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Where Have All The Credits Gone?!

Posted by Mark O. Estes on November 9th, 2009 - Comments

Remember the time when you sat down for the opening credits of your favorite TV show? The theme song and opening images of your favorite cast members play across your screen as you are transported into their world, whether it was a town that attracted the supernatural or the opulence of a family's dynasty, you were there front and center; ready for the ride to come.

But those days are long gone or are on their way out.

As a TV fanatic, opening credits were/are like icing on a cake. They hyped me up and gave me a rush to the system every week and I would cheer like an idiot when a new addition was added to the cast lineup. But now all we have a title screens that look like they could be the title intro to a DVD menu screen. Leaving nothing to the imagination whatsoever except a cold, dark empty void that I am growing to hate by the day as more shows are premiering with just a title card. I know the reason why the credits have been shortened, but come on!!!!

So in honor of the dying art that is the opening credits, I, The Anti-Critic, will give you my Top Ten Favorite Opening Credits Sequences of All Time.

These are a mixed bag so be prepared.

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About the Author:
TV, movies, and writing are my life and I will combine the trinity till the day I die. I also am a budding filmmaker as well. Find out more @ The Anti-Critic

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TV on the Brain

How could you forget one of the most classic and iconic opening sequences ever, the original, always recognizable Knight Rider sequence? Even in the "new" model, they used a variant of that. Buffy and Angel are definitely on their way to being classics, but for the most part, credits are history. Any more, I tend to gloss over them (thank you Tivo and 30 second skip) unless they actually make me want to watch them!

Mark O. Estes

I love the 30 second skip!. It's handy for the 90210 opening credits that infect my screen and my brain. I

Casey

No Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? No Quantum Leap? For shame, sir!

Mark O. Estes

I know, I know, lol. I knew I would get flak for this list, but after doing it I noticed how many other lists (that I had no clue were already out there) had similar or practically the same credits and I didn't want to 1) have the 'same' list and 2) not go the 'safe' route with my list. But Casey, I did think about the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but A Different World won me over, because it resonated more with me. But it did make my honorable mentions list (which is still random)...

HONORABLE MENTIONS!!!!

11. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
12. Saved By The Bell
13. Good Times/Sanford and Son
14. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
15. The ORIGINAL Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
16. Knots Landing
17. Charmed
18. Sweet Valley High (Don't judge me!!!)
19. MacGyver
20. Dallas

I would love to see everyone else's though. Please post them!!! :D

Featherlite

Nice save with having "MacGyver" at #19, young'un.

Other worthy nominations:

Dukes of Hazzard
The A-Team
M*A*S*H
Magnum, P.I.
Mike Hammer (you can't tell me that Harlem Nocturne does not set the stage perfectly)

Glad they're gone:

Get Smart
Gilligan's Island
Brady Bunch
The Beverley Hillbillies
Bonanza (I'm not that old. They were repeats.)

Clarissa

I watch the awesome Beverly Hills 90210 opening credits and want to see every time I see the credits for the new 90210, with it's indie alternative music and it's 10 second length. What DID happen to good credits?

Didn't NPH mention this during the most recent Emmys? I think he made fun of the LOST credits.

TV on the Brain

Yeah, he did mention that, not sure which one he made fun of, but he definitely pointed it out for sure.

Pixie Wings

LOVE Roswell and Dawson's credits. LOVE Degrassi period- except for the guy shown on the video clip-he is an arrogant ass, so I am not getting into the show much this season.
M*A*S*H is fantastic of course, it is the reason I am a nurse.I still get goosebumps when I hear that music.
TrueBlood's opening makes me gag a bit, especially when the animal is infected by maggots *shudders* but the song sure fits the tone of the show.
HOW could Supernatural's THEN/NOW not be on your list??? They are fantsatic!The music to rock out to... \O/

I now have the Buffy song stuck in my brain (and I'm doing the head banging a la Spike :D ) - thanks Mark ;)

Pixie Wings

Mike Hammer? Nocturne something? I am 8 years older than you and I have no idea what those are, Featherlite. Was that standard Manitoba fare? :D
(Maybe I was busy watching Sharon, Lois and Bram, or Fred Penner with the kids when those shows were on- I missed the last of the 80's and the beginning of the 90's completely)

Ickis

I haven't even read the list yet ( but I will once I've finished posting this ), but I just have to say how great it is that a still from the opening of my favorite TV show, "Angel" is the picture you'd use :) Great choice!

Boots Electric

Can't believe that the cheers theme tune didn't make it on the list! Definitely one of the best and most iconic theme tunes ever.
Quantum leap is definitely up there aswell. Roseannes was always interesting aswell.

Alyssa

For the old school shows, Quantum Leap and MacGyver rank high on the list. For the new shows, I cast my vote for Dexter. The opening sequence shows you all you need to know about the tone and style of the show; it gave me the creeps the first time I watched it.

Jack's Beard

Ahn... ok, so... no Friends? No Step by step? No "Carry on My Wayward Son" from the season finales of Supernatural? Everytime that i sit down to watch a season finale from Super, i got goosebumps, all because of Kansas. =]

Jack's Beard

Oh, yeah. Forgot Cheers and the Highlander TV series. C'mon! It was amazing! And, although i'm not that much of a fan, we also have E.R. Which had an awesome opening.

Mark O. Estes

I didn't even know Supernatural had any opening credits?!?! I am so far behind on the show, that it's not funny at all... Thank GOD for the Target Black Friday Sale! 12.99 a pop? Can't beat that with a Winchester powered jackhammer!!!

Pixie Wings

What?? You don't know the amazing THEN...NOW of Supernatural? Mark, I am aghast! ;) Seriously, SPN has the best music every week, be it Carry On My Wayward Son, Renegade, Back in Black...

Mark O. Estes

I am just on Season One of SPN. I plan on buying the other sets during Black Friday.

Tiffany

Buffy!!!!! :)

I also agree with Fresh Prince and what about Doogie Howser?

nmerouze

True Blood credit is fabulous! Dexter's too. The third will be Buffy/Angel for me.

EGK

The greatest of all has to be Gilligan's Island. It lists the entire cast (in the second version), and tells the story of the set up to the show, so everyone was up to speed by the time the show began. Of course the show was mindless drivel, but the theme was genius.

chimaeroid

I am surprised with some of the choices, though the buffy and angel credits coming first was a pleasant affirmation of my own love for anything Joss Whedon. I would suggest that you take a look at his new show "Dollhouse" too, as it has one of the most interesting and curiously moving intro. A lot of subdued emotional states in the credits sequence, which actually makes perfect sense, given the nature of what the show is about.

Quite a few new shows are coming out with interesting credits. The imagery in Dexter, The United States of Tara, and Hung are among the best out there I think. I am surprised they weren't mentioned, though I have no idea if people have seen these shows.

Also going into mini-series, The Masters of Horror had a really creepy vibe that knocks Hex and True Blood out, at least in my opinion. Disturbingly creepy.

The top for me at the moment though, for really getting into a mood for a show, has got to be the intro to House. The music, "teardrop" by massive attack, still makes me feel like watching the (not so) good doctor to this day, any time I hear it.

Other, more modern intros, that are definitely memorable, and unfortunately so, are shows like Smallville and the BBC show "Demons" (now cancelled). Smallville particularly make me want to jump past the intro every time I see it now, it has become grating, and annoying. They could use a bit of a mix up. I am not sure how I feel about the Merlin intro credits yet. Powerful, but I don't know in what way....

A real shame though, is the intro to the show Weeds. Every week for the first couple seasons, they had a different group do the intro music, and I think it was well done, and the imagery well put together, though now they have cut almost any real "intro" out of the show. Simply showing the title and creator doesn't do the same for me that the sing-song intro used to.
"Little boxes on the hillside. Little boxes, made of ticky tacky. Little boxes on the hillside. Little boxes all the same." All I can say is that it really got the feel of the show across when you saw it. This is the perfect example of something, once awesome and unique, now simply lost to advertising time, or potentially a lack of new ideas. I highly suggest that the people who have not seen these shows watch them, and make up their own mind. The intro is not the whole show, but setting a mood is an art that is unfortunately getting lost nowadays it seems.

SleeperActiveCompass

Knots Landing! From the superimposed pictures on the cul-de-sac, to the scrolling boxes like family pictures, to the splashed paint, to the sandcastles and back to the scrolling boxes. I miss how they would change the theme music every season too.

Paul

I think this season has definitely been the worse for short credits. We were doomed when Lost and Heroes became so popular, and each year more shows copy the same style. What is frustrating is it worked well with those shows and I wouldnt change them, but with the rest it just feels lazy.

I quite liked the SG1/Atlantis idea of having a full credits early on and short credits when the extra time was needed. It bugs me that Universe didnt bother to make some proper credits.

I like most of your choices. I think I would say my favourites are:
Eureka - I love how chirpy it is.
West Wing - The whole sequence, especially with the dramatic music fits the show well.

Notable mentions would be: Firefly, Star Trek Enterprise (S1/2), and Friends.

And as all those seem too recent, I will pick Quantum Leap as my favourite overall.

Finally, A worthy mention is a show that did the short, snappy credits really well: Frasier.

W i l l o w*

Oh, wow. Not surprising really, but you totally forgot CBS's MEDIUM's opening sequence in this list of yours. One of the few shows of recent years with an opening sequence.