Favorite TV Show Opening/Closing Title Sequences

Cafe Society
1

**The Dick Van Dyke Show

The Andy Griffith Show

Dragnet

The NBC Mystery Movie**
(Mysterious guy shines a flashlight to the drones of Henry Mancini’s eerie score)

All in the Family

MASH

Little House on the Prairie (funny that Laura makes like an airplane in the closing credits since AIRPLANES WEREN’T INVENTED YET.)

The Waltons

Barney Miller (though the opening shot of the Twin Towers immediately destroys and suspension of disbelief)

**Dallas

Hill Street Blues

General Hospital** (the “classic” opening they used up to about 10 years ago; consisted of a static, grainy photo of a hospital with the text GENERAL HOSPITAL superimposed. This went on for about 45 seconds!)

**The Simpsons

Seinfeld** (show logo, 4 seconds of bass, on with the episode)

Everybody Loves Raymond (the NFL films spoof)

Higglytown Heroes

2

I always dug the opening to The Wild Wild West.

Great. Now I’m gonna have that music stuck in my head all week.

3

The Outer Limits (original) “Do you adjust your set. We are controlling transmission…”

The Texas Wheelers, mostly because of the use of “Illegal Smile.”

4

The Rockford Files: opening - from the answering machine call to spot the picture of the girl in the bikini flash by

Maverick: the closing song, “Who was the tall dark stranger there, Maverick is his name…”

Hogan’s Heroes

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

5

Hill Street Blues

The Rockford Files

Going by music alone:

Simon & Simon

Barney Miller

Miami Vice

The A-Team (and pretty much anything else by Post and/or Carpenter)

Murphy Brown

6

The Beverly Hillbillies

7

Jack of All Trades. Best opening ever.

Greg the Bunny. Also very good opening.

8

Dilbert. Awesome opening sequence.

9

I loved that opening when I was a kid- would run from anywhere to hear the drumbeat.

**I Dream of Jeannie

My Favorite Martian

Garry Shandling’s Show** (not to be confused with Larry Sanders)

Any intro that explains the show’s thesis in a cheesy song.

10

I haven’t watched the show in some time, but I really like the opening for the West Wing. I think it’s the music coupled with the black and white photos that really do it for me.

11

One that used to scare the crap out of met to the point where I’d plug up my ears when the music started was Tales from the Dark Side. I’d hear that coming from downstairs when I was up in bed and immediately the hands would go to my ears…

12

Sopranos. Easily the best all time in my book, both the song and the visuals. It defies fast forwarding when you watch it on DVD.

Taxi.

Newhart. Mancini is always good for a nice little ditty.

MST3K.

For its time, Knight Rider, though it probably sounds cheesy nowadays.

13

Deadwood’s opening and closing sequences are brilliant!

14

Get Smart

15

Nobody’s mentioned Get Smart yet?

16

Missed it by that much…

17

Firefly: “You can’t take the sky from me…” Love that song!

18

I thought she was imitating a hawk.

The Beverly Hillbillies (my favorite of the “expositional” theme songs)
Hawaii 5-0
Animaniacs

19

Carnivale, hands down. Incidentally done by the same company that did Deadwood’s, which I agree are very good.

20

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s theme music always seemed so wistful and yearning. It still chokes me up to hear it.

Feel free to stand in awe of my geekiness.