Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Joe Carter

Home
Evangelical
Television’s 11 Most Creative Opening Credits

Television’s 11 Most Creative Opening Credits

Last updated on: November 20, 2012 at 8:28 am by Joe Carter

Television’s 11 Most Creative Opening Credits 2012-11-20T08:28:03+00:00 Joe Carter

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

One of the most undervalued formats in television is the opening credit sequences. Within just a few minutes that set the tone for a series that last for years—even decades. They can reveal a backstory in a song (Gilligan’s Island, Green Acres), create a aural hook (Peter Gunn’s theme for Mission Impossible, Quincy Jone’s music for Sanford and Son), or simply create a comfortable familiarity for the viewer (Friday Night Lights is one of the best examples).

But sometimes—on very rare occasions—they can become more; sometimes they can become their own miniature masterpieces. Even when a television show isn’t worth watching (see #2, 6, and 7 on this list), a creative intro can stand on its own as a minor work of art.

Here are eleven examples of opening credits that transcend their humble genre:

#10 The Wild Wild West

The theme song can’t compete with its contemporaries (The High Chaparral, Bonanza), but the clever line drawing in the visuals helped set the tone for a show which was conceived by its creator to be “James Bond on horseback.”

#9 The Wonder Years

The home video montage sets just the right tone for the nostalgic look back at the late 1960s, early 1970s. The Joe Cocker cover of the Beatles shouldn’t work, but somehow fits perfectly.

#8 Chuck

#7 Desperate Housewives

#6 Carnivale

HBO could fill every entry on this list (Oz, Deadwood, True Blood, et al.). So why choose an example from one of their least watched series? Because it’s one of the most visually interesting that doesn’t contain offensive imagery.

#5 Lost

At 13 seconds, it’s one of the shortest and most mysterious intros in TV history.

#4 The Brady Bunch

Familiarity has dulled its effect, but this is one of the most creative backstory sequences in TV history.

#3 The Simpsons

The opening sequence has been through so many changes that it has it’s own Wikipedia page.

#2 Mad Men

The show itself is one of the most overrated and overhyped in history. But the opening credits is worthy of much praise.

#1 Battlestar Galactica

(Note: The only embeddable version I could find contains annoying subtitles. A better version can be found here.)

If you’re not a fan of this series then it might be hard to understand why it deserves the top slot. The intro is actually broken up into two segments: a brief backstory clip that precedes the first scene and a more traditional opening credits within the first few minutes. The haunting music and visuals make it worthy of being on a list of “Best Intros Ever.” But its the way that each intro ends with foreshadowing scenes from the episode you’re watching that makes is a model of creativity. I watched all 75 episodes and not once did I fast forward through the credits—it hooked me every time.

What TV intros would you add to the list?

Honorable Mentions

The Twilight Zone

Mission Impossible

The Equalizer

Cowboy Bebop

Arrested Development

The Rifleman

Monty Python’s Flying Circus

Television

Previous Post

November 20, 2012

Why Did Jesus Come in 5 B.C.?

Next Post

November 21, 2012 Shallow Small Group Bible Study

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Anecdotes Art Biblical Studies Bioethics Books Christianity Conservatism Economics Education Evangelicalism Family History Language Arts Military Misc. Moral Philosophy Movies Music Oddities Philosophy Poetry Politics Pop Culture Quotes Science Self-Improvement Shameless Self-Promotion Signs of the Times Technology Television Theology Thirty Three Things Videos Virtues Worldviews

Select a Month December 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Jireh" mean in Hebrew?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Savior Provider Protector Redeemer