The 75 Best Sequels to TV Titles of All Time (2023)

A TV show's title sequence sets the tone for the entire series. Whether it's a few iconic seconds or an intricate two-minute scene, a show's intro tells the audience what to expect.

Get ready to laugh at these crazy urkelsfamily matters, or to marvel at the mysteries of outer spaceStar Trek, or fear for the survivors of the zombie apocalypse inThe walking dead🇧🇷 Whatever the focus of the show, the opening sequence prepares the audience for the type of story to come.

Sadly, most of the opening scenes were not memorable for nearly a century of television. Some are really terrible. But some were excellent. We've rounded up the top 75 here, ranked on a weighted scale based on production value, innovation, creativity, cultural impact, use of music (original or existing), and most importantly, how well the music plays or serves the series.

We're specifically talking about recurring intro sequences: the show can't simply offer floating titles over a variable opening scene, as inSr. RoboterÖSeinfeld🇧🇷 We exclude talk shows and soap operas, as well as TV movies and miniseries. Finally, this list does not take into account the quality of the show, only the title sequence. For example,breaking Badis exceptional, its slow, smoky intro is not.

Be warned: there will be spoilers later. And maybe annoying if you can't find your favorites below. But we invite you to read, listen and tell us what you think.

75.casa(2004-2012)

casaIt wasn't the first medical show to tackle dysfunctional doctors on screen, nor was it the first to feature complicated medical catastrophes (every patient starts out with an illness that appeals to them, but upon closer examination or attempted treatment will always reveal that what they have is much worse). butcasaI wasthe first to focus on the idea of ​​pain beneath the surface. Everyone lies, everyone dies, and we struggle with the inner demons that plague us, especially misanthropic drug addict Gregory House, MD.

This opening sequence doesn't tell us any of that, though it definitely makes us feel that all is not what it seems. Textbook illustrations mixed with tranquil landscapes set to the hauntingly slow "Teardrop" by Massive Attack? Yes, something is wrong here.

74.firefly(2002)

For a TV show that helped reinvigorate the sci-fi, western, and space opera genres, the opening cut is refreshingly old-school.firefly🇧🇷 Series creator Joss Whedon wrote the show's theme song, which will be sung by blues singer Sonny Rhodes as we visit the cast of nine. Fans of this hugely popular cult classic will instantly recognize the personalities we see on screen, from the determined Captain Evil and the brilliant engineer Kaylee to the mercenary Jayne. Their personalities sometimes clash, but they are united, as in this opening of the ship.serenitywith hope for a better future.

73.land of the lost(1974-1976, 1991-1992)

There's a lot to love about this large-scale adventure and unabashed kitsch.land of the lostOpening. When a mysterious dimensional portal takes the Marshalls to an alternate universe inhabited by dinosaurs, primates and other creatures, the family must find a way to survive and return home. Fortunately, the monsters are just as scary as the Gorn T-Rex is.Star Trek: The Original Series.land of the lostThe special effects team brought all the non-human creatures to life with actors in rubber suits and heavy makeup, stop-motion animation miniatures, puppets, aerial film effects, and blue-screen videomats. Many of these effects can be seen in the series' deliciously cheesy and action-packed opening. Our favorite: the river rafting scene with the poor blue-screen raft bobbing around. Hold on Marshalls!

72.man looking for woman(since 2015)

A boy and girl go to an adult store to buy a sex toy. The girl is looking for something that satisfies her in a way that the boy cannot. So they hit the road with The Kyle, a life-size man in a box and hyperbuff with tags promising "deep penetration" and "powerful 4-speed." She is excited. Her boyfriend is not.

This is the mood ofman looking for woman, an FXX comedy about Josh (Jay Baruchel), a man looking for love, which is peppered with jokes and absurd passages: In the pilot episode, for example, his girlfriend breaks up with him and then goes on a date with Adolf Hitler. The series intro features a black and white animated block grid with scenes inspired by surreal moments from the show itself.described bytitle artBlake Goble as Keith Haring and Tex Avery's "Nervous, Nerdy Kid" parts get muddled but lead nowhere. What better metaphor for dating random strangers while trying to find true love?

71.China, Illinois(2011-2015)

“Well, I wanted to tell you something about the university on the edge of town: nobody should go there; You know, it's bad, bad, bad... It gets worse every school year, but man, the damn teachers are great!"

Some words of wisdom from the introduction ofChina, Illinois, in case you don't get Baby Cakes when describing the fictional China University, Illinois, dubbed "the worst university in America". This is celebrated by the college's faculty and crime officials, who spend most of their time drinking, or drinking in class, or drinking while getting into trouble. The show's dark humor is bonkers, but it doesn't spiral out of control like other gritty animated shows. It is anchored by illustrator and writer Brad Neely, who crafted the show and intro with surprising complexity and visual comedy. Not to mention some sick beats.

70.Bojack-Reiter(since 2014)

All eyes are literally on BoJack Horseman, the failed star of the '90s fictional sitcom, in this animated show where humans and anthropomorphic animals coexist.circles, as the day goes on: running errands, avoiding paparazzi, attending parties. He ends up drinking too much and makes a scene by falling off a railing into the pool, but he's fine. This is just one day in the life of an actor who is half horse, half human struggling to regain his fame and find his place in the universe.

Like other show business TV shows likeentourage,the episodejExtras(What about all these shows and the letter E?),Bojack-ReiterIt's not about our hero's success on screen, but about his unusual challenges off screen. Most of what we see in this intro is BoJack himself; everything and everyone should fit in the periphery around your head. A point of reference here is Shakespeare's Nick Bottom.a Midsummer Night's Dream, whose head turned into that of a donkey. Don't all of us BoJack live our lives in our own little worlds in a way?

69.throw(2007-2012)

Poor Buy More mascot gets a lot more than he bargained for in NBC introthrowWhile dodging bullets, climb down ropes and evade armies, helicopters and ninjas. Similarly, he is the show's main character, who accidentally takes control of a giant supercomputer and becomes a target of both the US government and international terrorists. throwesthe mascot here, as important as it is useless against the forces around you. His colleagues' faces appear in the background, a mix of the friendly (Chuck's family) and the not-so-friendly (NSA and CIA agents sent to protect and possibly neutralize him). It's a complicated situation.

This sequence is a great combination of opening scenes from spy shows likeMission ImpossiblejThe man from U.N.C.L.E., combined with the graphic design and signage style of big tech stores like Best Buy or CompUSA.throwcame out at the perfect time to explore the fine line between insecurity and national security. Are you interested in a complete and combined database of information from all US intelligence agencies? There is an app for that.

68.Altes Ding(2004-2006)

In 1870s South Dakota, the town of Deadwood grows from a small settlement to a thriving community, leaving its residents to face the challenges of a growing community. This is the story of life during that period in American history, in a part of the country that was essentially lawless, with real historical figures like Seth Bullock, Calamity Jane, and Wyatt Earp either present or passing through.

Their struggles and lifestyle changes are reflected in this opening montage. Like the inhabitants of the developing city, we see a wild mare galloping across a field and splashing in a riverbed. He passes through a working community with its workers, butchers, idle ladies, prospectors and drunks. The mare continues on her way before finally slowing down to a trot and heading home to an established town, a symbol of American expansion into this new stretch of land. We see the horse approach calmly, finally a little tamed, by the reflection in the water, now also at rest. Everything is set;Altes Dingit's your story

67.stories from the grave(1989-1996)

As producers Richard Donner, David Giler, Walter Hill, Joel Silver and Robert Zemeckis began to conceptualize the anthology's opening sequencestories from the grave, inspired by the 1950s graphic novel of the same name, they knew they needed to immediately set a chilling tone and draw the viewer into the world of the series.

So they decided to do just that, create a Victorian mansion that showed in the first person what it would be like to walk through a haunted house. Built by Boss Film, the effects studio of Richard Edlund, who continued to work as director of photographystar Warsand in special effectsHard to Kill—The set was divided into three parts. First was the Tiny House, whose interiors were filmed with a motion-controlled 65mm snorkel camera. Next was the computer generated descent down the hidden staircase. Then, finally, came the crypt itself, which was actually a full-size set that the producers could manipulate and shoot as usual.

Here we meet the "star" of the show: the Crypt Keeper, a decomposing undead puppet brought to life by animatronics expert and puppeteer Kevin Yagher, creator of Chucky, the infamous puppet.child's play🇧🇷 "The Gravekeeper is likable, but he's also cunning and sneaky: if you turn your back on him, he'll just stab you in the face," continues Yagher in the interview.Tales of the Crypt: The Official Archives, including the complete history of DC Comics and the hit TV series

Add a whimsical and macabre theme song by who else, Danny Elfman, and all these elements come together for one of the most memorable openings of all time. Who would like to visit the crypt?

66.¡Supercarcel!(2007-2014)

Most episodes of¡Supercarcel!It starts the same way: low-level criminal Jackknife commits a crime and is apprehended and handcuffed by the Jailbot, a levitating tombstone-like robot that looks like something Apple designed. His subsequent journey to the titular prison includes the show's opening sequence, in which Jailbot flies across deserts and oceans, swinging a handcuffed Jackknife in tow. A mix of eerie and terrifying images unfolds below them, such as armies gathering at night, nightmarish creatures killing each other, and nonsensical visual gags.

This is the psychedelic world of¡Supercarcel!, where the laws of physics are fluid along with time and space, bending to the whims of Warden Willy Wonka. These images, along with the main theme (a hard rock ballad about "coming home" from prison), warn of what is to come: a hallucinogenic, super-violent circus for the senses. Eleven minutes of difficulty.

Sixty-five.Jessica Jones(since 2015)

Private investigator turned superhero Jessica Jones investigates the streets of Hell's Kitchen for the opening of the Netflix television show based on the Marvel comic book series.PseudonymBy Brian Michael Bendis. Here we look at the neighborhood the same way Jessica did: looking out of windows, looking out of cars, and looking down alleyways. In the gray zone where surveillance meets voyeurism, we see fights and neighborhood agreements, scenes inspired by the work of Alfred Hitchcock.rear windowand Edward Hopper's urban paintings. Illustrator David Mack, who created the covers for thePseudonymThe comics give their look to the backgrounds here: blurred brushstrokes of bright purple, orange and blue over the video, in a nod to the look of the original video. And all this accompanied by an original score by Sean Callery (known for having composed the score for24), which starts with jazz but quickly evolves into dark and allusive places.

We've seen this type of opening sequence before, on shows likeLutherjhuman target, butJessica Jonessurpasses them all. Here we see not just painted frames, but a real story in the making. PanelPseudonymShe leaps aside at us, rendered in live-action form, and Jessica Jones invites us to join her.

64.stop and catch fire(since 2014)

Life begins with a single spark, whether we're talking about the beginning of the universe, a human lifespan, or the activity on a microchip.stop and catch fireit starts with this struggle, this attempt to create. Digital sperm race towards a CPU processor. From here, all digital life as we know it will begin if it is a successful union.

All around you, the darkness of nothingness. there is no life without existence. For early PC developers, who teetered on the line between big name and obscurity, success and failure - we can imagine a young Bill Gates and Steve Jobs hard at work in their garages - the challenge is to find a way to make their machines work and bring life to life. to them. When they do, the square egg glows brightly. The microchip is not only alive, but acts like a light in the dark. The lightbulb came on: Eureka!

Ideas and inventions are no different from forms of life. There has to be a spark, a period of incubation, growth and exponential expansion.stop and catch fireThe title sequence shows this process moving from one scene, one moment, to the next. We travel sequentially with the data from shot to shot. To understand this modern age, it seems, we must go back in time. In the 1980s, where digital life as we know it began.

63.irresponsible(since 2015)

Evil has descended on Hell's Kitchen in midtown Manhattan, seeping through towers, buildings and bridges from the highest points to the darkened streets below. Formed as a kind of slime, thicker than blood but thinner than smoldering tar, it is a terrible, unstoppable menace that devours the city in its claws.

But a figure emerges from the depths. Emerging from this skin of evil, the city returned something more than a figurehead or a statue of the Lady of Justice uselessly frozen in stone. No angel. A demon.

At first glance, a city covered in slime doesn't seem like a good opening sequence. But in the capable hands of Elastic, the team behind the releasesstop and catch firejreal detective, it's perfect. There are many parallels to the story of blind lawyer Matt Murdock and his middle-class alter ego, Daredevil. When the city bleeds, there's a hero to answer the call.

What better indicator of a city consumed by corruption than being literally covered in liquid? The liquid covers everything, but it also serves another purpose, making visible what is otherwise invisible. This goo is a physical throwback to the toxic waste that blinded Daredevil in the beginning and set him on his path. And it's no coincidence that the sequence includes Catholic imagery and courtroom locations, including the blind Lady Justice (whose trademark she shares with our hero) and the statue in the cemetery. Like Chianti red blood flowing to faces in the introcannibal, the liquid inirresponsibleAperture matters. Scary perhaps, but effective.

62.True Blood(2008-2014)

The epic introduction ofTrue Bloodtells the story of life, death and rebirth through a montage of conflicting scenes portraying all kinds of religion, sex and violence. And like vampires and other supernatural predatorsTrue Blooduniverse, it is even more attractive when we observe voyeurically from the shadows.

Created by independent film production company Digital Kitchen, which toured filming locations in Louisiana, Chicago and Seattle, the sequence features drops of real blood smeared across multiple frames for effects and the use of a Polaroid transfer technique to build transitions. The result is a kind of Southern-inspired surreal cinema, featuring a Georgian classic and eight different typefaces inspired by true Southern writing and street signs.

61.Ren and Stimpy(1991-1995)

A series that depicts the unusual journey of a dog and a cat. But no, it's notThe Adventures of Milo and Otis🇧🇷 It's something much, much darker.Ren and Stimpy, for all its crude jokes, pathetic violence, and sexual innuendos, helped revolutionize animation as we know it. His bawdy example paved the way for other series of absurdly inspired toilet humor.modern rock lookjSouth ParkoneRick e Morty.

With visuals reminiscent of the golden age of animation and a soundtrack that spans all genres (rockabilly, folk, classical, opera, jazz),Ren and StimpyHe was and still is a powerful mutant who exists somewhere outside of time. Paying homage to 1950s kitsch, the episodes ranged from thought-provoking to downright insane. And this opener captures both, a mix of scenes from the trials and tribulations of the titular duo, along with a powerful brass melody likely inspired by the '90s swing revival when the show first aired. It undoubtedly brings back memories just listening to the first few bars of the intro.

60O time A(1983-1987)

Presented as a combination ofthe dirty dozen,The Magnificent Seven,crazy maximumjMission Impossible,O time AOriginally, it was not expected to be a huge hit for NBC, but the show soon became one of the network's best.

This epic opening sequence explains the team: four wrongfully convicted soldiers have become mercenaries, taking jobs to clear their name and help the downtrodden by standing up to the bad guys. "If you have a problem, if no one else can help you, and if you can find someone, maybe you could hire the A-Team," explains the opening voiceover.

Fortunately, there were always plenty of bad guys that the A-Team made known by taking them down with over-the-top action and violence (which left no one hurt). That, plus catchy lines about plans coming to fruition or characters not wanting to get on planes, the use of epic machines like helicopters and machine guns, and formulaic plots and character archetypes lend themselves to this.O time Aa touch of (almost) nonsense.

The bitter reaction to the Vietnam War reverted from the caustic war movies of the 1970s, culminating in the quiet heroism ofO time A🇧🇷 With a metallic theme composed by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter, this ball and bayonet opener embodies the spirit of all fights, a montage of shootouts, epic action and explosions.

59.friends(1994-2004)

There's nothing remarkable about itfriendsOpening sequence, plus the idea of ​​getting six people together in a park in New York and having them dance in a fountain, and of course that catchy song by the Rembrandts. When you think of "TV title sequences", that strumming guitar and "Nobody said life would be like this..." probably come to mind.

In the first season, the opening consists only of the six friends dancing together in the fountain. In later seasons, however, it is interspersed with footage from across the series and becomes a time capsule of sorts. At the end offriends, we realized that a decade in her life was also a decade in ours.

58.carnival they(2003-2005)

What a strange time it must have been in the days of the Great Depression. The Roaring Twenties gave way to an economic collapse that left a trail of devastation in major cities and rural areas. For millions of starving and destitute Americans, the idea of ​​a better life for themselves and their children can only be a fantasy.

Fortunately, traveling circuses offered plenty of imagination. Parallel shows, revelry, fun houses, burlesque and impossible acrobatics like swallowing fire or swallowing sword gave the carnival a supernatural and mysterious aura. That spirit is captured in HBO's ethereal openingcarnival they, a two-part series about a traveling carnival and the forces of good and evil that meet along the way. Blending real and historical footage and footage of America in the 1930s, from baseball games to soup lines and the Ku Klux Klan, to tarot cards and ancient mythological battles between gods, monsters and armies, the sequence suggests that despite out of the recession, it's still alive and kicking is something extraordinary about working in America.

57.Everyone loves Raymond(1996-2005)

Everyone loves Raymondit's had a few different opening sequences over its nine critically acclaimed seasons, but nothing compares to this intro that debuted in season three. Raymond (Ray Romano), who lives across the street from his parents and brother, sees his family leaving the house to visit and is a red alert. He and his wife Debra (Patricia Heaton) struggle to keep the kids away, turning everything off (especially the stereo, which Ray kills by throwing an object at it from across the room).ferris turns blue) and hide. But ultimately, Ray's plan is embarrassingly thwarted, as are every plan he tries to implement on the show. That's basically every episode ofEveryone loves RaymondIn a world.

56.western world(since 2016)

Landscape and characters merge in the first montage of the HBO serieswestern world🇧🇷 An industrial 3D printer draws bone and muscle tendons, first of a horse, then its rider. This is the Wild West, after all, a frontier world that can only be seen here through the reddish-brown rim of an equally synthetic iris. Life and death, sex, bodies, memories, souls: what is real in Westworld? what is fake

Michael Crichton first asked this question in his 1973 science fiction thriller.western world(A proof of concept, if you will, of what would become your next theme park ride gone wrong:Jurassic Park) and now by Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Jay and J.J. Abrams in the 2016 hit TV series. Everything is deliberately composed in this opening, from the built-in faces, hands, limbs and spine, to the movements of the sharp mechanical equipment, to the creepy, spooky soundtrack. Design agency Elastic draws on many sources here: lighting by Stanley Kubrick, bodies by Chris Cunningham, even Leonardo Da Vinci's iconic show circle figure.

Another handmade symbol: the piano. At the beginning of the introduction, this machine is also built, carefully hung from the panel with piano strings. Music is created when you play the piano. But soon the figure playing the instrument moves away and the piano turns into a self-playing game. What will become of the people ofwestern worldif artificial life forms also develop?

55.Anesthesia(since 2015)

Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, the "King of Cocaine", is believed to be responsible for supplying approximately 80% of all cocaine in the United States. His Medellin cartel was raking in over $70 million a day at the height of his rule in the 1980s and spending $1,000 a week just on rubber bands to pocket all the money, making Escobar the richest in history with a net worth. known. of about $54 billion in today's dollars. This was a man who made Al Capone look like an amateur. For Escobar, too much was not enough.

His rise to power is the focus of the Netflix original series.Anesthesia, which debuted in 2015 to positive reviews. Through design agency Digital Kitchen's powerful and expansive opening sequence, we get a glimpse into Escobar's world: drugs, sex, money, Escobar's beloved Medellín, as well as the death and devastation his empire wrought and the force- DEA task always on their tail Fersen was tasked with taking him down.

With the seductive “Tuyo”, a bolero composed especially for the show by the Brazilian singer and composer Rodrigo Amarante, the opening also serves as a historical document. Newspaper headlines hover over scenes of violence. Actual footage captured by "El Chino", the Escobar family's real-life photographer, is given a home theater feel through filters and 3D projection mapping. Aerial views of the city are overlaid with a wireframe topographic map. For Escobar, Medellín and the urban areas of Colombia must have looked like this, a grid of win-lose territories.

For a show that transcends the facade of Pablo Escobar and the Medellín Cartel, this opening strikes the perfect balance between man and myth, history and legend, crescendo and finally coda.

54.Crazy people and nerds(1999-2000)

It's picture day at William McKinley High and the awkward teenagers ofCrazy people and nerdsAlignment for your train. In Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation," they each get onstage, throw themselves on the stool, take a picture, and move on. Lindsay Weir tries to smile and look her best. Meanwhile, his younger brother Sam looks shocked and confused. Delinquent Daniel Desario gets his hair done and sarcastic Ken Miller scowls the entire time. The photo tag tells us everything we need to know about each of these characters.

Few high school events are a greater reminder that one day you'll remember everything than taking the official class picture. and the single stationCrazy people and nerds, which aired in 2000 but is set in 1980, is about remembering the embarrassing experience of going to high school. In many ways, the show serves as a spiritual successor tothe wonderful years(which aired in the late 80's but takes place in the late 60's) without the forced nostalgia. timethe wonderful yearsenchanted by the golden memories of growing up,Crazy people and nerdsHe was more realistic about puberty, with all the fears, betrayals and disappointments that come with adolescence.

53.adventure Time(from 2010)

A lot happens very quickly in Cartoon Network's 25-second opening.adventure Time🇧🇷 To be fair, there's also a lot going on in the magical land of Ooo, where the show takes place. Here, Jake the Dog and Finn the Human spend their days rescuing princesses from the Ice King's lustful attentions, battling epic monsters, and of course, embarking on many other adventures. There's an ever-present cuteness to her world, from the clingy citizens of the Candy Kingdom to the lazy penguins in the snow-capped mountains, but there's also darkness.adventure Timetakes place a thousand years after the "Great Mushroom War", a global nuclear holocaust that (supposedly) transformed Earth as we know it into the magical place it is set in the series. It's adorable, but it's also post-apocalypse.

This pays off when flying over the continent of Oooadventure TimeIn the opening sequence, we get glimpses of both: colorful landscapes, flying wizards, dancing donuts, hissing vampires, duds, and even a croaking two-headed duck, maybe that.adventure Timeversion ofThe SimpsonsThe three-eyed fish? Finn the Human sits on the mountain, Jake the Dog relaxes on the ground, and series creator Pendleton Ward sings the theme song and plays the ukulele in the background. Grab your friends, it's adventure time!

52.the odd pair(1970-1975)

It's hard to top the comedic duo of Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, but Tony Randall and Jack Klugman come close as Felix Unger and Oscar Madison, the ultimate mismatched roommates. Adapted from Neil Simon's 1965 play (and inspired by the 1968 film starring Matthau and Lemmon), the show was a hit, with some episodes ranking among the best television episodes ever produced.

That opening sequence explains why the two men live in an apartment together, and offers examples of what makes them different from one another, which obviously makes for this odd couple comedy. Laid back and messy, Oscar is a constant mess of New York City, which irritates the meticulously neat and collected Felix, who insists that Oscar clean up his mess.

51.arturo(since 1996)

Adapted from the best-selling children's book series about an anthropomorphic anteater,arturopremiered on local public television in 1996 and earned a regular spot on PBS with over 225 half-hour episodes produced. Representing characters from different races and social classes in Elwood City, the forest creatures may be fictional, but for decades they have taught children of all ages about subjects such as asthma, bedwetting, diabetes and dyslexia.

Recently, a series of internet memes featuring the goofy, good-natured Arthur reminded older fans of the series, now in their 20s and 30s, of this childhood mainstay. And with its surprisingly witty jokes and pop culture references, the show gets everything right.James-LinkoneBeavis e Butt-Head, Arthur is still holding on after all these years.

The intro sequence is also an animated scene of Arthur's friends and family hanging out and having a good time, set to "Believe in Yourself" performed by Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. The main idea here is the fact that it's based on thisarturoa series of books that became a television show. When author and illustrator Marc Brown was originally contacted to adapt his in 1994arturoBooks for TV, he was worried about until he realized he could use the show to encourage kids to read more books.

We see this in the opening, when Arthur's sassy younger sister, D.W. witnessed her adventures in book form. Here the characters jump off the page. It's great to see the intro pay homage to those roots.

50community(2009-2015)

Everyone has their own reasons for being at the fictional Greendale Community College. For former attorney Jeff Winger, that means getting a real bachelor's degree after his law firm discovered that his credentials were mail-ordered from Colombia, the country, and not obtained from the University of Colombia. For enterprising Annie Edison, it's the only option available to her after being kicked out of high school because of an Adderall addiction. For baby wipe mogul Pierce Hawthorne, fitting in with the younger generation is a product of boredom and desperation. For Dean Craig Pelton, this makes the city's college a veritable university.

the fact thatIs notis what it doescommunityso good. For six seasons (and hopefully a movie one day), the Spanish study group has survived through classes, romance, epic battles and incredible encounters, all on college campuses. And as an audience, we witness all of this as if we were students of this strange and horrible place.

If it were us, we would probably be the ones to pass the paper fortune tellercommunity's, a CGI-animated origami piece that closes and opens to reveal each of the cast members, plus cute designs that reflect their characters (e.g., a big cake for Shirley, who wants to open a bakery, and of course, big lips and breasts for Pierce). Backed by original music by The 88, this opening is exactly the kind of fast-paced blast it is.communityit should begin, either as a prelude or as a punchline for a pre-credits joke. Our favorite is when the show messes up the sequel, with a fantasy-inspired fortune teller for an episode of Dungeons & Dragons or with monsters for Halloween.

49.Weird stuff(since 2016)

Weird stuffexploded onto the scene when it debuted on Netflix last July. The story of three high school boys searching for their lost friend with the help of a mysterious girl with special abilities is a package of '80s nostalgia, paying homage to Stephen's works in everything from music to style and cinematography. King, Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter and John Hughes.

But instead of filling the show's intro with pop culture references or some sort of retro montage,Weird stuffit was easy. Series creators and brothers Matt and Ross Duffer turned to Imaginary Forces, the design team behind the elegant openings ofmad MenjJessica Jonesto make something out of a stupid horror novel. Imaginary Forces selected ITC Benguiat as the series typeface, the same typeface used on numerous Stephen King covers, and designed a visual sequence that would bring the titles to life in a style analogous to the early 1980s. to the actual process used to create titles for John Carpenter's work).the thing, which was rigged with a smoke-filled aquarium, backlighting, and melted plastic bags), took all the lens effects, light leaks, blur, and grain and put them into a final digital animation. These effects would have looked sloppy in 1983, but in 2016 it's the perfect retro tone.

“We look at the title sequences of the past. We look for the inconsistencies”, Michelle Dougherty, creative director of the Imaginary Forces projectsayingcablingin an interview in August. "It makes it feel tangible and warm." The end result is just that: hypnotic and effective. Stephen King would be proud.

48.stripes(2008-2013)

Molecules deform and move. Strands of hair fill up in a forest. Stone fragments are arranged to spell monolithic titles. On the surface, these scenes look like a mix of the creepy and random footage from the intro.x filesand the inside of Edward Norton's brain from the opening sequence offight club🇧🇷 As the first season morphed into the second season and beyond,stripesThe titles would even become self-referential, changing to reflect the events of the show. The original introduction in shades of blue represented the original universe of the series. A red-colored intro showed the alternate universe discovered at the end of season two. And an amber version meant an entirely new timeline.

Even if only an episode or two existed in a different realm than the rest of the series, it was enough to deserve an opening of its own, like the bleak monochrome intro signaling a dying alternate universe, or the introduction of the barbed wire prison that Dystopia represented. the future. Our favorite: the deliciously cheesy 1985 version of the opening sequence, which trades sci-fi concepts like "premonition" and "transfiguration" for '80s science wonders like "personal computing" and "laser surgery."

That dedication and detail in the opening scene speaks volumes about showrunner and sci-fi nerd J.J. Abrams and his team's commitment to his program. For the next replay, pay attention to the title sequencestripesand note these differences, as well as the various bald, otherworldly observers who have sworn to defend them.allseries episode.

47.Batman: The Animated Series(1992-1995)

of the manybat ManTV shows, animation and live action, nothing beats this introduction tocartoon, in which the Caped Crusader chases two bank robbers through Gotham City, especially in an art deco style. The stark contrast of light and dark combined with a clean look pays homage to some of Batman's greatest comic book artists, from Frank Miller's film noir style to Mike Parobeck's clean, elegant lines.Batman: The Animated Seriesis heavily inspired.

The Batmobile, the dark fights, even the police... Zeppelins? Everything looks beautiful in this opening and you can imagine the cheesy 60s onomatopoeia.bat ManLive Action Series: POW! BAM!, plays with every hit and batarang that is thrown. The sequel carries that spirit with the quintessencebat ManConclusion: The police arrive just in time to incapacitate the villains. What happened? Was it Batman?

46.teoria do big bang(since 2007)

Why The Barenaked Ladies isn't a rap group we'll never know. When it comes to writing songs with lightning-fast lyrics, nobody does it like she does; Consider his '90s hit "One Week" and this theme song forteoria do big bang.

This title refers to the fact that the show's four protagonists are not your average sitcom protagonists, but genius physicists and engineers. Like the Crane brothers fromFrasier, a lot ofteoria do big bangThe humor of is based on this comedy of manners: the characters are funny not because we know people like them, but because they are so distant and out of touch. (The title probably also refers to the fact that one of the scientists wants to have sex with the attractive neighbor who is moving in across the hall.)

teoria do big bangdebuted in 2007, a year after the launch of Twitter and a year before the firstIron ManMovie. What some would call "geek" culture was not as popular as it is today, and this series was one of the first signs of the changes to come. What he doesteoria do big bangThe intro is really good. Nearly 14 billion years of the Universe, 3.8 billion years of life on Earth, 5,000 years of recorded human history, religion, astronomy, Descartes, Deuteronomy, everything so far: four goofy scientists and their cute neighbor enjoy Chinese food in the couch. Can be worse.

45.Happy Days(1974-1984)

We've known teenagers and parents since the record spinning on a jukeboxHappy Days, a sitcom throwback to American life in the 50s and 60s, complete with your typical working-class family, high school boys and girls, and super-smart, womanizing biker Fonzie. That title sequence doesn't explain much about the characters or the plot, but we can glean everything we need to know straight from Jim Haas' catchy theme song and style. This was Wisconsin in the 1950s, a simpler time, and thank you.Happy Days, we can look back with nostalgia.

44.The Adventures of Pete and Pete(1991-1996)

The Adventures of Pete and Peteit took place in the perfect '90s suburb we wish we'd grown up in. Like the paranormal town oftwin peaksmixed with the daily absurdities ofSeinfeld, the Pete brothers explore the strange and surreal world of Wellsville alongside hardworking Ellen, goofy Teddy and Artie, the strongest man alive. Growing up is hard enough without worrying about the secret life of the local ice cream man, Mr. Taystee (who never takes off her plastic mascot head) or solving a national rebellion against the need for high school algebra. 🇧🇷

As the indie band Polaris performs the main theme "Hey Sandy", we get a glimpse of these adventures, the city and its characters. Pensive Big Pete, moody Little Pete, Daddy, Mommy, the metal plate on Mommy's head and Petunia, Little Pete's tattoo of a woman in a red dress. Growing up here was never boring.

43.invader zim(2001-2002)

At a time when original Nickelodeon cartoons were includedrocket performancejThe Fairly Odd Parents,invader zimIt was the network's attempt to appeal to Cartoon Network's slightly older audience. They wanted something quirky and a little weird.

They've done this ten times with Jhonen Vasquez, a comic book writer and cartoonist whose previous projects have included the hyperviolent comic book series.Johnny: The Killer Maniac,pressjI'm sick🇧🇷 His concept for Nickelodeon was simple:invader zimIt was the story of the naive but psychotic Zim, the smallest member of an alien species where social hierarchy is determined by size, who is tasked with conquering an insignificant planet on the edge of the universe: Earth. Though he was only sent to gather some covert surveillance and stay out of the way, Zim, along with his unpredictable malfunctioning robotic drone, GIR, decides to claim our planet for himself. However, all of his takeover attempts are thwarted either by his own inexperience or by Dib, a young paranormal investigator who realizes that Zim is an alien.

That backstory is quickly summed up in the rich intro, which sees Zim traveling to Earth, building his home, and literally consuming the planet under the power of his machines, if only in his dreams. We also see the weird and fantastic spaceships and technology that creator Jhonen invented for his world, along with a hint of the show's humor and art style that help demonstrate what he's done.invader zimthe cult cartoon still is today.

42.six feet under(2001-2005)

every episode ofsix feet underIt starts with a death. Whether sinister (eg, murder) or tragic (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), the end of life marks the beginning of our story; Death is just the beginning. For the Fisher family, death is also a race. His funeral home buries the recently deceased, but the questions of religion, relationships, infidelity, business, all those complicated issues that still haunt the living, often remain up in the air.

This sequence of titles prepares us for that. We see a body going through the stages of dressing and preparing for burial. We passed the barren mortuary and the shepherds' cemetery. But it's not depressing. While these are the final steps before burying someone in the ground and closing the lid, this sequence leaps with speed and energy, set to music composed by Thomas Newman (whose sounds you'll recognize from his work on it).Life imprisonmentjAmerican Beauty).

This sequence doesn't feel like the end. It looks like we're gearing up for something behind the scenes with a play that's about to start. In many ways, this is not far from the truth.

41.real detective(since 2014)

The two seasons ofreal detectiveare separate and independent narratives: one about the search for a serial killer in Louisiana over a period of 17 years, the other about the murder of a corrupt politician in California and related crimes. But both are united under the trademarks ofreal detective: Tone, style, voice and deft use of compelling characters played by brilliant actors.

While season one's title sequence portrays an anemic, rundown Louisiana with faded yellows, greens, and grays, season two's colors are more contrasting, bright, and striking reds, whites, and blacks to match the more menacing surroundings and vibrant California. embodied. In both cases, the silhouettes of characters are superimposed on fleeting scenes to serve as a frame and conduit for viewing this world and serve as a reminder of how landscapes shape the people who live in them. Without revealing anything about the plot,real detectiveThe openings of can conjure up an entire world that we'll explore for better and for worse throughout each season.

40quantum leap(1989-1993)

NBC's opening sequence lasts nearly two minutesquantum leapit's long and well packaged, but it's good. And finally, there's a lot to explain.

From a secret laboratory in New Mexico, physicist Sam Beckett directs "Project Quantum Leap", a time travel experiment. When the government threatens to shut down the project after it fails, Sam does what all respected fictional scientists do when their funding runs out: He tests the device on himself. Going back in time, Sam is found in the body of a trapped stranger, with a new goal to change history for the better and "fix what once went wrong". With the help of Al (Dean Stockwell), a military liaison officer on today's project who appears as a hologram, Sam spends every episode helping whoever he wants.

With a passing premisesliderjSor John Malkovich,quantum leapis a show about the second half of the 20th century. The title sequence shows the decades and locations Sam encounters on his journey. Whether he inspired Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly in the 1950s, started the civil rights movement in the 1960s, or fought in the Vietnam War in the 1970s, Sam is the good guy.

39.The walking dead(from 2010)

In the devastated post-apocalyptic world ofThe walking deadFlesh-hungry zombies have become the dominant life form on the planet, endlessly roaming in herds in search of their next meal. Humanity exists in small groups of survivors who scavenge or camp to face hordes of the undead or other roving bands. Places and objects become a shell of the society they represented, and no one is left to carry the reminders of their value or purpose.

These rusted and deteriorated sights includeThe walking deadThe unfolding of the opening sequence. In early seasons, this footage included the areas of Atlanta that were evacuated in the weeks following the initial eruption. We see empty supermarket aisles, cars abandoned on city streets, and photographs in broken frames. As we move into seasons three and four, the pictures get darker. We left the city for the countryside with its farms, cemeteries and prisons. Centipedes slither around shell casings and a rusty sheriff's badge. In recent seasons, our locations have become even emptier: dirt roads, tunnels and villages. But we also become more active and agitated, the camera lens distorts and changes color. We see the fire.

It all fits together to the tune of Bear McCready's haunting southern-inspired score.The walking deadThe main logo of , disappearing more and more with each passing season. Things fall apart, as we can see from the various elements of the intro. And if the zombies manage to wipe out the last of the humans, those pieces of the past will be all that will remain.

38.the elongated ones(2001-2002)

the elongated onesIt's an animated show about the average nuclear family... they only get nuclear knockouts. Living in a poor valley community may have left the entire Oblong family crippled or deformed by exposure to radiation and pollution, but that doesn't matter because classic '50s patriarch Bob, his drunken but beloved wife Pickles, accompanied by the Biff twins and Chip, hyperactive Milo, little Beth, vegetative Granny, their narcoleptic dog Scottie, and smoking cat Lucky couldn't be happier. Or rather narrow. Mainly.

Aside from the fairly clear social commentary about the rich and the poor, this dark comedy leans towards sunny perspectives and offers surprisingly warm values. In one episode, Bob teaches the value of hard work versus easy money. In another instance, Pickles becomes the leader of a small Boy Scout troop and shows them how to navigate the big city. each ofthe elongated ones' 13 episodes (you can probably imagine that a show with a premise like this shouldn't last long) is filled with eye candy, slapstick humor, and some of the best pop culture jokes you'll find anywhere. When the boys decide to watch a movie in one episode, Milo asks for "anything but Steve Buscemi". At the end, they watch the latest Adam Sandler movie,Doo-Doo, Poo-Poo, Pipi.

They Might Be Giants, who composed the show's 30-second theme song, sums it up best: "In the valley where the hilltop people caused a chemical spill, a family lives near the land filled with dangerous foam is their happy home and shiny..oblong!"

37.Hercules: The Legendary Voyages(1995-1999)

beforewar two thrones, beforeSpartacusjAtlantisjHighlanders: A SeriesjThe Legend of the Seeker, there wasHercules: The Legendary Voyages🇧🇷 Of the fantasy series that debuted in the 1990s and 2000s, this was the grandfather of them all. The show's plot centered on a fictionalized version of ancient Greece and the adventures of Hercules, the demi-human son of Zeus, and his partner Iolaus. Together they found Greek and Roman quasi-mythological locations and characters, as well as elements of Egyptian, medieval, and eastern folklore. For six seasons, the show was known for its action stories, which typically have Hercules and Iolaus saving towns and villagers from warlords or monsters, and a mix of celebrities with recurring roles as gods and iconic Greek characters, including Kevin Smith as Ares, Bruce Campbell as Autolycus and Karl Urban as Cupid, among a few dozen others.

The direct descendant of the show,Xena: Warrior Princess, would overcomeHerculesboth in popularity and ratings, butXenaThe initial sequence of does not match its size and importance. WithXena, the emphasis is on action and sexuality. WithHercules, it's about the heart: "Wherever there was evil, where an innocent person suffered, there was Hercules."

36.weed(2005-2012)

In order to maintain her upper-middle-class lifestyle after the death of her husband, Nancy Botwin starts selling marijuana to support herself and their two children. At least that's the idea. Instead, things quickly get complicated for Nancy, who recognizes the complexity of her new industry. She needs to put a front on her marijuana business, build a customer base, and outpace (no pun intended) the fast-growing competition. He soon develops his own special strain of marijuana and must turn his life around to avoid the police and the DEA.

weedIt became Showtime's highest-rated series after its first year, and much of the show's success was due to its identification of its leading lady. Nancy is not a career criminal, she's just a woman trying to make ends meet. In season one, if she could, she would go back to her old housewife life. But as she makes the best of a bad situation and the years pass, she finds a fulfilling life outside her comfort zone that surpasses anything she could have imagined.

The show's opening doesn't so much explain Nancy's journey as it describes the life she leaves behind. Set to Malvina Reynolds' "Little Boxes," a popular 1960s song that satirizes suburbia and conformity, we see joggers in the park, businesspeople sipping coffee, and cars pulling off the sidewalks. But it's all the same people, the same cars: literal clones rolling down an assembly line, one after the other. The houses on the hill are identical little boxes and they all look the same. Compared to the monotony of bourgeois life, living in the woods might not be so bad.

35.clone alto(2002-2003)

The great premise ofclone altois quickly explained in this 30-second intro in which the US military and occult government officials extract the DNA of deceased figures from history and genetically recreate them in the form of fearful high school students. Our protagonist is Abe Lincoln, a gangly, gangly clone of our 16th president who struggles with the challenges of puberty and lives up to his "clone father." While competing with the arrogant jock JFK for the affections of the popular Cleopatra, his best friends are the politically liberal Joan of Arc and the headstrong Gandhi.

With original music by Abandoned Pools that takes you back to the "golden age" of 2000s music by bands like My Chemical Romance, Good Charlotte and Sum 41, you can tell by the title sequence that this is what the series is for. was raised. both a short lifespan and eventual cult status. He Got Both: We Had 13 Glorious Episodesclone alto, the perfect parody of the network's teen drama.

34.american horror story(since 2011)

Some call the opening sequenceamerican horror storythe scariest part of the show. For each episode of this acclaimed horror anthology series, created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, a series of bizarre and intense images of approximately one minute in length are adapted for each season, immersing the viewer in the place and period.

In season one, we descend into a living basement to discover old photographs and a makeshift laboratory full of preserved fetuses and appendages; In season two, we move into a hospice filled with horrible patients with bandages, gurneys, sheets and bloodstains. And so it goes, for each of the show's six seasons.

If that wasn't scary enough, consider the show's theme song and introductory acoustics. In 1998, César Dávila-Irizarry was in his second year studying music history at the University of Puerto Rico when he decided to see what would happen by recording different sounds and mixing them with digital noise. Using Cool Edit 96 on a Windows 98 computer, he captured sounds like metal clothes hangers falling on the tiled floor and raindrops on windows, stretched them out, and added white noise and other effects. The result was mundane but unnerving: perfect as a stand-in when video editor Gabriel Díaz, a friend of Dávila-Irizarry, began working on the first season opener years later. TheAHSThe crew liked it so much that they recreated it for the sequel themselves with help from composer and former Nine Inch Nails member Charlie Clouser, who also worked on the sequel.SerraSoundtrack. His work brought to life this haunting title sequence that teases your skin like no other.

33.family man(since 1999)

1971 marked the debut ofall in the family, a sitcom about the typical working-class Queens family. Each episode begins with fanatical patriarch Archie and his kind-hearted but naive wife Edith playing the piano in their living room, singing "Those Were the Days" and lamenting the changing customs of the times. Archie's narrow worldview allowed 1970s American audiences to examine their own blocks, resentments, and suspicions.

in job interviewsall in the familyCreator Norman Lear stated that the show's introduction of the piano was a cost-cutting measure. After filming the pilot, his budget did not allow for an elaborate opening sequence. It would be 30 years before the typical American family could star in a large song-and-dance number on the small screen, in the form ofall in the familyliving spirit followerfamily man.

"Where are the good old values ​​we used to rely on?" Bumbling Peter Griffin and his wife Lois sing in unison during the opening sequence offamily man- before exploding into a booming stage show. the beginning offamily manmake this list insteadall in the familybecause, like the show itself, it works harder and smarter to get the same kind of fun and scathing social commentaryall in the familygreat.family manshould find new humor after 30 years of shows with nosy neighbors, stupid husbands and teenage growing pains. He gives us everything, including a British baby and a talking dog, and he does it very well.

32.sledgehammer show(1976-1981)

Speaking of shows, here it issledgehammer show, which also begins with an epic song and dance number. Nearly two dozen (and more in later seasons) of the Muppets leap onto the stage with the Muppet Orchestra, along with Animal on drums, Zoot on sax and the slightly creepy Janice on lead guitar. They're all here, from the giant, furry Sweetums to the grumpy old men on the porch, Statler and Waldorf.

The opening production is perfect forsledgehammer showA Show About a Show: In each episode, "Producer" Kermit the Frog must keep all the rowdy Muppets at bay and manage the various human guest stars backstage during the vaudeville-style variety show. These were the Muppets in full swing: parodying pop culture, employing slapstick comedy and interacting with top celebrities of the day, including Roger Moore, Mark Hamill and Elton John. And because of that show, the Muppets were elevated to celebrity status as well. This introduction reminds us why.

31The Brady Group(1969-1974)

In 1966, television producer Sherwood Schwartz read that about 30% of American marriages have a child or children from a previous marriage. From this premiseThe Brady Groupwas born: a show about the ultimate blended family, in which a widower, a divorcée and their six children live in the same house. (All the usual family dramas follow, except multiplied by six.)

Check out this now famous opening sequence created and directed by Howard A. Anderson, Jr. (the visual effects legend who worked on the titles and effects for ).Star Trek: The Original Series,i love lucy,Happy Days,HealthjSuperman: The Movie), you could almost say that ABC executives were concerned that the American public wouldn't understand why this crazy family had so many kids. His solution was to record a memorable Peppermint Trolley Company theme song that explained what was going on and split the two families into one.hollywood places-Grided demarcation of who came from where, like a visual math problem. Two plus two equals eight. Plus a hardworking maid who has to keep an eye on everyone. O Alice!

30Monty Pythons Flying Circus(1969-1974)

As well as the company's eclectic mood, the opening ofMonty Pythons Flying Circusit's weird and totally original. Starting with the shipwrecked bearded "It's the Man", the flowers start to bloom, the Rube Goldberg engine starts up and heads roll. As with other whimsical animations on the show, Monty Python member Terry Gilliam created the intro using scissors, an airbrush and a camera. And since the sequel was not live-action, the group was free to create disturbing and violent scenes without censorship.

29desperate house donuts(2004-2012)

Using familiar historical imagery and iconic artwork, the opening sequence ofdesperate house donutschallenges traditional female roles with the same flamboyant spirit as the series itself. Rather than waste time introducing the main characters, four women who live with the mysteries and hide behind the perfect facades of Wisteria Lane, this introduction chronicles the project by Hollywood design firm yU+co, an image of women through the ages. . Go back to Eve in the Garden of Eden. They clean up after the men, take care of all the kids, take care of the house, and have enough.desperate house donutsIt was acclaimed throughout its eight seasons for its witty, snarky dialogue, intersecting storylines, and a narrator who pieced together the stories of his fellow housewives from beyond the grave, and this title sequence captures that energy and verve.

28The Sopranos(1999-2007)

The moment we see mob boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) exit the Lincoln Tunnel for New Jersey, we recognize a man in control. With a lit cigar between his ring fingers, he pulls out of the Jersey Turnpike toll crossing and speeds down I-95, looking down at the road and puffing smoke.

He is literally and figuratively a passing man in the opening sequence ofThe Sopranostraveling between cities while balancing the struggles of family and business life. He also struggles with the contrast between his tough-guy personality (he's a power player in the fictional DiMeo family) and his clinical depression, which he tries to treat with regular visits to psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi. Tony Soprano represents the heart ofThe Sopranos, a series that captures the complexities of life in the Mafia.

But in contrast to its exciting film predecessors such asThe Godfatherjgood guys,The Sopranosit doesn't concern itself with the history of the crime families over the decades or focus on the better days of the past. It's about surviving in the eternal now as Tony, his partners and family survive this week, this month, this year. Always on the watch, always on the go.

27The Rockford Files(1974-1980)

Ex-convict turned private investigator Jim Rockford has a few rules. He investigates unsolved cases, minor insurance fraud, missing persons and murders, but no open police cases. He rarely carries a gun and doesn't look for trouble, but occasionally gets into fights. He lives in Malibu, but in a rundown trailer on a beach lot. His fee is $200 per day plus expenses.

In the days before, the cops were on the loose likeArma mortalpor Martin Riggs ebeverly hills policeAxel Foley, Jim Rockford was the sameThe Rockford Files🇧🇷 A cowboy detective and anti-hero, Jim was brave when he needed to be and scheming when he needed to be, and he would never back down from a case no matter what. Even before seeing him on camera, we understand the man through the people in his life; all 122 episodes ofThe Rockford FilesStart with a static shot of Jim's answering machine and someone (an unhappy creditor, an unhappy customer, or just a random stranger) calling him to complain or place an order. The remainder of the show's opening is a montage of footage cut sequentially, like a slideshow, documenting the detective's various cases and mishaps. Give a wink and a nod here and there, and we're in agreement with Rockford: he may not always have the best cards, but he definitely plays better.

26South Park(since 1997)

“ALL CHARACTERS AND EVENTS IN THIS SHOW, EVEN THOSE BASED ON REAL PEOPLE, ARE COMPLETELY FICTIONAL. ALL THE CELEBS VOICES ARE PRESSED... WRONG. THE FOLLOWING PROGRAM CONTAINS A DONKEY AND DUE TO ITS CONTENT IT CANNOT BE VIEWED BY ANYONE"

Well, at least they warned us. This FBI-style warning continues with each episode ofSouth Park, an animated television series about four children and their strange adventures in fictional South Park, Colorado. I like thisstay with mefill inBeavis e Butt-Head(and with almost enough characters to define itThe SimpsonsEmbarrass),South ParkAudiences were polarizing when it premiered in 1997: critics praised its clever writing and new comedic style, while parent groups, television councils, and other organizations condemned the show's crude humor, language, and taboo subject matter.

can't say exactly whatSouth ParkIt's about watching the show's opening sequence, where kids hop on the bus to school and sing about their excitement at seeing the city — unless you count Kenny's muffled, inaudible lines, which we googled ourselves. to leave. but what is the introductiondoesdeliver is an idea of ​​the breadthSouth ParkThe World of Y, for such relentless satire, it's somehow appropriate that the opening is remarkably cloying. If you thinkSouth Parkseems harmless after watching the title sequence, a glorious rude awakening awaits.

25right(2006-2013)

the introduction torightIs he just a man waking up and getting ready for the day or does that mean something else? It's the perfect opening for a show about duplicity: Dexter is a blood spatter analyst who works for the Miami Police Department, but he doesn't just investigate crimes. He makes them too. He is a serial killer of criminals who would escape the justice system, a villain who defeats villains. He thinks that Hannibal Lecter knows Robin Hood.

The characters on the show don't know who Dexter really is, but we do. So their violent morning rituals are a nod to the public, a not-so-subtle hint that there's more lurking below us than meets the eye. On the surface, Dexter wakes up and shaves, makes a breakfast of ham and eggs and freshly squeezed juice, gets dressed, and heads out for the day. But with quick cropping and enlarged photos, we get a different picture for a moment. Are these choke cords or just dental floss? Bloody Guts or Blood Orange Juice? Dexter cuts through pink meat that we know is just pork. Red bubbles appear on their eggs, which we realize is just hot sauce. He wears a T-shirt and for a moment appears to suffocate under a taut sheet.

But its alright. Nothing wrong to see here folks. We can trust Dexter to take care of everything.

24Die unzerbrechliche Kimmy Schmidt(since 2015)

“We knew early on when Tina [Fey] and Robert [Carlock] were pitching the pilot that their story would be told very quickly by a local who has lived through it all. We wanted it to go viral, just like the Charles Ramsey stuff."Kimmy Schmidt unausstehlichProducer and Songwriter Jeff RichmondsayingLos Angeles Timesin a 2015 interview.

While the show is about a 30-year-old woman who escapes a doomsday cult and starts a new life in New York City, a somewhat dark premise, it's also meant to be funny, sweet, and upbeat. To quickly get the audience into that mindset thatAT THE DOORThe team created this captivating intro, an internet-remixed newscast.

Fey and Carlock wrote the monologue for The Neighbor Who Saw Everything and created a live TV news segment for the show on the spot, which they then automatically set up and edit together, tagging catchphrases such as "unbreakable" and "alive, damn ". Then they brought in the Gregory brothers, pioneers of original "Songify the News" videos, who digitally manipulated footage of newscasters, politicians, and political pundits into catchy songs to modify the video. Also credit the success of this incredible opener: the memorable Mike Britt, who plays neighbor Walter Bankston and whose performance is already musically twisted enough to warrant comparisons to Joe Cocker and James Brown, according to Andrew Gregory.

These combined efforts result in a title sequence that people can't seem to shake, whose elements work together to convey the show's unique and irrefutable theme: women are strong as hell.

23the golden girls(1985-1992)

thank you for being a friend It's the moral of one of the most popular sitcoms on TV,the golden girls🇧🇷 But can you imagine this series' original pitch to NBC executives? In an era where big shows included shows likevice-Miami,O time AjRemington Steele, here was a show about four old single women who shared a house in Miami. (Granted, nothing was sexier than Florida in the 1980s.) Like,the golden girlsThey fit perfectly and feel right at home.

the golden girlsIt was successful because the series captures what so many failed TV shows lack: a real relationship and chemistry between intriguing characters. It doesn't matter that the show is about women over 50 or that in many episodes they don't even leave their faded floral print bungalow, because these ladies are smart and exchange verbal comments and banter as if they were in the middle of it. 🇧🇷 a table tennis match.

When it comes to the quartet of characters - Southern Belle Blanche; the beautiful but dizzying rose; weary New Yorker Dorothy; and her mother, the politically incorrect Estelle: The opening sequence captures the best of their scenes together: talking, engaging in questionable activities, strutting. We don't need to know what they are saying or listen to a voice-over explaining the plot. We understand. And all of that makes getting older look like a lot of fun.

22mad Men(2007-2015)

"I imagine a guy walking into a building, taking the elevator to his office, leaving his briefcase and jumping out the window...but not this."

Series creator Matthew Weiner had a very clear idea of ​​what he wanted.mad MenThe opening sequence is similar to the initial description of the phone provided by Steve Fuller of design agency Imaginary Forces. Fuller, along with his creative director Mark Gardner, designed the Emmy-winning title sequence for the show about advertising men in 1960s New York City based on this briefing. His work pays homage to graphic designer Saul Bass and director Alfred Hitchcock, with skyscrapers straight out of the opening titles ofnorth to northwestand the silhouette of a man falling from the movie postersdizziness, set to DJ RJD2's now famous track "A Beautiful Mine". This introduction represents it all.mad Mencovers: advertising, New York, cigarettes, suits, sex and the case of Don Draper.

In a historic piece where everything has meaning (all the equipment on display is meticulously adjusted to the time),mad MenFans have long speculated that the opening sequence would foreshadow the series finale. Would Don Draper commit suicide by jumping out of his Madison Avenue office? Would I end up as the intro man?

He ends up falling like him in a way, but not literally, and by the end of the series he seems calm and content. Don would come to embody a specific time and place in American culture, andmad Men, like the title sequence, offers us a window into the past. So it's not a TV show. It's a time machine.

21Bebop des Cowboys(1998-1999)

On board the spaceshipbe-bop, a crime syndicate assassin, con man, ex-cop, hacker, and Welsh corgi, made a living as a bounty hunter in 2071, fighting wanted criminals and demons throughout the solar system. his own past.described bythe AtlanticWriter Alex Suskind "as something dreamed up by John Wayne, Elmore Leonard and Philip K. Kick during a wild whiskey binge"Bebop des CowboysIt's equal parts action-adventure, sci-fi, kung fu, film noir, western, crime, pulp, and comedy. It is a seminal and critically acclaimed anime series about existentialism and existential ennui, about loneliness and the frightening effects of the past.

The show is almost as much about the music as it is about the characters and story. Dozens of instrumental and vocal songs fill the stages withBebop des Cowboys, ranging from acoustic ballads to big band, hard bop, blues, country, funk, electronica, hip hop and rock, all originally created for the series by composer Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts - an impressive piece of work for a television show out there includes only 26 episodes.

Each begins with this explosive opening sequence inspired by 1960s New Wave Japanese cinema and the Pop Art movement. A bright color palette illuminates character silhouettes, spaceships and floating text in the form of various rectangles and squares that slide in and out of the frame to the beat of "Tank!", an energetic piece of bebop jazz. We see flashes of color and movement, gunfire, running, cigarette smoke and martial arts. We hear drums, basses, saxophones, trumpets and trombones. This 1.5-minute action-packed music video sets the stage for one of the best, if not the best, anime series of all time.

20read rainbow(1983-2006)

For over 20 years,read rainbowhelped encourage children of all ages to broaden their horizons and explore their world through reading books. It became the third longest-running children's television show behind PBS.Roger's neighborhoodjVila Sesame🇧🇷 Led by host LeVar Burton (state,Star Trek: The Next Generation) each episode featured a celebrity reading aloud from a children's book and then exploring a theme from that book through various educational segments or stories.

The series' dreamlike opening sequence, in which an illustrated butterfly transforms reality into fantasy worlds and spatial environments for children reading books, was instantly recognized for its vibrant look and style. Plus, the catchy theme song, performed by Tina Fabrique in the first few seasons and later by R&B artist Chaka Khan, conveys wonderfully.read rainbowThe message from: Books can take you anywhere.

19Bones Jetsons(1962-1963)

Meet George Supersonic! He flies through the clouds of Orbit City in his flying saucer and leaves for work with his family in the morning. He leaves his son Elroy at elementary school, teenage daughter Judy at high school, and wife Jane at the mall. He arrives at work at a gear company on a conveyor belt, where all he has to do is press buttons.

This is the future ofBones Jetsons, the Space Age equivalentthe flints; 'The Flintstones, where everyone lives high above the earth on Space Needle-like platforms and technology isn't just commonplace, it's a way of life. The same asthe flints; 'The Flintstones, the setting is less a subject of social commentary than a setting for the show's sitcom format and an excuse for time-themed jokes and gags. Featuring a catchy theme by Hoyt Curtin, the same composer behind many of the Hanna-Barbera cartoons, includingcranberry dog,McGraw quick drawingit is clear,the flints; 'The Flintstones- Both the Flintstones and the Jetsons are the same kind of family, with scheming patriarchs, indulgent wives, and loving children.

Much of the technology we regularly use today did not exist back then.Bones Jetsonshas been produced, including cell phones, personal computers and the Internet. But in today's world where everyone sticks their nose in a laptop or iPhone, it's nice not to see everyone in it.Bones Jetsons' The future version will do the same. Despite all the benefits of 2016, we may still have some growth ahead.

18the flints; 'The Flintstones(1960-1966)

As a counterpart toBones Jetsons, this is fairthe flints; 'The FlintstonesOriginals come first. And frankly, that classic opening sequence is one of the best. timeBones Jetsonsstarts at the beginning of the daythe flints; 'The Flintstonesit starts at the end when Fred goes downstairs and goes home to his family.

As the first American animated series to air in primetime,the flints; 'The FlintstonesI had a lot to do. be inspiredthe bride and groom, starring Jackie Gleason as blue-collar worker Ralph Kramden and Art Carney as his best friend/partner planner Ed Norton,the flints; 'The FlintstonesIt was a popular hit when it debuted and has become one of the most famous cartoons ever made.

"You are a page in history," says at least the show's now-iconic theme song: the opening sequence ofthe flints; 'The Flintstonesbecame a legend, characterized by the classic use of anachronisms that confuse the 20th century with the prehistoric era. Here we see Fred leave his job as a Bronto crane operator, hop into his human-powered "car" and take the family to a drive-in movie. The credits continue to show Flintstone ordering a frame with ribs the size of a dinosaur: Life was easy once.

17Roger's neighborhood(1968-2001)

We pass by a colorful miniature of the neighborhood, a red tram goes by and we approach a house at the top of the street. Here Mr. Rogers comes in and greets us, walks through the door and brings out something interesting. He is a cheerful man with warm eyes who sings "Don't you wanna be my neighbor?" When hanging up her coat, she trades it for a cardigan (knitted by her real-life mother) and her dress shoes for blue sneakers.

For over thirty years, this was the first children's television series.Roger's neighborhood🇧🇷 We're breaking our own rules by including this entry because it wasn't pre-recorded, but please note: for nearly 900 episodes, host Fred Rogers sang the theme song live and performed this entry, with studio musician Joe Negri on guitar. , Carl McVicker Jr. on double bass, Bobby Rawsthorne on drums and percussion, led by music director Johnny Costa on piano, synthesizer (and cart). Each of them performed this opening live. single. Consequence.

It wasn't a trick. Mister Rogers was the real deal and his diligence was a testament to his dedication to the education of children. Whoever he was in America, whatever part of the country he grew up in, he could call Mr. Rogers as a friend and teacher. His groundbreaking work on and off screen, driving public broadcast and children's television, is second to none. His show wasn't about selling children's breakfast cereals or plastic toys, but about nurturing the development of young minds. He believed in originality, not reproduction. And we see that in every episode, every time Rogers opens the front door, he greets us and greets us with a song.

sixteen.Samurai-Jack(2001-2004)

In feudal Japan, a young samurai warrior wielding a magical katana challenges Aku, a dangerous shape-shifting demon, in a final battle between good and evil. The samurai gains the upper hand and the demon, on the brink of defeat, opens a time portal and hurls the samurai into the future. Here, in a dystopian world inhabited by robots and aliens, where Aku's reign is limitless, the samurai must find a way to return to the past: "and undo the future that is Aku!"

Based on Akira Kurosawa, Frank Miller and David Carradine in the 1970s TV seriesKung Fu,Samurai-Jackwas creator Genndy Tartakovsky's successor to its critical successDexter's workand an answer to what he felt was lacking in existing action cartoons. WithjacobTartakovsky created a colorful world of imaginative villains, futuristic technology and a narrative that intertwined original stories with classic mythologies like the Greek battle of Thermopylae or the Norse afterlife of Valhalla.

Cinematic and artistic, this opening tells the story of the intrepid young samurai, with powerful narration by legendary Japanese actor Mako Iwamatsu, moving imagery inspired by Zen ink brush paintings, and a catchy trip-hop theme song composed by James Venable. It's perfect for Jack, who is trapped in an advanced but alien future.Samurai-Jackesplanned to return to the etherin 2017. We can only hope this release follows suit.

fifteen.O Show de Mary Tyler Moore(1970-1977)

As Mary Richards, Emmy Award-winning actress Mary Tyler Moore represented the aspirations of an entire generation of American women. She was the "it" girl of the 1970s, she was smart, bubbly and ambitious, leading without being bossy, attractive without being boring. But while the country was in the midst of the women's rights movement, the workplace was still male-dominated.O Show de Mary Tyler Moorehe challenged that paradigm and won.

The plot was simple: 30-year-old Mary moves to Minneapolis after her boyfriend of two years dumps her, and she finds a job as an associate producer on WJM's Six O'Clock News. In the Twin Cities, she befriends her gruff but warm boss, the station news writer, the clumsy news anchor, her landlady, and her upstairs neighbor. Along the way, the series tackled a wide range of subjects rarely seen on television at the time, including homosexuality, premarital sex, marital infidelity, addiction and more, while remaining at its best as a comedy.O Show de Mary Tyler Moorenever missed a beat.

The lasting effect ofO Show de Mary Tyler Mooreyou look at everythingmurphy braunjsex and the Cityone30 years,girland beyond. Its acclaimed opening sequence, its clips of Mary living a carefree life in the city, topped by the famous image of our heroine tossing her hat, is also often imitated, perhaps because of the character's infectious exuberance and captures the character's sunny mood. so perfect. 🇧🇷 Mary took her own life and became an inspiration to people around the world.

14the wonderful years(1988-1993)

we may not haveliterallyWe grew up with the Arnold family, but through their trials and tribulations, we experienced youth as if we, too, were living through the turbulent and volatile 1960s.the wonderful years🇧🇷 In this nostalgic opening sequence, we see 12-year-old Kevin Arnold and his friends and family through the lens of Super 8 home video.

And as the years passedthe wonderful years, the introduction grows with them. Clips from the show's pilot episode were captured in the first few seasons, with new character shots added in each of the first five seasons. With the sixth season, the opening changed again, with historical footage of key events from the 60s and 70s, such as the moon landing, the Vietnam War and the Kent State shootings, replacing the characters entirely. Featuring a cover of Joe Cocker from With A Little Help From My Friends by Ringo Starr.the wonderful yearsIt serves as both a tribute and a gateway to a past for those of us too young to remember firsthand, proving that nostalgia, no matter what decade we grew up in, is something we all share. Nothing captures the spirit of growing up better than this.

13Dilbert: The Animated Series(1999-2000)

As strange as it seemsdilbertoIt was briefly televised as an animated series. Yes, that Dilbert, the one from the newspaper comics, the office engineer with the folded tie and the prickly boss. And believe it or not, it had one of the best opening sequences of all time.

We start with the Big Bang taking us through space to Earth. In the depths of the ocean, a single cell divides into two, four, eight. He becomes a simple life form that becomes a fish, a creature, a caveman that comes to earth and goes straight to a cabin to chart a path from humanity's struggle for existence to the everyday struggles in the office. Indeed, the title sequence ends with Dilbert in a sea of ​​countless cubicles and another massive explosion when a superior lifeform (the cynical Dogbert) pulls the plug.

In this Emmy-winning intro, all evolving organisms wear Dilbert's black round glasses. After all, we all have a little bit of Dilbert in us when it comes to workplace politics, temperamental bosses, and everyday life frustrations.

12bill is not a scientist(1993-1998)

It might seem strange that a show dedicated to educating younger viewers about science and bringing the subject to the general public would start with this insanely weird intro.

But that's the point: they don't go away. If you watch the opening ofbill is not a scientistFor the first time, it takes some time to understand what is happening on the screen and what the narrator is really saying. You'll see Bill's disembodied head spinning, plastic toy dinosaurs flying, radio frequencies and erupting volcanoes of energy, all set to a song by musical author (and math teacher) Mike Greene. When he received the invitation to do the opening in 1992, his instructions were that it sounded different from other musical themes. And with the help of a rocking melody, bass lines and danceable beats, it's hard to imagine a more memorable track.

that was the ideaBill NyeIt shouldn't have a traditional theme song, as this wouldn't become your traditional TV show. He was here to educate, yes, but he was also very funny. The show's fake music videos, science puns, and celebrity parodies made Nye a household name that '90s kids would equate to science itself: Bill! Invoice! Invoice!

11roar(1991-2004)

Every 90's kid will know this sequence by heart. But for a show about babies and an intro about babies playing on the floor, this one-minute opener is great, with stoic comedy reminiscent of Buster Keaton and cinematography that would make Orson Welles proud.

A dozen little snippets play out seamlessly in this expertly curated sequence: the opening image of a diaper floating upside down; the forced perspective of space from a child's point of view; the careful choreography of babies.

Tommy somersaults across the board trying to reach a bottle of milk. Red-haired Chuckie runs past and "drives" a vacuum cleaner, while twins Lil and Phil run to a table and chair. Phil is there first, climbing onto the chair, then onto the table before dropping the phone to the floor. When he gets up from his chair, Lil walks past him and knocks the chair over. All of this remains in the background when a hideous wind-up toy cat approaches, knocking Tommy down with the milk after he finally reaches the bottle.

We then zoomed out like the film's impossible shot.Contactin which the camera pans back through the mirror to reveal bossy Angelica who has kidnapped the poor family dog ​​for a dress-up game. Suddenly, Chuckie walks through the vacuum cleaner, which gets stuck in the closet door and opens, spraying everyone with soot.

Parents suddenly come and happily pick up Tommy. We see the children together and happy; Angelica dusts her dress a little. And then we go back to the whole scene where the parents are carrying Tommy. Everyone is happy. And then Tommy shoots us in the face with the milk.

10war two thrones(since 2011)

From the soaring spiers of King's Landing to the divine forest of Winterfell and the castles on the Wall, Westeros comes to life in the opening sequence ofwar two thrones, based on the fantasy book series by author George R.R. Martin.

Nearly 25 designers at special effects company Elastic worked to create this 3D digital map, which changes over time to reflect the changing focal points of the series' narrative. Every city, tower, cityscape and mountain range is an intricate pattern that rises from the earth and moves like the cogs of a clock. Even the globe itself is a machine, its gears barely visible beneath its metallic surface, constantly turning and turning. Meanwhile, high in the sky, the rings of a spherical astrolabe orbit a blazing sun, illuminating the planet's surface. Intertwined in the rings are the stories of the series, the destinies of mortals permanently inscribed in the metal surfaces.

That wide opening is meant to be a little confusing, prompting the viewer to study their surroundings to figure out where they are on the map. But it's exactly what the designers had in mind, fitting a TV series where anything can happen. Time is pressing, winter is approaching and the ferris wheel never stops turning.

9.gilligan island(1964-1967)

On what was said to be a three-hour chartered boat journey, the unfortunate passengers came fromthe little fishThey are caught in a storm that strand them on a tropical island. Here, the ship's captain, his first mate, a movie star, a millionaire couple, a high school teacher and a country girl must survive and survive together. It's no easy feat when said immediate Gilligan constantly thwarts his plans through sheer stupidity and random mishaps.

The show's epic opening sequence is set to "The Ballad of Gilligan's Island", which explains the plight of the characters and has been recorded by various artists, most notably folk group The Wellingtons. Although the show was a modest success when it originally aired in the 1960s, it ended up finding a larger audience in the ensuing decades of syndication. Who knew castaways stranded on a tropical island could be so good for TV?

8.x files(1993-2002)

The biggest spoiler alert on this list is probably about this entry.x files🇧🇷 Not to give anything away about FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully or the show's plot, but to pull back the curtain on one of the scariest TV show intros of all time, which turned out to be surprisingly simple and embarrassingly well-improvised. 🇧🇷

In 1993, when the design agency Castle/Bryant/Johnsen was hired to do the opening sequence for a new drama about FBI agents investigating the paranormal, they only accomplished one thing:x filesSoon, theme music by composer Mark Snow and a deadline of a few months. The team recently completed the title streak forFrasier, which required nearly 20 variations on the famous skyline before the producers were satisfied. But it was a walk in the park in comparisonx files.

To create the various eerie and otherworldly images, Castle/Bryant/Johnsen literally put a lot of themselves into the sequence. See that guy in the picture pointing at the UFO in the dark night sky? This is designer Bruce Bryant. He is also the stand-in for the slightly translucent ghost filmed in his office hallway for negative effect. The white figure floating in the silhouette of a blue footprint is designer Carol Johnsen in a paper painter's outfit writhing on the floor. Johnsen also focused on serving as the background image behind the title card, featuring series creator Chris Carter's name.

Despite the almost humorous simplicity of this intro, it still pisses you off. And the many Emmy Awardsx filesconquered throughout his nine-year career, the first would come from this iconic sequence.

7.The Drew Carey Show(1995-2004)

More than nine seasons ofThe Drew Carey Show, there were a variety of opening sequences, ranging from an animated Drew Carey (face, hair and tie only) singing the jazzy "Moon Over Parma" in the first season, to a rotating mix of scenes from the show's eighth and ninth seasons. 🇧🇷

butThe Drew Carey ShowHe is best known for two openings.In first, Drew wakes up, gets dressed, goes to work, fights with co-worker Mimi (Kathy Kinney) and celebrates the end of the day, all set for Vogue's "Five O'clock World." The second, set in Ian Hunter's "Cleveland Rocks" and performed by the Presidents of the United States, puts Drew Carey's entire office (as well as the entire city) out of work by 5 pm. for the weekend. It's Valentine's Day for the city of Cleveland. Carey and the crew watch an Indians game, enjoy a backyard party, break into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (so Drew can replace his broken glasses with a pair of Buddy Holly), and sing with real Cleveland residents.

Both are essentially music videos and both are very good. There's incredible production value here, with a cast of hundreds performing intricately choreographed dance sequences while lip-synching to songs. And most of all, they are fun. These intros captured the energy and madness ofThe Drew Carey ShowAt its best.

6.La zona del crepusculo(1959-1964)

external limits,stories from the grave,Are you afraid of the Dark?,american horror story,black mirrorAll of these shows, and every other anthology, sci-fi, or horror show on TV since then, owe their existence to the success ofLa zona del crepusculo🇧🇷 Rod Serling's sci-fi masterpiece paved the way for offbeat stories to be serialized on mainstream television, and its heyday proved to be a turning point for the medium itself: from low-budget entertainment to serious, factual form. of entertainment. Thought-provoking folk art.

Just look at the opening sequence. Think how strange and revolutionary this must have seemed to the public, who would have found itLa zona del crepusculowhen going through programs likethe father knows bestjAs Adventures of Rin Tin Tin🇧🇷 Hear the main theme by the legendary Bernard Herrmann, who also created the score for itdizzinessjPsycho🇧🇷 See the floating gate in space. A broken window. A floating eyeball. That is notthe bride and groom.

Younger viewers might find this opening sequence a little dated and old-fashioned. A warning that "you are entering a dimension of seeing and hearing, of ideas", really?

Yes really. That was 1959. Concepts like alien invasions and invisible monsters and the fact that humanity might actually be the villain were not the clichéd concepts they might seem to jaded audiences today. The fact that we already saw it is whyLa zona del crepusculohe showed us. Notice before each episode was required. That was awesome.

5.Health(1982-1993)

the beginning ofHealthIt's literally the stuff of legends, with its slideshow of various faces and characters from past bar scenes. A place where everyone knows your name. What's not to like?

NBC apparently hated it. “They wanted to see the cast. It's not something that represents the cast," said designer Bruce Bryant in 1991.interview withaChicago Tribune🇧🇷 Castle/Bryant/Johnsen, the design agency team behind the opening titles ofFrasier,x filesand dozens of other television shows in the 1980s and 1990s to create the intro. His first concept was to create a pictorial timeline of the drink through the ages, from cavemen to the Egyptians to the present day. "It was a beautiful homage to alcoholism," said designer James Castle.tribune🇧🇷 The concept was scrapped.

Instead, the designers tried to portray the fictional history of the bar itself. From private collections and historical societies across the country, the team hand-picked 17 turn-of-the-century images, a combination of archival prints, old photographs and illustrations, which were then superimposed, toned and colored by hand. They paid $3,000 per image, and the intro took four months to create. The network didn't like that.

But the creators of the program did. They struggled to keep the release going, and their persistence paid off.Healthbecame one of the most popular television series of all time, and its title sequence became what it stood for: a piece of history.

4.Star Trek: The Original Series(1966-1969)

last frontier space.

What began as a talk by writer and producer Gene Roddenberry about a small spacecraft exploring the galaxy has now become a global cultural phenomenon, inspiring millions of viewers (as well as astronauts, scientists and inventors) for over half a century. A multi-billion dollar franchise spanning six television series, 13 films, countless books, comics, magazines and video games, it all starts here.

Four tones resonate in the silence of the room. Captain James T. Kirk's (William Shatner) voice suddenly echoes among the stars, explaining his crew's five-year mission through voice-over narration. His ship is the Starship Enterprise, shown in all its glory, orbiting planets and traveling at great speeds, faster than anything 1960s audiences ever saw, as fast as progress itself. Suddenly, an alien soprano screams, then the main theme by composer Alexander Courage, then the titles: STAR TREK.

Everything about this new sci-fi TV show would break form, from the diverse cast and thought-provoking stories to the artistic direction. At the end of season 2 when this was revealedStar TrekThreatened with cancellation, NBC received hundreds of thousands of protest letters from fans, including doctors, teachers and even New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller.

the original serieswas canceled in 1969, the final episode aired less than two months before the successful Apollo 11 manned mission to the moon. But its impact was permanent and immeasurable. Roddenberry created a series that dared to face the unknown, overcome impossible challenges and promote social conventions for the better. His dream for the future laid the groundwork for a show that would boldly go where no other television series has gone before.

3.the addams family(1964-1966)

Though it only lasted two seasons in the mid-1960s (and does worse in the Nielsen ratings than the competition show).die monster, which aired at the same time),the addams familyhad a huge impact on television, including its iconic theme ofgreen hectaresKomponista Vic Mizzy.

Do you know the:Dun dun dun dun. schnapp schnapp.

but duringdie monsterwas an amalgamation of horror movie tropes of monsters,the addams familywas directly inspired by an original source, the dark humor of Charles AddamsNew YorkerCartoon about the strange goth family next door with unexplained supernatural abilities and a macabre sense of fashion and interior design. That's what we immediately get from this familiar intro that combines Mizzy's melody with the Addams' unusual looks.

the addams familyperformed a mirror image of contemporary family dramas of the 1950s, such asThe Adventures of Ozzie and Harrietand it presented a truth we have yet to come to terms with: that families come in all shapes and sizes and can be quirky, unorthodox or strange, and yet still loving and functional. You realize this fact quickly from the intro, when the family is gathered in unison and looking at you from the screen. They don't speak, they don't smile, they don't even blink. Just look and snap your fingers. You probably are too.

2.Fresh prince of Bel Air(1990-1996)

They knew he had to be in the top three. This is the introduction to the story of how my life was turned upside down... and you know the rest.

WhenFresh prince of Bel Airpremiered, it could have easily gotten away with featuring the usual montage during the opening sequence. This was in the early 90s, the era offamily matters,Full house,die Cosby-Show,another world,Meet with Mr. Cooperit's the same. Instead,the new princeapproached its star for an original video and theme song. Man, did he deliver.

Will Smith was first approached by NBC executives in December 1989 to star in a new sitcom. At that time he was 21 years old and had no acting experience. Instead, he was known as The Fresh Prince, a nickname that inspired the show's title and concept. His Style, along with his musical partner DJ Jazzy Jeff, informed the opening, an explanation of the events that led to his fictional self moving from West Philadelphia to Bel-Air.

With the success ofFresh prince of Bel Air, everything would change for Will Smith. He became one of the world's biggest Hollywood stars and a two-time Oscar nominee whose films have collectively grossed over $6 billion worldwide. As we look back on this title sequence, we witness Smith's career transition.independence Day,bad Boys,All,men in Black,I am legendary— and to think it all started in Bel-Air.

1.The Simpsons(since 1989)

Number one.The Simpsons, It had to be You.

On a technical level alone, this sequel meets all of our criteria for a grand opening. It's innovative, creative, has great production value, features an iconic Danny Elfman original theme (which he considers the most beloved of his career), and introduces us to the characters, humor, and scope.The Simpsons' the whole world.

It's the end of the day and the various members of the Simpson family are rushing home to... what else? Watch TV. but what goes upThe SimpsonsThe title sequence at the top of this list is attention to detail, especially elements that change over time. In each episode, Bart writes a variety of lines of class-frame punishment, ranging from political humor and pop culture references to meta-references and touching tributes. Meanwhile, Lisa performs another musical solo when she escapes from school band practice. When the series jumped to HD in 2009, the new format allowed for even more viewing gags, includingThe Simpsonsdid the best he could. (Not to mention the bizarre and epic ordeal that takes place daily on your living room couch.)

Over the years,the simpsonsCreator Matt Groening and his team also collaborated with several famous artists to create numerous variations of this opening sequence: director Guillermo del Toro, illustrator Bill Plympton,Ren and StimpyCreator John Kricfalusi, surrealist animator Don Hertzfeldt and even street artist Banksy.

Needless to say, the legacy ofThe Simpsonsgoes far beyond its inception. In 25 years on television, the show has won 31 Emmy Awards, 30 Annie Awards for Animation, and a Peabody Award for Broadcasting. Somehow this cartoon about a dysfunctional but loving (intentionally colorless) working-class American family represents us all in the best and weirdest way. With over 600 episodes across 28 seasonsThe Simpsonshas long been the longest-running sitcom in the world and kicks off with nothing less than the greatest string of TV covers of all time.