# Best TV Series Opening Sequence Ever **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 3, 2005, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396 "2005-08-03T05:28:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396/1 "2005-08-03T05:28:07Z")
or, “Have y’all seen the anime series **Paranoia Agent**?” I can’t get either the music or the images out of my head. It amazes me how it manages to be simultaneously uplifting and creepy, people laughing in front of scenes of destruction and devastation set to what sounds like Japanese yodeling. And the image of a man with arms outstretched at the top of a tower, laughing while a huge mushroom cloud looms in the background – that’s a picture that’s not going away anytime soon. (I got the soundtrack, and the rest of the music is pretty damn cool as well. I haven’t actually seen an entire episode of the show yet, though, since I’m waiting to watch it from the beginning.) It’s taken over **Cowboy Bebop** ’s opening as the best ever. Honorable mentions go to: **Lost in Space** : neat theme song, plus cheesy animation of the family doing a space walk while connected by tethers to each other and a flying saucer. Can’t beat that for 60’s sci-fi. **UFO** : Okay, _this_ is the only way you could beat “Lost in Space” for 60’s sci-fi. **3-2-1 Contact** : Yeah, I said it. All I remember about the visuals was that it was very Epcot Center, and there was somebody petting a cat and striking a match. But I can still remember every word of the theme song, after all these years. That’s all I’ve got at the moment; I’m sure others will occur to me later. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396/2 "2005-08-03T06:15:55Z")
Season 1 _Wonder Woman_ opening rules. Season 2 is also good, because of the two new verses it introduces to the theme song. ---
**Author:** ![KJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b2d939/32.png) [@KJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KJ)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396/3 "2005-08-03T06:28:54Z")
**Monito**. That is, if by “TV Series” you mean “animated film project I started working on in high school that has three 10-minute-long episodes completed.” But seriously, I love the intro. You should see it. (That reminds me, I should upload it to that newfangled Google Video service.) ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396/4 "2005-08-03T06:58:32Z")
_Twin Peaks_, for cinematic juiciness. _Six Feet Under_, too. Kind of photographically choreographed. Took on a extra resonance, too, after Nate, uh, buried that person in the place that he buried that person. Thomas Newman’s gamelan-like theme makes me feel high, and the tricksy things they did with apparent time really reinforces that feeling. Whoah. It’s probably mostly the kickass music, which any arse can cut good video to, but I rarely skip past the openings for either _The Sopranos_ or _Third Watch_. They really pump you up. I really like the opening for Lars von Trier’s _The Kingdom_, too. Cheap, but effective. ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396/5 "2005-08-03T06:59:46Z")
I always like the opening to **Scrubs** (about 5 sec. long, plays “I’m no superman” and shows a montage of the characters hanging up an x-ray), it’s quick, tells you what show your watching and then gets on with it. I don’t need to sit through a 30 sec theme song every time I want to watch my favorite show. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396/6 "2005-08-03T07:09:41Z")
**Aqua Teen Hunger Force** currently has my all-time fave opening sequence. From the bit at Dr. Weird’s place on the south Jersey shore all the way thru the theme song, it keeps me laughing and I NEVER seem to get [that killer Schooly-D rap](http://burtcom.com/kwantem/athf/) outta my head! ---
**Author:** ![ColonelDax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@ColonelDax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColonelDax)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396/7 "2005-08-03T07:23:51Z")
One vote here for **It Takes a Thief** , with the classic playboy-type montage (skiiers on the slopes, spinning roulette wheel, etc.), awesome Dave Grusin theme tune and that pause partway through the sequence where Robert Wagner says, “Let me get this straight - you _want_ me to steal?” ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396/8 "2005-08-03T07:24:09Z")
_Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex_ _Star Trek: The Next Generation_ _Bonanza_ _Cybersix_ PBS’ _Mystery_ _Babylon 5_ (Fifth Season) Aaand…what do the openings for _National Geographic_ specials count as? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396/9 "2005-08-03T08:51:17Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > _Babylon 5_ (Fifth Season) > > Aaand…what do the openings for _National Geographic_ specials count as? Third season was the best: “The Babylon Project was our last, best hope for peace. It failed.” First time I saw that, I nearly jumped from my seat. ---
**Author:** ![Einmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Einmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Einmon)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396/10 "2005-08-03T10:00:24Z")
I second **Scrubs** , short, no-nonsense and lets you get on with the show. Also: **House** , because I love the song (Teardrop) and the accompanying graphics **Battlestar Galactica** - new series, old intro: the contrast between the eerie mellow music that underscored the pictures of bombs exploding followed by the “hup” and the drums with the blips of the episode to come…really psyched you up for the episode to come. Alas, they’ve changed the opening because spoiler-phobic wusses complained the blips gave away too much of the episode. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396/11 "2005-08-03T10:27:09Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > _Cybersix_ Seconded. Other nominations (Going to be a lot of animated shows. I watch a lot of animated shows. \>\_\>): Witch Hunter Robin (Also has a beautiful ED) .Hack//Sign Delta State Duck Dodgers Hmm…all animated. \>\_\> Two related close calls that don’t make it: Robotech and Macross Robotech has a great theme tune, and most of the visuals (especially the part taken from the Macross OP) look great, but the Very 80s credits, and some of the visual aspects culled from Southern Cross and MOSPAEDA look just plain awful. Macross has an incredible visual part to the OP, but the song…\>\_\< ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396/12 "2005-08-03T10:57:14Z")
I always liked the answering machine sequence that opened up **The Rockford Files** - and the theme song was pretty darned good, too! ---
**Author:** ![RandomLetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@RandomLetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLetters)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396/13 "2005-08-03T11:22:51Z")
I really like the opening of Firefly - the western music theme really works well with the show. _burn the land, boil the sea, you can’t take the sky from me . . ._ ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396/14 "2005-08-03T12:03:50Z")
**IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM…** ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396/15 "2005-08-03T12:32:45Z")
**The Texas Wheelers** , mostly for the theme song – John Prine’s “Illegal Smile.” You can’t imagine how bizarre it was to hear a song extolling marijuana on prime time TV in 1974. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396/16 "2005-08-03T12:41:27Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Third season was the best: > > “The Babylon Project was our last, best hope for peace. It failed.” > > First time I saw that, I nearly jumped from my seat. Hmm… for me Season 5 gets it with the dialogue from the previous 4 years of the show. Sort of a “Babylon 5 In a Nutshell” Other than that, I like Season 4 for it’s driving military score and then Season 3 for “It failed.” and the little victorious ditty that plays when they show the White Star in the intro. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396/17 "2005-08-03T12:42:41Z")
Ah, a best TV Opening Sequence thread. Must be Wednesday. 😃 Seriously, we had one of these not too long ago. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396/18 "2005-08-03T12:56:31Z")
Cowboy Bebop (the coolest) Arrested Development (very short, narration sets up the premise for the show, images show all the leads, and employs some neat music) Scrubs (short, sweet, and effective) The Shield (even shorter and sweeter, a 5-second burst of angsty rock with a Latin flavor and the image of the cracked police badge, telling you “this is a different kind of cop show”) And an honorary favorite… Sabotage (starring Sir Stewart Wallace as himself, Nathan Wind as Cochese, and the guys who play Bobby the Rookie, The Chief, and Fred Kelly as Bunny) ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396/19 "2005-08-03T13:08:02Z")
Great montage, live-action and animation, humor, excitement and the snazziest jazz-score that still gives me goosebumps… **I Spy** ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396/20 "2005-08-03T13:27:12Z")
Somebody already mentioned _Babylon 5_ (third and fifth seasons); I’ll add _The Prisoner_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-opening-sequence-ever/315396.md?page=2)