Best TV Opening Credits

[alohabear]

Which TV opening credits is your favorite? I myself think that Hawaii 5-O can't be beat for it's theme and coolness. My second favorite is Magnum P.I. When you hear that theme and see TC's helicopter flying down O'ahu's coast it get you all "pumped" for the show.

We all love TV ,so have some fun with this thread.

[pzarquon]

Re: Best TV Opening Credits

I love a good theme and montage. I'm not sure if I'd call the ones that pop into my head the "best," but they're memorable... for better or worse.

I used to enjoy the many flavors of "Law & Order," and how the musical theme to each variation was just slightly different. A little extra woodwind here, a flash of electric guitar there... at one point there were enough versions to make a pretty good audio quiz.

The Star Trek spinoff Enterprise, meanwhile, had an awful musical theme, but I always liked the montage of "explorers through history." The sequence ended with the fictional spacecraft, of course, but it began with Polynesian explorers. It was a nice touch, since you'd expect them to just start with the Europeans.

Actually, it's hard to separate TV theme songs from the opening credits. After all, folks probably loved the musical themes to Cheers, Bonanza, Frasier, Moonlighting, Hill Street Blues, The A-Team, and the like, but what you saw on the screen might not have been that remarkable.

So actually Hawaii 5-0 and Magnum P.I. are great examples, because the visuals were just as distinctive as the music.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Best TV Opening Credits

I always enjoyed the second season of "Fawlty Towers," where the letters on the hotel sign would be changed from episode to episode.

[sinjin]

Re: Best TV Opening Credits

"Deadwood" has my vote. While still on I thought "Six Feet Under" had a great opening.

[Lalalinder]

Re: Best TV Opening Credits

I like the CSI open.

And I suppose it would be wrong if I said I like the Dog The Bounty Hunter open.

[lavagal]

Re: Best TV Opening Credits

I totally dig the "Sopranos" opening. I swear I could listen to that and vacuum the house to hours with that on my iPod.

I also like "Between the Lions" on PBS for my kids.

The whistle of "My Three Sons?" Who could forget?

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Best TV Opening Credits

The whistle of "My Three Sons?" Who could forget?

Long, long ago, when I had a comedy troupe as a going concern, we did a sketch about a family living next to a nuclear-power plant. We whistled the "My Three Sons" theme, and had a space where you could see three tapping feet.

Not three PAIRS of feet, mind you --- three feet. The sketch was called "My Three Feet."

(Living next door to a nuclear-power plant, remember? Okay, good.)

[helen]

Re: Best TV Opening Credits

Lost uses a very simple opening and not much of opening theme, great for getting into the action really fast since doing the cast credits takes about a minute or so. The second half of Season 9 of Stargate SG-1 looks very good. The second season (and later) opening of Monk conveys the series pretty well. The theme music for the first three seasons of The Dead Zone sounded good to me.

[flying snow]

Re: Best TV Opening Credits

Faves:

Buffy

Lost's is nifty.

Millenium

Alias

Battlestar Galactica.

I agree about Star Trek's Enterprise opening music. Bleh. No. Really...BLEH.

WIsh they'd come out with a new Star Trek.

[pzarquon]

Re: Best TV Opening Credits

Like Helen and Flying Snow, this guy thinks the simple, eerie "Lost" opening is great. (He picks "Grey's Anatomy" for least favorite.)

Flying Snow's mention of "Between the Lions" (I like it too!) reminds me of the old "Electric Company" opening theme and animated intro. I'd imagine the opening sequences to a lot of kids shows have a special place in our hearts.

I always enjoyed the second season of "Fawlty Towers," where the letters on the hotel sign would be changed from episode to episode.

Ah, yes. And of course, you reminded me of another show with a similar gimmick that could go on the short list: The Simpsons. Great music by a great TV/film composer and an animated sequence that - most of the time - has a twist at the beginning (Bart's blackboard) and at the end (the couch gag).

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Best TV Opening Credits

the old "Electric Company" opening theme and animated intro. I'd imagine the opening sequences to a lot of kids shows have a special place in our hearts.

Now available - several episodes on DVD. But reviewers have said "don't buy it for your kids to enjoy - it won't appeal to them now."

Since my "kid" is 25, married, and lives 2000 miles away from me, I can't hide behind that excuse - I proudly state that I bought the 5-disc set ALL FOR ME!
(Now, when I'll find time to watch it, that's another story...)

[scrivener]

Re: Best TV Opening Credits

First: The opening sequence for Cheers is the greatest ever. The Mary Tyler Moore Show is second, and my favorite show of all time comes in third: M*A*S*H.

Second: Leo, will you let me know when you've had a chance to watch those DVDs how much of Rita Moreno you get? 'Cause that's going to be the determining factor for me. I can't believe I watched that show for all those years growing up and never noticed Rita and her legs.

[SouthKona]

Re: Best TV Opening Credits

Family Plot.
"And all the things you try to hide
Will be revealed on the other side."

[mel]

Re: Best TV Opening Credits

Here are some of my favorites through the years....

• Hawaii Five-0: great theme song music by Morton Stevens, great scenic and cast shots. Very memorable.
• Gilligan's Island: Who can forget this easy to sing a long song! Good visuals too and it shows the cast members.
• The X Files: Great music and erie visuals.
• The Outer Limits: (original black and white series) - Who can forget the opening line "There is nothing wrong with your television set...."
• Star Trek The Next Generation - Majestic theme music and good opening visuals of space and Starship Enterprise.
• Star Trek: Original series - the opening monlogue "space the final frontier, these are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise..." heralded the start of this now classic TV show... good music too.
• Batman - I like the comic book style opening of this show with the catchy rock n roll instrumental song. (1966)
• The Simpsons - great opening that always seemed to change at the end with the family in various positions perched in front of the TV.
• Babylon 5 - They changed the theme music, opening visuals and credits every year for its 5 year run; I liked the 5th season music and monlogue the best.
• The Avengers - This had a classy instrumental theme song to it. (1960s)

[Lalalinder]

Re: Best TV Opening Credits

Oh yeah! The Avengers was too cool!