Tuesday, September 27, 2011

COWBOY BEBOP opening credits

Because @marcbernardin reminded me. I actually went online to learn how to make ringtones for the iPhone so I could make my own for this tune. In the comments -- your favorite opening credits, animated or not.

169 comments:

  1. It's cheating but - Doctor Who (Tom Baker years). Iconic music, simple, creepy and sci-fi all in one.

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  2. I've got to say that the credits for The Cosby Show were always good. The dancing, outstanding! Especially Bill's dancing!!

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  3. Anonymous2:14 PM

    Dexter opening credits are fantastic--the violence found in ordinary activities.

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  4. Dexter's are great. That hyper-hi-def, super saturated look is strangely compelling.

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  5. Rogers, if you need a copy of "TANK!" by Yoko Kanno, I will get you a copy of "TANK!" by Yoko Kanno.

    My favorite credit squence probably belongs to Sanford and Son. It just instantly tells you what the show is about.

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  6. US
    Babylon 5, Season 3&4.
    Batman: The Animated Series, Season 1.
    Nowhere Man.
    Firefly.
    Fringe.

    UK
    The Avengers, Diana Rigg opening.
    The Tomorrow People (Original).
    Doctor Who - most if not all seasons!
    Spooks.

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  7. Anonymous2:17 PM

    EVERY Gerry Anderson opening. He pioneered!

    Hawaii Five-O by the late Reza Badiyi is also eternal (accept no reboots!).

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  8. As a kid it was Batman: TAS, which amazingly does not say the actual title of the show (the music does it for you).

    More recently, I loved Rubicon's titles.

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  9. ...and elsewhere
    Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex, both seasons.

    Great question, John.

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  10. @Kevin Church

    It was from my copy of "Tank!" that I made my ringtone. I may not be a music hipster, but I have my resources.

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  11. I always loved Dead Like Me's credits. Brilliant.

    And Jack of All Trades is perfectly toned for the show, I always liked the ridiculousness of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VNsjjYRgjc

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  12. DonBoy2:20 PM

    An obscurity from 1990: "Grand", with a pretty good cast, great song, and a good sense of what the show was (comedy soap). Note Michael McKean's eyeroll at about 0:15:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSWrEZ8q5ck

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  13. Always liked the Dave McKean-ity of the Millennium opening. Also looks like old Mark Romanek music videos.

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  14. A strong second for Tom Baker's Doctor Who credits.

    But if we're going with ones that haven't been mentioned yet?

    * The original 1960s Jonny Quest opening.

    * First Season Space: 1999.

    * I'll give some love to the cheese that is Land of the Lost. Everybody of my generation can sing the song, after all.

    For current stuff? I'm a big fan of the opening credits of Game of Thrones and Sherlock.

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  15. The Venture Brothers - better than the original Johnny Quest intro.

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  16. The original MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE with the fuse was brilliant. And I'll always have a soft spot for the sheer adrenaline of the original SPACE GHOST and HERCULOIDS openings, too.

    First season of IT TAKES A THIEF with the extended Dave Grusin and choppy rotoscope animation was pretty badass too.

    ....what? Yeah, I'm old.

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  17. DeeKaye2:25 PM

    My favorites (mostly for the theme) -- NCIS, Bones, Firefly, Dead Like Me. Miami Vice was/is a classic, too. And X-Files, of course.

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  18. Luther has fantastic, eerie opening credits. And Battlestar Galactica and Game of Thrones, fo sure. But I'm still a fan of the Knight Rider/A-Team/Six Million Dollar Man school of "awesome theme song + tell-it-to-me-straight voiceover = mission accomplished" credit sequences.

    But that's just me.

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  19. I love COWBOY BEBOP's opening credits!

    I'm partial to the opening themes for...

    1) CHALLENGE OF THE SUPERFRIENDS... the trumpets when the Justice League marches in still give me chills.

    2) BIONIC SIX... cuz I get sentimental.

    Peace.

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  20. Lots of good ones mentioned already. I'll add Human Target, aka "Bear McCreary meets the Indiana Jones theme."

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  21. Honestly, I think you got it right the first time.

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  22. Rockford Files (obviously); Mission Impossible (great idea, great editing); Top Cat; Doctor Who (Pertwee); Doctor Who (Moffat). Yes, these are also my favourite shows - just a coincidence, I tell you...

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  23. Anonymous2:41 PM

    Add me to the list of people saying Batman: The Animated Series.

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  24. I always really liked the Teen Titans opening theme. I especially liked how sometimes they would sing the lyrics and sometimes they would sing it in Japanese.

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  25. I love dense montages. I can't believe no one has said Buffy (especially Season 6) and The Wire (especially Season 4).

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  26. Anonymous2:47 PM

    Strike Back: Project Dawn

    Edgy, fiery-toned graphics underscored by The Heavy's Short Change Hero, it's powerful stuff.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MXblTarOUg

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  27. Dark Skies. Hell of an underrated series, and great starting credits. Also, pre-Voyager Jeri Ryan!

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  28. I loved Pink Panther Credits http://bit.ly/pGSrrC
    All In The Family
    Six Million Dollar Man
    http://bit.ly/cPB2rT
    The end credits for "Finding Nemo"
    Rockford Files
    Mission Impossible/James Bond
    House has an amazing theme song and they run credits after the ep intro, is there a name for that?
    I love how Leverage does it too.
    Foreword? Prelude? Overture?

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  29. best opening title EVER: Gaspar Noe's Enter the Void. Blew my mind in the theater: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPxgi-PiNFE

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  30. Seconding (or thirding, or whatevering) "Dead Like Me." Simultaneously amusing and eerie, with beautiful music by Stewart Copeland. Perfection.

    The "M*A*S*H" opening credits still give me goosebumps. Ditto "The A-Team" and "Barney Miller."

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  31. Far and away, I have to go with Angel.

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  32. Being an old fart, I skew toward the 60's and 70's. All of the following intros are favorites because they set the tone for the episode to come without the use of clumsy voiceover or a "saga sell" prior to the credits rolling. The opening teaser grabs you , then the credits fill you in on what world you're going to immerse yourself.

    IT TAKES A THIEF
    http://youtu.be/AKT_hWv_fbQ


    I SPY
    http://youtu.be/WdvSD_lezvM

    THE RAT PATROL
    http://youtu.be/0ZcbifYqpGc

    THE AVENGERS
    http://youtu.be/8leqISFyUCM

    THE SAINT
    http://youtu.be/UWr_1uLjqic

    SEARCH
    http://youtu.be/mwOmmIEoLQg

    THE MAGICIAN
    http://youtu.be/lDnxuMh0JG4

    and of course, THE EQUALIZER
    http://youtu.be/uB1NiNKwueE

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  33. Cowboy Bebop! For out credits -- The Real Folk Blues (Cowboy Bebop again!) is pretty sweet.


    FLCL music is pretty cool too. Kinda crunchier J-pop alternative I dunno what to call it.

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  34. Cowboy Bebop is hard to beat for the whole package: visuals, music, and meaning that only gets deeper as you watch the series. Plus, it made me buy way too many Yoko Kanno CDs.

    I recently saw someone's take on an illustrated Dexter intro, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9adZ0HRuo4 It's graphically awesome, totally original but with a classic illustration feel, and demonstrates how very different even great openings could've been.

    P.S. Jim, I gotta say that the Gaspar Noe's Enter the Void opener should come with warnings. I can see how it must have been brain-scrambling on the big screen. Ow. Awesome, but ow.

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  35. Those quick-cut credit sequences between action and stark black title screens on THE SHIELD were often mesmerizing. That show never had an ounce of fat on it and those tight, breathless openings always set the pace right off the bat.

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  36. Anonymous4:32 PM

    My college marching band director wrote up an arrangement of Tank! for us. Not sure if it ended up as a stands tune after I graduated or got shifted to another ensemble.

    One of my favorite opening sequences of all time is from the short-lived Jeff Goldblum show "Raines." Unfortunately, I cannot find it anywhere on YouTube, but last I checked the show was available on Hulu.

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  37. Matthew Hamand4:38 PM

    The Prisoner. It's my ringtone.

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  38. I love the list so far. I have to add the Muppet Show. Admittedly, the opening theme really only credited the guest star, but I swear the routine must have always included every character for the season.

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  39. "Pee Wee's Playhouse"
    "The New Avengers"
    "Six Feet Under"

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  40. Here's a link everyone will enjoy:
    Art of the Title, a website dedicated to this kind of stuff. Currently featuring a huge article about the design of the Mad Men title sequence.

    For me (besides Cowboy Bebop), Human Target Season 1 opening (Bear McCreary, and an intro that knows how to respect its music), Dexter of course, and frankly most anything HBO has ever done (Carnivale, Deadwood, Game of Thrones...)

    On an opposite note, I always hated Lost's casual dismissal of the art of the credits. Ugly and lazy opening. They didn't even bother to fix the aliasing on the letters!

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  41. Murasaki_19665:15 PM

    In order

    Game of Thrones



    Carnivale

    Leverage

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  42. DeeKaye5:19 PM

    I forgot one that I wanted to include on my earlier list -- Rescue Me's theme/opening credits.

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  43. One of my favorite and probably very obscure openings is to a series called Spartakus and the Sun Beneath: http://youtu.be/DLUKGpTWbzs

    I am sorry I cannot find the full animated version in English but here is the French version http://youtu.be/SUP3bnG3yG8 - the link before this one has the English version but is without the animation.

    Spartakus aired on Nickelodeon in the mid 80s to early 90s I think. It's probably my all time favorite animated series ever!

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  44. Anonymous5:27 PM

    I would add "Secret Agent" with the incomparable Johnny Rivers theme (recorded live at the legendary Whiskey A Go Go)

    However, I mus agree with TANK! first an foremost, followed by Jonny Quest and Ghost in the Shell.

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  45. Myrdin T Sasnak5:30 PM

    Johnny Quest is one of the best jazz action mixes ever.

    Mission Impossible is also quite memorable. I really like how it included quick snippets from the current episode.

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  46. Cowboy Bebop's opening credits are my number one all-time favorite -- next to Leverage's, of course. And Firefly.

    But Batman Beyond's theme and opening credits knocked my socks off.

    And while I'm old school Mission Impossible all the way back to Steven Hill, the version of the theme song by Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. is brilliant. And it is my ring tone.

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  47. There are really too many to count. Superman TAS, Batman Beyond, The Adventures of Superman, Peter Gunn, Mission Impossible, Hawaii 5-0, Teen Titans, John William's Irwin Allen themes, Samurai Jack, Perry Mason, Rawhide... I've even got a soft spot for that Tarzan cartoon.

    Special mentions, however, go to Secret Agent Man/Danger Man (both the British and the American themes are excellent) and Eyewitness (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n3GJ-cYn6I). Show that clip to someone who grew up in the 90's and they will freak due to the combined rush of nostalgia and awesome.

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  48. Anonymous6:57 PM

    Lots of good ones listed so far, but my favorite, Due South.
    http://youtu.be/2AJyb4lMXkg

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  49. Batman the Animated Series
    Animaniacs

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  50. Keith7:46 PM

    The Venture Bros. JG Thirlwell is a freakin genius and the animation is a perfect blend of homage and satire.

    Psych, because they do the fun little variations every now and again. Loved the Bollywood version and the Spanish version best.

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  51. Anonymous7:47 PM

    "Big O" season 2:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBu1-WrUu0w

    Then someone pointed out to me that this borrows heavily from a 60s British show, "U.F.O":

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb4nMFHXxro

    But my first love will always be season 1 "Star Blazers":

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTY1i9F_7Yw

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  52. Anonymous7:52 PM

    Oh, I completely forgot about "Cosby Bebop":

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLwjDigdM6k

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  53. I've got to give a nod to The Incredible Hulk. Even now, the mention of Bill Bixby's name starts that music in my mind.

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  54. Feeling a bit old school (okay, quite a bit), but my favorite opening credits:

    Walk on the Wild Side (1962 film)
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jVRePj1Iq0

    Catch Me if You Can (film)
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaLDyrun_Cc&feature=related

    Now TV...
    Cosby yes, but I loved a different world...
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXaz7cLkWtw

    And MIami Vice...
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5gaHHyqQ2k

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  55. Lebbrin8:32 PM

    Simon and Simon. A detective show from the mid 80's. The growling sax about 1/2 way through always did it for me. Just a catchy tune.

    http://youtu.be/IDhz_mVcVCQ

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  56. Jonny Quest, hands down.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D88g1vCydZk&feature=related

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  57. Anonymous8:44 PM

    Firefly - and for a classic - The A Team!

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  58. Miami Vice, animated Batman, early seasons of Homicide, Twin Peaks, L.A.Law, and The Avengers.

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  59. Anonymous8:50 PM

    Call me silly but I just have a soft spot for the opening to "The Brady Bunch" And then trying to remember the entire episode before they finish opening credits.

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  60. I'll second the Jack of All Trades for it's ridiculousness. It is just too fun. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VNsjjYRgjc

    I also like the Adventures of Brisco County Jr. Nice sweeping music (it's so good NBC uses it in it's Olympic coverage) nice visuals, and consisely tells the story so far.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVrZE5Y2lV4&feature=related

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  61. I'm old.

    The Prisoner
    That Girl
    Girl From UNCLE (especially the hair toss)
    The Banana Splits

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  62. Have you read Goldberg & Rabkin's book on TV writing? You can learn everything about a show from the opening credits. When the book came out they did a little song & dance at Take One Bookstore before signing, and analyzed a series of TV title sequences. It was amazing.

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  63. Anonymous9:24 PM

    Game Of Thrones -- Love the music and the opening map animation

    Supernatural -- I've always loved supernaturals title sequence, very simple but what makes it is the sound effects that they add to it. It always has something to do with the theme of the season

    ~Katilyn~

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  64. Anonymous9:38 PM

    If we're including movies, then I have to add Aliens 3. The credits packed a very scary punch. Too bad they then tacked on a sucky movie. Made even more sucky by the fact the credits had led me to expect an equally awesome movie.

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  65. The first Batman: TAS theme is up there, of course, but my favorite of those is the one for "The Adventures of Batman and Robin" ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DLsiYgr5tY ).

    More recently I have soft spots for Human Target season 1, Fringe and How I Met Your Mother. Andromeda's music was catchy too.

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  66. Carnivale is amazing. One of the greatest, eeriest sequences of all times: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMqLks7qnew

    As is The Pacific:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXzBkR1E60k

    Surprised no one has mentioned The West Wing, with W.G. Snuffy Walden's pitch perfect theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dmp1sGsHOAg

    Obscure, but wonderful: Square One TV, kids' math show from the 80s on PBS.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPvOthnDj6I

    Deadwood's great. The credits tell the whole damn story.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B909njPoX7k

    And yeah, i liked Alias:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3ZafFYc-90

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  67. Anonymous12:19 AM

    I'd have to say definitely the A-Team. Also some recent brit stuff, i.e.
    Luther
    Misfits (really cool, that one)
    Sherlock

    and the most recent Doctor.

    But most favourite, ever, for me, must be The Persuaders. Apparently quite boring in the original and one of the extremely few examples of something that got better by dubbing it German (because they added non-stop nonsense banter between the two lead characters that simply wasn't there in the original). Starring Tony Curtis and Roger Moore.

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  68. Anonymous12:38 AM

    Barney Miller: The music, the opening wide shot, the freeze frames

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  69. Anonymous12:50 AM

    Nthing many of the credits already mentioned - Dexter, Batman:TAS, The Wire, Hawaii Five-O, Luther, Carnivale, Psych, Ghost in the Shell SAC, Human Target, Buffy and Angel.

    The kid in me will always love Inspector Gadget and The Tick (animated series). The Criminal Minds opening is another good blend of characters and "stuff" (handwriting analysis, mug shots, newspaper headlines etc) combined with eerie theme-music (it's one of the few openings - along with Psych - that I don't skip when watching on DVD).

    Actually, this Walking Dead opening would be my hands-down favourite if it wasn't fan-made. I'm a sucker for a good bassline, and the "3D" graphics and colour scheme really appeal to me. The best opening credits are like a good music video or fanvid - the clips are cut to the music and work with its themes to create emphasis and counterpoints.

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  70. Tracey12:58 AM

    From the top of my head, I'd have to go for:

    NYPD Blue
    Ashes to Ashes
    Dallas
    Cheers
    Hill Street Blues

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  71. Anonymous1:17 AM

    darn, in my list above totally forgot about Due South, yeah. Really cool Music, that one. But only loved the first part of the series, i.e. with "Original Ray". Actually, the pilot is probably the best of all the episodes.

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  72. Anonymous1:21 AM

    Classic Hawaii Five-0

    http://youtu.be/AepyGm9Me6w

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  73. Anonymous3:01 AM

    animated: read or die. it perfectly captures that old spy series vibe.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsBpraFks0Y

    not: game of thrones and human target

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  74. Game of Thrones has an awesome credit sequence. The music is great, the animation is cool (though the clockwork stuff seems a little out of place in fantasy, it works), and it changes to match the contents of the episode (I think they did four different versions of it).

    Looking back, Firefly was great, setting the space/western tone perfectly.

    Babylon 5 was awesome (at least season 2 and onward), with the credits changing from season to season and the voiceover being updated as well ("The Babylon Project was our last, best hope for peace. It failed.") One detail I like about B5's credits is that they don't just tell you who the actors are, they also tell you who they're playing. Many shows just list the actors' names without either showing who they're playing, or telling us their character's name.

    I'm not a big fan of the modern minimalist credit sequence, but the show that does it best is Fringe. What I particularly like about it is that it changes based on the episode. First we had the "regular" credits. Then we got the red credits of the alternate universe. After a while, we also got the 80s flashback credits, the "hopeless" credits of the season 3 finale, and now the amber credits of the joined universes.

    Oh, and one show I can't believe no-one has mentioned yet, with the best credits ever: The Muppet Show (post-season 1).

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  75. Anonymous3:28 AM

    True Blood is the first to come to mind. It leads you to the atmosphere of the show so perfectly. You can almost hear the flies, smell the blood and the decay and feel the oppressing heat of Louisiana.
    Twin Peaks of course too, but then again almost everything about it is the best there's ever been on TV.

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  76. I am literally offended that I'm the first person to mention Quantum Leap:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjK9GJMBpt0

    Perhaps it's just youthful imprinting, but hot damn that works for me. Complicated premise explained, groovy montage imagery, and a catchy theme. This can't just be me, right?

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  77. Great discussion!

    Let's see. i agree with several, so to add some new ones:

    The Closer: Lean and mean (although probably borrowed from Inspector Morse, which I also like a lot -- Morse code as theme music!)

    Hawaii 5-0, both generations. It's all about the music, after all.

    Rockford Files: Music and a fund montage of scenes.

    Castle: granted it's quick, but that's what works, music, image and all.

    Hill Street Blues: The classic "when is the doors up moment?" each week rolling into that great theme.

    Star Trek: No one mentioned it yet? Seriously?

    I like the Leverage saga-sell when it runs, but never miss it when it's gone because the credits set the tone perfectly effectively without it. But for that style opening, I have to go with Burn Notice.

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  78. Susanna S7:21 AM

    Well, two oldies first.
    Firefly still gives me goosebumps, it's really amazing
    A-Team is such a classic, and at times borderline hilarious.

    A more recent favorite is New Tricks, a great brit series. The intro sets the tone perfectly for the show. Sometimes I listen to the entire end credits, just because it's so damn good.

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  79. Doctor Jay8:27 AM

    "Baby, if you've ever wondered...
    ...wondered, whatever became of me.
    I'm living on the air in Cincinnati,
    Cincinnati, WKRP"

    But maybe it's because I liked the show so much.

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  80. I recently saw "Trek in the Park" a LIVE Re-enactment of Star Trek. They performed the opening scene, but when they got to Capt Kirk's intro and had a soloist sing them in, the crowd went wild.
    I came back to throw "Wild Wild West" into the discussion. They not only had great opening credits, but continued the animation during commercial transitions to complete the art at the end of each episode.

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  81. allyone9:45 AM

    As much as I love the Johnny Quest theme or as distinctive as the A-Team theme song is - they're great music played over footage from the show. I'm not sure, at least in my book, that makes for GREAT opening credits. I like credits that give me the show without giving me just footage from it.

    Totally agree with the mention of I Spy above - great music plus those snazzy graphics and silhouetted images of Culp and Cosby. Really captured the feel of the show.

    And - modern take on the same era, Mad Men. The silhouetted images with the ad man plummeting out a window. Very distinctive and says something about the show without relying on footage to do it.

    Those two come to mind first, although I agree the Cosby Show dancing stuff was also very good.

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  82. NougatCat11:03 AM

    Oh, man... I agree some of these are perfect! It -is- interesting, isn't it, how shows tweak the basic format based on the style/genre of it, or using montages/stills/other? And like some others said already, the neat difference with ones like Cosby Show and The Closer, which basically smushes the credits and opener together, or House/Law & Order that does a song/spiel, opener, then credits... (is there a different name for that?).

    Add me to the big fans of NCIS, Bones, and Sherlock. Well done mix of images, with utterly recognizable and theme-setting song. And I'm surprised no one has yet mentioned Southland (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBFFZ9CS8cc)... immediately sets the stark, gritty tone, and the haunting song gets me every time...

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  83. Batman Beyond. That is all.

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  84. No love for the visuals or the lame lyrics, but the theme music for The Jetsons just swings.

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  85. Anonymous3:28 PM

    I've been giving this some thought, to the extent of popping over to YouTube to remind myself of various favourites, and come to the conclusion that it's not so much the credits themselves that were brilliant but the feelings they evoke in me. Case in point: Blake's 7. Just hearing the music can transport me back to my teenage years and rekindle the excitement I felt before eac episode, yet on rewatching now I find that the graphics are, um, somewhat basic. The music is still awesome, however.

    Similarly, DangerMouse (such exciting music!), Hawaii 5-0, Doctor Who, and The Adventures of Black Beauty all have instantly recognisable / iconic theme music and get me into the frame of mind for watching episodes. My brother in law recently used the Black Beauty theme in a presentation he gave, and the room full of engineers all confessed to remembering both the theme and the (really rather dreadful apart from the credits) series. These things are *important* in one's youth!

    Really interesting question, and I've loved reading the responses. Thank you!

    June

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  86. Anonymous4:55 PM

    Some of my favorites (and risking showing my age): Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica (the original), Starblazers (I can still sing the whole thing), The Muppet Show, Top Cat, Jonny Quest, The Hardy Boys (the theme was the best thing about the show!), The X-Files and most recently, the fake cheery sitcom title sequence in the Changing Channels episode of Supernatural. Brilliant.

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  87. PurpleOps7:08 PM

    My first thought was Mission: Impossible. My second was Archer (the R-rated spy comedy on FX) for both music and visuals. However, that would have to be first season only, since they've extended the theme by two bars in seasons 2 and 3, which throws the rhythm off. (End credits music for Archer is sensational as well.)

    Does anyone remember a short-lived Normal Lear show called "All That Glitters"? Its theme song, with music and lyrics, captured its gender-switch theme (a world in which women ran things and men were objects). It had a fantastic bass part which I loved. That would have to be number three for me.

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  88. Anonymous7:15 PM

    Nice! I like it. For movie credits, I've always been fond of Honeymoon in Vegas. Catch Me If You Can is perfection. Hills Street Blues was the first I remember to contract the mellow music with the manic violence of a police show. And a sentimental shout out to the simple line animation of My Three Sons.

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  89. Anonymous7:20 PM

    Oh, and I almost forgot When Things Were Rotten. it's included in this montage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCP3nxsOSVo

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  90. Jonny Quest, The Wild Wild West, and Mission Impossible. In that order. Yeah, I'm showing my age. Love the Jonny Quest theme.

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  91. MaggieCat8:43 PM

    Most of my favorites have already been mentioned, but my favorite from recent years has to be the Friday Night Lights credits -- they're just absolutely gorgeous.

    The original credits for Monk were perfect too. I never cared for the Randy Newman version.

    Sentimental favorite has to go to She-Ra: Princess of Power though. My now dearly departed cat was 22 when the first set of DVDs came out, and the first time I watched them she came right over and climbed in my lap to stare at the screen like she did when she was 1 and it was originally airing.

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  92. Anonymous10:11 PM

    Most of my favorites are here already, too (X-Files, Friday Night Lights, Firefly), but I have to get the credits from Justified onto the list. It's that song. That awesome, awesome song.

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  93. Anonymous10:19 PM

    Carnivale. That is all.

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  94. GinaFan16:55 AM

    Hey, Hey we're the Monkeys!

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  95. Anonymous12:42 AM

    Gotta love Firefly, Carnivale, Doctor Who, X-Men (the animated series from the 90s), and the Animaniacs, for different reasons. But the one that matches the all-out energy of the Cowboy Bebop opening, for me, would have to be Trigun.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzHe4U5c5Oc

    Seriously, sir, I beg thee to try it out.

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  96. The Prisoner, Hawaii 5-0 (original), Stingray (Cannell show), Thunderbirds, The Equalizer, Treme.

    The Robotech opening credits caused me to run late to school way too many times. Scooby Doo opening credits always signaled possible super heroes.

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  97. Fair warning I: although I love Cowboy Bebop as a show, and although the soundtrack is nothing short of brilliant, I never liked the opening credits. The ending theme, "Real Folk Blues" is in my top three, though.

    I have a tie for favorite anime opening.

    First, "Free Bird" [no, not that "Freebird"] from the incomparable Haibane Renmei, one of the most beautiful stories I know in any medium. The show has many secrets, and the way it reveals them, and what it does not reveal, is part of its beauty. Watch it twice; things that you didn't notice the first time glow with meaning the second.

    Fair warning II: the first episode starts cold, no opening, because the OP animation contains mild spoilers. The ending theme, "Blue Flow" is also gorgeous.

    If all you know about anime is Bebop, Dragonball Z, giant robots, and panty shots, Haibane is different.

    I guess I should also say, despite the iconography, this is not a religious story. Although, yes, I am bit evangelical about the show.

    My other favorite OP is for a confused mess of a show, Oh! Edo Rocket! It just makes me happy.

    For live action TV, everybody's already given my favorites: Firefly, Mission Impossible, Rockford. I'll add The Prisoner, which besides a good theme, gives you enough of the premise to understand any given episode if you've never seen any of them.

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  98. So few shows these days have actual credit sequences, but of the ones currently airing, I really like:
    * Dexter's conflation of everyday routines with violence
    * Game of Thrones's awesome orchestral piece and clockwork animation
    * the many variations of Fringe
    * and, of course, Doctor Who in all its permutations

    Past favorites include:
    * Firefly
    * Stargate: SG-1 during the SciFi Channel years
    * the silliness of sci-fi Britcom Red Dwarf
    * the new Battlestar Galactica's driving drum beats and quick-cut action

    There are a lot of other theme songs I like, but if we're going for overall credit sequence excellence, those are my top picks.

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  99. Cowboy Bebop was always one of my favorites, but I also loved the Gunsmith Cats one, which has a similar vibe with a bit more Charlie's Angels grafted onto it...

    http://youtu.be/bXE4wO-Qt48

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  100. Anonymous7:24 PM

    Fresh Prince of Bel-Air!

    Who can't help but complete the following lyric: "This is a story all about how..."

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  101. Anonymous7:49 PM

    Recess, Doug, Pepper-Ann, Arthur, Dragon Ball Z, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Kratt's Creatures or Zooboomafoo, Wishbone!, Reading Rainbow, Magic School Bus.

    They may not have been the best, musically speaking, or world changing, but they shaped my childhood.

    And thus, are awesome.

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  102. @Noah: not just you!

    I'm having a hard time separating music (which I like more of) from total opening credits package.

    Sherlock.
    Firefly.
    The Muppet Show.
    The A-Team. (what can I say, that cylon walking past STILL cracks me up every time I see it)

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  103. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  104. Animated:
    1. Full Metal Panic? - FUMOFFU
    Lovely song, gorgeous animation.
    2. Ghost in the Shell - Stand Alone Complex, 2nd. Gig

    Live action:
    Babylon5 Season 4.

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  105. Ren & Stimpy. If you listen to the opening, it basically sums up 90's.

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  106. Anonymous11:55 AM

    Kuroshii hit my three faves early on.

    Sherlock (the recent BBC)
    Firefly
    The Muppet Show

    For 80's cheese who can beat the Airwolf music.

    Speaking of 80's, a few people mentioned it. Simon & Simon is both catchy and decent editing work. I call it a success since I heard it in my head when mentioned.

    Alternate crazy credits...Enterprise had mirror, mirror universe ones that gave me a laugh:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfbsZRbwbJ4


    Movies?
    Lord of War life of a bullet opener sticks with me.

    The Charade (1963) title is easily a Cowboy Bebop progenitor.

    One of the first creative animated ones:
    It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maOQkmi6Xeo

    Oh and if you want a title filled with AhHA moments after you watch a few times, Delicatessen (1991).

    ok done, before this becomes an article.

    ReplyDelete
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  108. Anonymous10:14 PM

    My favorite credit squence probably belongs to Sanford and Son. It just instantly tells you what the show is about.php training in chandigarh

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  109. Um hello, people?

    CHEERS.

    Nothing else comes close.

    Except for NIGHT COURT, and PETER GUNN and THE SOPRANOS and GET CHRISTIE LOVE, and oh how about Season 2 of LEVERAGE?

    ReplyDelete
  110. Anonymous11:00 PM

    k is strangely compelling.
    jyotishi

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  112. The Animated Series, Season 1.
    Nowhere Man.forklift training

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  113. BeBop,pretty cool job on this.. i like this,hmmm,maybe because i love the bebop show,oh well,your good..

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  114. I once did a belly dance performance to this piece. It brought down the house (and the one other person in the place who had seen the show was especially pleased)

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