Oh come on, no votes for The Fresh Prince of Bel Air? Best opening ever! Twas not a child in that era who did not have that whole song memorized. “In West Philadelphia, born and raised, on the playground is where I spent most of my days…”
Honorable mention for excellent opening credits also goes to Dilbert; stupid cartoon which somehow managed to have an awesome opening sequence. Not only the evolution sequence, the office mayhem - but set to Oingo Boingo’s Forbidden Zone music, no less!
Worst, I’d have to go with the Nanny. I won’t even link to it, because I cannot bear to watch it or hear one second of it. Blech.
Ah, but methinks you picked the wrong version: I’ve always preferred the original version, both lyrically and visually.
I can’t stand that opening, if only because it reminds me of the horrible title of the otherwise pleasant opening music: “Suicide is Painless.” What kind of song title – or message – is that?
Hall of Fame: Mission Impossible has to be on the list. It wasn’t just the fact that it had arguably the best opening music ever. But each and every week the opening ‘montage’ sequence was a very snappy, crisply edited sequence - perfectly synchronised to that brilliant music - that did a good job of teasing us about the contents of that week’s show without giving too much away. I think that some editor or editors somewhere deserve a lot of credit for all their hard work just on those opening montage sequences.
Hall of Shame: The Shield. Another in the ‘can’t even be bothered to try’ category.
I would nominate the first season credits from South Park for the Hall of Fame. The theme song by Primus is classic and the original opening was kept very simple, unlike in later seasons when it has become more and more bloated.
Also in the Hall of Fame would be the opening credits to Police Squad with the camera seemingly on top of Drebin’s car. This opening was expanded and carried into the Naked Gun movies to hilarious effect.
Best: UFO. I won’t argue about this. I’m comfortable being right.
Worst: This. I’m not a saxophone fan, and this one makes me feel like some horrendous sax playing street performer broke into my house and is playing it while standing on my bed while I’m trying to sleep.
“Green Acres” - just because it’s so delightfully goofy!
“The Beverly Hillbillies” - could have well introduced miilions to Flatt & Scruggs who might not otherwise have heard them.
Also, “Secret Agent” - Johnny Rivers and that awesome guitar hook! What’s not to love?
And on further reflection, the closing credits from Police Squad with the faux freezes have to join the opening credits in the Hall of Fame. Can’t believe I forgot to include them. :smack:
Yes! And not to mention Robert Culp’s eyes commenting on the scenes in each opening. Surpise, pain, amusement, all done with they eyes.
I’ll second Secret Agent. Not just the Rivers theme, but the great organ music over the credits after the commercial break after the opening. I’m watching the first season of Danger Man from NetFlix now, and I’m afraid that that opening goes into the Hall of Shame. A boring narration, the most important part of which, who he works for, mumbled, and a feeble Bond, James Bond, imitation. Plus they try to pass McGoohan off as an American. The show itself is great, though.
Wow…I want to watch UFO now (I vaguely recall trying to watch it on some local channel when I was a kid, and hating how they pronounced it “you-foe” or “oo-foe” instead of the letters. And for some reason the insult to my ten year old brain was so great I never really watched it. But it looks cooooool.)
I think I’m one of the few who likes the 3rd season **Veronica Mars ** more than the first, and I liked the first.
I have to say, I didn’t like the opening to Firefly. But then, I’ve never understood the cult of Firefly, and I enjoyed the sow.
I really, really dig House. It’s one of the few I won’t DVR through.
But my favorite? Both for the awesome music and the fact it was a surprise each episode: The Rockford Files
In the category of theme-song-recapping-the-series-premise I nominate the opening for The Nanny. A breezy, jazzy melody, reasonably clever lyrics and a nice little cartoon. The only problem is that the show itself was SO bad.
The late-ish1970’s classic “TAXI” deserves mention here. The almost "film noir’ gritty scenes, and the haunting, melancholy music always seemed to say “urban life in the senenties” to me.
For a comedy, mostly contained around a boring set (taxi garage) it was a great character study in comedy form, and featured brilliant acting, writing and even sublime moments… (Devito descends from his perch, and comments on the "dirty habits’ of the drivers… looking at their table… picks up something “Jeez! look at the size of this roach!” and then pockets it…) - classic!
The opening theme to* House* is “Teardrop” by Massive Attack, just in case. Grey’s Anatomy has “Cosy in the Rocket” by Psapp and Nip/Tuck has “A Perfect Lie (Gabriel and Dresden Remix)” by The Engine Room.
Also, how could anyone forget the Pink Panther theme by Henry Mancini?
ExTank, I’m sorry, but the Enterprise theme really just doesn’t do it for me (probably because I hate any form of country). CalMeacham, where can I listen to that?
This was my first thought when I read the title of the OP. The super-quick montage of each of the main characters handling the X-ray impressed from the very first episode. And to me, the song clearly implies that they can only succeed if they work as a team, not “my life sucks because my job is hard.”
Grey’s Anatomy has “Cosy in the Rocket” by Psapp and Nip/Tuck has “A Perfect Lie (Gabriel and Dresden Remix)” by The Engine Room.