The TV Credits/Theme Song Thread - A Commercial For the Show You Are Already Watching

[Johnny Unusual]

We have a thread for anime-specific credits but what are some of your favourite ones?

An obvious one, but Doctor Who has some great ones. And with those, I tend to find the simpler they are the better. I always found the heavily orchestrated ones were a bit much for me, preferring the more haunting nature of the lo-fi sound.

I also preferred rather than the TARDIS flying around in space when we were shown weird images that might be an abstraction of the timescape.

I just think the time itself should look weird and not just "space also".

 

[zonetrope]

Freaks and Geeks is probably my favorite. Great song choice, and you learn every character's personality in two seconds apiece.

 

[Büge]

 

[karzac]

I think about Mummies Alive like once a week.

 

[Rascally Badger]

I could make a very long list, but I am going limit myself. Magnum, pi's theme is my personal favorite.

 

[Exposition Owl]

Maybe the greatest of all time is the intro to Batman: The Animated Series. It took me years to realize that it doesn’t actually have any text, because it doesn’t need any. A lesser show would have splashed the word “Batman” across the screen at some point, but B:TAS has more confidence in itself than that.

For something more contemporary, I really like the opener for the first season (the only one I’ve seen) of Westworld. It captures the tone and themes of the show so perfectly (that player piano!). Ramin Djawadi’s music is one of the highlights of the show, and it’s used to maximum effect here.

One of my favorite shows currently on TV also has one of my favorite intros. The Expanse is near-future science fiction, and the intro does a great job briefly setting up the changes that have turned our world into the world of the show.

This one is an animated intro to a live action show. The intro to Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry’s Jeeves and Wooster Series is a little Art Deco masterpiece, with some delightful music in the bargain.

Netflix’s Carmen Sandiego cartoon is another great one. It absolutely drips with style. I love the way they show off Carmen’s iconic red coat and hat against a grayscale background.

And finally, another all-time animated classic. It takes a lot to create a “here’s the premise of the show” voiceover that I never want to skip, but Avatar: The Last Airbender managed it. Because everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.

 

[zonetrope]

I really like the understated ways the Expanse intro changes to reflect events in the plot.

 

[Exposition Owl]

Also, I really appreciate Johnny Unusual highlighting the early Doctor Who intros. Three cheers for the great Delia Derbyshire and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop!

 

[Büge]

I can't find the intro with video for Cybersix, but the music is a banger.

 

[chud_666]

 

[Exposition Owl]

anyway

You might enjoy this short podcast, in which the duo who created the music for the "Stranger Things" opening talks about the process of creating it. Also linked from that page is an interview with the creative director of the firm that designed the visuals for the opening.