off-putting, chock full of the ridiculous and the mundane, all at the same time. Just like the show. Perfect. (In related news... God, I miss this show...) :(



MAD MEN
I've honestly only ever seen a few episodes of Mad Men (it's all in my Netflix queue, I swear it), but I've loved the intro since my very first exposure to it. It's classic and classy and I love it. It has a Hitchcockian Vertigo vibe to it that I really dig and there something about the black animated figures on the colored background that smacks of Sin City's aesthetic (which I also totally dig). It's subtle and smooth, but still packs a punch. It's also short. While I love a good intro, I don't need it to be 3 minutes long, thanks. Update: Yeah, apparently all the youtube clips have been disabled for embedding on this one, but you can see it here.

RESCUE ME
I didn't get into Rescue Me on the ground floor and ended up just watching a random episode one day. I didn't know if it would be a keeper or not, but seeing the intro made me really hope it was a keeper. The song is frenetic and raw and taps into the firefighter experience perfectly. The shots of New York City, smoke imagery, scenes of the firehouse, and the overall pacing from the slow build up to the race to the fire really puts the viewer in the right frame of mind for the show. I don't know why, but the scene of the fireman walking at normal speed for a microsecond then switching to slow motion is one of the most memorable for me. This is yet another song that will get stuck in you head. Especially when you've casually added it to your iPod...



FIREFLY
My dear, darling, departed Firefly... I couldn't not include it in the list. How do you craft an opening credit sequence for a show that is quite literally a Western in space? This is how. I hear that Joss got a lot of flack for this one, mainly due to the song, but I happen to think its absolutely perfect. There's a solemnity and earthiness to the song that pairs surprisingly well with the otherworldly nature of the show and the basic story arc. The bulk of the visuals are indeed clips from the show (which I've largely shied away from), but when it all comes together, the song, the text style, and the images really paint a picture of what this show has to offer. Sorry, had to offer... Yup, still bitter...



CHUCK
It's a nerdy, cheeky blend of Catch Me If You Can, James Bond, and the sounds of my wayward teenage years, and I love it. What better way to set up a show that's equal parts comic-con and spy thriller? For a goofy show, it's a very well-produced, slick intro that totally works for the show. It's got elements of everything and finds a nice balance of sneaky and geeky. It also happens to be a show that I adore, so that helps it endear it to me in the long run. Plus, when was the last time you heard anything from Cake? No, no, besides here?



WEEDS
I only just finished the first season of Weeds, so I'm late to the game, but I'm quick to appreciate this title sequence. This song is simply beyond awesome and it captures the suburbs in a deceptively cutting way. It's the kind of song I'm happy to get stuck on all day because it skewers the yuppification of America in the jauntiest of possible ways. The images of carbon copies jogging around their affluent boxes dotting the hillside... perfect. This is a fantastically quirky show and the intro manages to do it fully justice. After watching it, I, too, want to sell pot. Or smoke it. In a good way. Update: And yet again, embedding has been disabled for this one, so go here.


-----Honorable Mentions-----
There are a lot of intros that I love, but that for whatever reason, couldn't rationalize putting on the full list. I didn't include animated favorites because they really seem to fall into a different category in my head. For whatever reason, they're the kind of intros that you always watch every time because they just seem to be part of the show... or something. I don't know why, but my head is drawing a distinction, and that's why they weren't included above. Others that are listed as "Honorable Mentions" didn't make the list because they are for shows that I don't adore or that have a great song, but weak visuals, or vice versa. I really had a hell of a time paring down my list and even now, as I'm putting together my runners-up, I'm thinking maybe I should have swapped some of them out... Anyway, here are the peeps that just didn't quite make the list (the titles are hyperlinked to a youtube video of the intro, in case you're unfamiliar with it).

The Simpsons: I think I've just seem this one too many times for it to even seem like it's in the same league as anything else. It just didn't feel right to put it on this kind of a list, but rest assured, it's a classic of the highest order. Truth be told, I had never actually seen the new version of it until just now... wow, that's how long ago I gave up on the show (somewhere soon after season 10).

Buffy: I love this intro, but rotating clips from the show just don't equal "classic title sequence" in my book. It is one that I watch basically every time though, so maybe it deserves a higher spot.

Angel: A very different approach than the title credits for Buffy, but it totally works with Angel's brooding and whatnot. More serious, more subdued. Upon first seeing them, I was a little underwhelmed, but as the show continued, they seemed to work better and better.

Alias: Strange as it sounds, I almost put this one on my top ten. It's short, and has little more than text in terms of visuals, but it has always stuck with me. My friends and I used to watch the DVDs and we could put the fast-forward on half-speed so you could still hear the sound, just supped up. This intro sounds awesomely awesome that way, believe me.

Skins: Another close call, I truly adore this intro (or should I say "these intros"). It's more like a collage of images than anything else, but it totally works. It's different depending on who is at the center of the episode, however, so I couldn't really narrow it down to a single intro...

Covert Affairs: Well, this is far and away the newest show to grace this list, but it's definitely worthy. I'll be posting a little something more substantial about this show in a few days, but as a quick note, this show has gotten considerably better since the pilot. I wasn't bowled over by the premiere, but subsequent episodes have actually been really good. It's not perfect or anything, but I find myself looking forward to it week-to-week, which was an unexpected, yet delightful turn. USA shows often follow this trajectory though, so it came mostly as a shock because of Piper Perabo. She's doing a much better job than I would have expected and I'm really starting to dig the show. Also to its credit, the intro is pretty slick. It's kind of Man Men/Sin City-ish and sets a nice tone for the show. I had initially feared that it would be too light and frivolous, but it's actually quite grounded and the smooth intro helps keep it that way.

Doctor Who: I'm a neophyte to the world of Dr. Who (having only begun really watching the show with the newest doctor (and a smattering of the David Tennant years)), but I really love this intro. I've been meaning to get the theme as my ring tone, but that would involve, you know, effort...

Lost: For being only a few seconds long, it does a surprisingly good job telling you exactly what the show is all about. The word "Lost" flying through darkness. Yep, that's about it.

Teen Titans: Man alive, I used to love this show. And I especially love the intro. While both the English and Japanese versions have their charms (I have a slightly easier time singing along to the English version), but the Japanese version wins out overall.

Batman: The Animated Series: Yet another throwback for me, this little kiddie show has a surprisingly good intro. As a child, I really appreciated that the images were timed to the music so well. It's also quite a bit darker than you'd expect for a children's program and had kind of a vintage noir feel to it that I always enjoyed.

Lie to Me: I honestly don't know why I enjoy this intro as much as I do, but for whatever reason, I end up watching it just about every time. It's a mid-level show, so I'm a little surprised at how much I like the title sequence. Especially back when the show first started, it was the best part.

Psych: Gotta love this one. It's a fun song for a fun show. It sets the mood perfectly, and is tweaked on regular occasion to suit the storyline of the week with different fonts, images, and even different versions of the theme song itself. This intro always gets me in the mood for the show and always has me singing along... sometimes for several days afterward... to an annoying extent...

Cowboy Bebop: I have honestly never seen this show and would never have even thought to have put it on my list, but I came across it on another top ten and have to admit, it's pretty badass. It makes me want to give the show a chance.