# Favorite TV Show Opening/Closing Title Sequences **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 24, 2005, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325 "2005-05-24T20:26:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325/61 "2005-05-25T20:21:32Z")
I think the **Scrubs** opening is pretty clever. Awfully complicated for a 10 second opening… I also like **Cheers** and **Everybody Loves Raymond**. ---
**Author:** ![GLWasteful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f05b48/32.png) [@GLWasteful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GLWasteful)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325/62 "2005-05-25T21:35:01Z")
> [@Torgo](#): > > That opening actually spooked me as a kid; something about all those silhouettes scared me. And I was always in bed when my Mom would watch it on late night television, so I didn’t see the silhouettes until I was well into puberty. It made the hair stand up on the back of my neck every time. ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325/63 "2005-05-25T23:04:01Z")
> [@zamboniracer](#): > > The Rockford Files: opening - from the answering machine call to spot the picture of the girl in the bikini flash by Truly one of the great openings. What makes it even greater is that the entire sequence, except for the answering machine, is composed of still photographs. The power of editing… ---
**Author:** ![ladybug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@ladybug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladybug)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325/64 "2005-05-26T00:58:20Z")
_Cowboy Bebop_. One of the best opening title sequences I’ve seen on any show. ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325/65 "2005-05-26T01:05:05Z")
The closing credits of **The Bullwinkle Show** , especially when they blow up Jay Ward’s pseudonym **Ponsonby Britt**. And the opening of Perry Mason used to scare me when I was a little kid. Ok, so I’m a little old… ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325/66 "2005-05-26T02:55:40Z")
I love _Buffy_ and _Mystery!_. Has anyone mentioned: \*The Addams Family The Shield The Adventures of Pete and Pete Queer as Folk\* (Both US versions) ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325/67 "2005-05-26T11:29:17Z")
I’m amazed it took this long for \*\*Police Squad \*\* to be mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325/68 "2005-05-26T12:05:39Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > I thougt it was “goldfish shoals”. Yes, and in fact, the full line is Goldfish shoals **nipping** at my toes ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325/69 "2005-05-26T12:10:11Z")
People have listed most of my favorites: **The Prisoner** – I have the original opening on VHS, and _it’s different_. I _hate_ it. The same scnese and music, but it’s cut differently. The standard opening is edited so much better. And the closing credits are great. **Hawaii Five o** – really well-done montage and score **The Simpsons** and **Police Squad** – each had its “joke of the week”. Actually, jokes of the week and musical reference in the case of the Simpsons. They siometimes throw in a joke at the end. Police Squad always did. **The Outer Limits** – the original, with the Control Voice. **The Twilight Zone** – all of the different ones on the original series, which managed to look wonderfully creepy over the years. Here’s one no one’s Mentioned yet: **Suspense Theater** – prime-time original dramas on a major network (NBC?) circa 1960. The opening featured animated almost-astick figures among geometrical backgrounds making dramatic movements and lunges. Great-looking stuf. **the Weird Al Show** – actually, I’ve never seen it, but I heard the opening theme by Al Yankovic on his disc. I think he also did the original opening theme for Talk Soup, which is also on his record, although I never saw them use it on E! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325/70 "2005-05-26T12:39:16Z")
Oh, and it’s strictly local, but the opening credits for WPIX’s **Chiller Theater** were cool. The original opening (or, at least, the oldest one I’m aware of) featured montages of shots from the cheapie movies they showed Over and Over and Over and Over: The Ape Man Attack of the 50-foot Woman Plan 9 from Outer Space The Cyclops Forthunately, a video I purchased several years ago actually had this opening on it, so I can see it again after all these years. The later opening , introduced in the mid- to-late 1960s, was in color, and was _animated_. It had a six-fingered hand rising out of a pool (of blood? mud?) and moving around while a voice said “Chilllllll-errrrrrrrrrrrrrr!” ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325/71 "2005-05-26T13:02:14Z")
The theme to the **Jeeves and Wooster** series. ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325/72 "2005-05-26T23:56:07Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Oh, and it’s strictly local, but the opening credits for WPIX’s **Chiller Theater** were cool. The original opening (or, at least, the oldest one I’m aware of) featured montages of shots from the cheapie movies they showed Over and Over and Over and Over: > > The Ape Man > Attack of the 50-foot Woman > Plan 9 from Outer Space > The Cyclops > > Forthunately, a video I purchased several years ago actually had this opening on it, so I can see it again after all these years. > The later opening , introduced in the mid- to-late 1960s, was in color, and was _animated_. It had a six-fingered hand rising out of a pool (of blood? mud?) and moving around while a voice said “Chilllllll-errrrrrrrrrrrrrr!” Holy cr\*p, **Cal** , did you ever just take me back! I loved both openings (Though I preferred the first)! Please, please, please tell me where you got that video!And wasn’t the theme music from yet another cheapie? ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325/73 "2005-05-27T03:47:22Z")
_World at War_ and _Inspector Morse_. Also the opening theme from _Angel_. Lots of great pieces of music mentioned here. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2005, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325/74 "2005-06-06T06:05:16Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > **The Simpsons** and **Police Squad** – each had its “joke of the week”. Actually, jokes of the week and musical reference in the case of the Simpsons. They siometimes throw in a joke at the end. I don’t know what you mean by that. They always have a couch gag at the end of the Simpsons credit sequence. It’s the blackboard gags, at the beginning, that have been thin on the ground lately. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2005, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325/75 "2005-06-06T06:26:44Z")
**Jamie and the Magic Torch** **At Home with the Braithwaites** **The Muppet Show** **The Gummi Bears** ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2005, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325/76 "2005-06-06T16:10:45Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > **Twin Peaks** Love that music, and the video of the saw blade being sharpened. > > **Eight is Enough** Not a bad theme for a teen show, plus it had shots of my crush Joannie Bradford. I totally concur with “Twin Peaks”–gentle, yet oddly disturbing.And nobody’s mentioned “NYPD Blue”. Or the very beginning of the opening credits for “LA Law” with the car trunk slamming shut. BTW, did any fans notice that after Arnie bought a Bentley, the trunk changed to a Bentley logo? ---
**Author:** ![danderson400](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bc79bd/32.png) [@danderson400](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danderson400)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2015, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325/77 "2015-06-14T17:40:05Z")
well my favorite openings would be _China Beach_ and the one for _American Gladiators_ ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2015, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325/78 "2015-06-14T18:08:09Z")
What do musical zombies do? Decompose. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325/79 "2015-06-14T19:39:55Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > What do musical zombies do? > > Decompose. Oh, yeah, the _Walking Dead_ credits are pretty memorable, maybe more for the insistent strings than anything else. (Carnivale. Treme.) ---
**Author:** ![alfonzos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@alfonzos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alfonzos)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325/80 "2015-06-14T19:48:23Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > The end theme of **WKRP In Cinncinnati**. The lyrics were just meaningless babbling made to sound like they signified something. Plus, it rocked. The theme’s back story: Hugh Wilson asked the song writer to compose a closing theme. The composer recorded the music with nonsense lyrics with the intent to come up with actual words later. Wilson liked the song as is so the nonsense lyrics stayed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-tv-show-opening-closing-title-sequences/305325.md?page=5)