# The TV Show Opening Credits Hall of Fame and Shame **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 23, 2007, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133 "2007-03-23T04:29:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Hildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@Johnny\_Hildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Hildo)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133/1 "2007-03-23T04:29:39Z")
Fame: I always liked this credit sequence of [The Twilight Zone.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzlG28B-R8Y) Shame: I will eat a big plate of fuckin bugs if you can find a worse opening credits sequence than the one that was used for _The Ropers._ Holy fuck, uninspired much? You can’t do it. I fuckin defy you to find worse opening credits. I’m not even a vain man. Fuck you. You can’t do it. This played during Prime Time, for more than a fuckin YEAR, mind you: [The Ropers Opening Credits](http://www.sitcomsonline.com/videoclips/RopersOpening.wmv) You don’t need to have clips for your explanation. I found them by a lark, so I used them. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133/2 "2007-03-23T04:37:26Z")
Say fuck a lot? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133/3 "2007-03-23T05:28:44Z")
The opening to Seinfeld wasn’t exactly inspired. Especially after they dropped the stand-up/brick wall bit, it was just the short “DAAH-Whum” instrumental and some credits played over the show itself. They didn’t even try. ---
**Author:** ![jboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jboy)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133/4 "2007-03-23T05:29:25Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] Say fuck a lot? [/QUOTE] The fuck? ---
**Author:** ![Wheeljack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@Wheeljack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheeljack)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133/5 "2007-03-23T06:38:20Z")
[Here ya go!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukSvjqwJixw) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133/6 "2007-03-23T07:12:12Z")
[Open All Night](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk7G8o95kxs) was a one season show in the early 80s with an odd theme song. For the “gets stuck in your head” award- [Branded](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKmJPnAGUJk). ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133/7 "2007-03-23T07:16:19Z")
[QUOTE=Wheeljack] [Here ya go!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukSvjqwJixw) [/QUOTE] Ick. That was horrible. As for _Seinfeld_, I always thought it was an inspired choice not to have a theme song, or intro, or some other way to waste a half-minute of airtime: just some instantly recognizable slap-bass, and then let’s get started. It suggested to me that, unlike other shows, they had _more_ material than they could use, and didn’t want to waste time repeating the same intro for every show. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133/8 "2007-03-23T10:24:44Z")
I’d put M_A_S\*H’s opening credits in the HoF. It’s iconic, and nicely encapsulates the mood and setting of the show. Props also to Gilligan’s Island, for the succinct introduction to the show’s premise and the sea-chanty vibe their theme song has. Hall of Shame? Nothing consistently terrible comes to mind. I didn’t like it when the Cosby Show started doing a “hip music/dance” thing over the opening credits, the characters just looked stupid to me. But Cosby Show went through several opening-credits phases. ---
**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:** [March 23, 2007, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133/9 "2007-03-23T11:40:15Z")
Let’s see…for “Hall of Fame”? (I figure everyone else is going to say “Star Trek” or “I Love Lucy.” Eh, well and good, but I’ll throw in a few dark horsies.) •[Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9uX6nt4g78) has an opening that needs to be burned onto a golden disc and fired into space onboard the next _Voyager_ probe. (Sadly, it loses a bit on YouTube—it’s really best on TV or DVD. With the [volume turned way up.](http://www.phfactor.net/wp-pics/maxell_blown_away.jpeg)) •And “Bonanza,” of course. It’s beyond classic. •[Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTUiFYHhhe4). Not the live-action Rockapella version—the animated epic with score by Mr. Mozart. (Kind of a creepy ending, though, nowadays.) And I’ve always had a soft spot for [Sonic the Hedgehog](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SHqza3csUQ) (the non-sucky series) and [The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKFiYohY1lg). (In the spirit of the OP, whatever editor chose the fuckin clips for the latter deserves a fuckin medal. Freakin’ Ay.) As for “shame,” hmmm… "The Proud Family"s intro makes me want to murder every character on that show with some kind of machine tool. But I want to do that anyway, despite the theme song, so that probably shouldn’t count against it. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133/10 "2007-03-23T12:01:27Z")
Stephen J. Cannell (The A Team, Hunter, everything else on NBC with guns during the 1980’s) notoriously kept his production costs down by running the logest possible ending credits, between freeze-frame clips of the show you just watched. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133/11 "2007-03-23T12:19:07Z")
I think that, generally speaking, the credits for the various seasons of \*Buffy \*were pretty awesome. They took an unknown song, made it iconic, and captured the energy of the show well. But extra special props have to go out to the opening credits of Season 4’s [Superstar](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lcUaiaB1ak), if only because it made 2 million fans say “What the fuck?!” all at once.\* \*The suave looking dark haired fella was in fact an uberdweeb who was not part of the Scooby Gang. But this episode was about his working a spell rewriting everyone’s memories of him as the coolest vampire fighter in town. The conceit even extended to the credits, which were re-edited with him being the leader of the team. ---
**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:** [March 23, 2007, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133/12 "2007-03-23T12:24:11Z")
Surely **The Simpsons** belongs in this Hall of Fame, with all the jokes and variaions (Bart’s writing on the board, lisa’s solo, the couch gag, and sometimes other randomness as well). I think **the Mickey Mouse Club** deserves some place of honor, too. It’s a surprisingly long original piece of animation. It was always broadcast in black and white, but it was filmed in color (and I’ve recently seen it, finally). The full opening is much longer than the one I grew up on. as a mainstream Baby bomer, I was just too young to catch this during its original run. I saw it in syndication, by which time it had been cut down (probably to allow them to broadcast more commercials). **Star Tek Voyager** had the best visuals of any of the shows in the franchise. It’s partly an effort to show off the CGI, I know, but it seems more directed than the other post-1987 entries, and still holds up well. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133/13 "2007-03-23T12:35:51Z")
The Brady Bunch and Growing Pains are both in the Hall of Shame. I like the opening to House. Dramatic music, views of the internal body and the credits. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133/14 "2007-03-23T12:54:18Z")
They may even have been made by the same company, but in any case, I think HBO’s [Carnivale](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMqLks7qnew) and [Rome](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzd1szJLFoI) have kickass opening credits. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133/15 "2007-03-23T13:13:51Z")
[QUOTE=Unauthorized Cinnamon] They may even have been made by the same company, but in any case, I think HBO’s [Carnivale](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMqLks7qnew) and [Rome](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzd1szJLFoI) have kickass opening credits. [/QUOTE] HBO’s **Rome, Deadwood, Sopranos, Big Love** all have great opening credits. And, none of them are nearly as good as **The Wire** ’s. Great credits. For TV, personally, I think B **rady Bunch** goes in the Hall of Fame, not shame. Completely memorable song, and it outlined the premise. Always a winner. On top of that, **Cheers** and **Sanford & Son** have great credits.. ---
**Author:** ![Millit\_the\_Frail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@Millit\_the\_Frail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Millit_the_Frail)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133/16 "2007-03-23T13:47:19Z")
I **hate** the opening credits from the later years of **Boy Meets World**. The show started out really funny, and it had an instrumental theme that was fairly un-memorable. Then it got really crappy and acquired a cheesy theme song to match. It had awful lyrics that consisted only of the following: _“When this boy meets wor-orld, Boy meets world. Wandrin’ down this road that we call lie-eeefe! When this boy meets…wooooorld.”_ Ingredients for a bad theme song: Just repeat the name of the show a few times, and throw in half of a cliche! You actually saw this with a lot of TGIF-type shows. Remember **Step by Step**? Ugh! Bad! ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133/17 "2007-03-23T13:51:07Z")
Hall of Fame: _Hill Street Blues_. Blew me away, every single episode. Hall of Shame: _Facts of Life_ – although the crappy opening was a fine introduction to the show. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133/18 "2007-03-23T13:53:46Z")
The opening songs and creidts for **The Tracy Ullman Show** and **Martin** always got me up and dancing. The opening credits for **Friends** was just so horrible and cheesey I would have to mute it or change channels completely to rid it from my brain. ---
**Author:** ![Ellef](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8dc957/32.png) [@Ellef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellef)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133/19 "2007-03-23T14:31:26Z")
Hall of Fame: **Hawaii 5-0** , mainly for the music, but also for that stop-start bit with the hula girl. Also, and I’m not sure this is well known outside the UK, **Thunderbirds** - think big-budget disaster movie enacted by marionettes. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133/20 "2007-03-23T14:41:34Z")
Hall of fame award to Mark Snow for the brilliantly creepy opening music for _The X-Files_ (and all his other work on the show and movie), with honourable mention to _The Daily Show_ and _Colbert Report_ themes. Hall of shame goes to _Enterprise_’s opening credits because, really, WTF?!?! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tv-show-opening-credits-hall-of-fame-and-shame/397133.md?page=2)