...as voted by me. I know that it's trendy these days to have only a quick flash of the title before getting straight to the action (Lost, 24, Heroes, Pushing Daisies), and God knows I appreciate it. But sometimes we need to recognize a really good title sequence. So here are the best I've seen so far.
10. Ghost Whisperer Season 1
I actually don't really like this show very much. I find it sort of, oh, I don't know... kitschy, cliched, whatever, but the opening sequence caught my eye. I'm not sure why, but I suppose it's the mildly creepy antique look of it. As far as I'm concerned, though, they can drop the bit at the end where she turns and looks solemnly at the audience. That's just tired and overdone.
9. Naruto: Shippuden Opening 1
Yup, it's an anime. What can I say? I'm a nerd. But this one gets a special mention because anime openings are usually pretty crappy - at least by American taste. All J-pop and mangled engrish (is that a double negative?) and stuff. Take
this earlier open for the same show, for example. In comparison, this one is great! And we reward improvements, right? Right.
8. Angel
To be honest, the editing and filming for this is just okay. No, what got it on my list was the cello, pure and simple. It wins its spot by having the best music.
7. Invader Zim
Just.... just cool. That's all. I want it as a ringtone.
6. The Office
Who hasn't seen it? It's catchy and hilarious, and would also make a great ringtone. Come to think of it, pretty much all of the ones to come would be good. By the way, the clip was IMPOSSIBLE to find, so NBC must be cutting a swathe through all the main video streaming sites and getting rid of it for some reason (I don't know why; it's just the intro and there were clips from the show still up) so you'll have to make do with the closest I can find, which is the intro slightly recut by a fan. I hope you appreciate it.
5. Arrested Development
The song is cool (and sticks with you) and hey, you get to find out what the show is about, too! It's unique enough to fit the show's feel exactly.
But hey, remember the trouble I had finding a clip for The Office? Of course you do - it was like 30 seconds ago! Jeez... anyway, I couldn't find the clip at all... stupid television execs. First you cancel a perfectly good show, and then you troll the internetz taking down all the clips from it...freaking nazis, that's what you are! This is bloody stupid. Well, in revenge, I will give you these links. Use this knowledge wisely. I hope you ruin their day.
Keep in mind that these websites don't always work, and they sometimes have faulty links. It's worth a try, though!
4. Cowboy Bebop
Surprise! Another anime! This one doesn't get kudos for improvement, though. It started great. It looks like it's roughly based on the openings of Saul Bass, who was a famous animator and did the opening credits of movies like Psycho, North By Northwest, and Spartacus.
3. Dead Like Me
A dearly departed show, which was great and was cancelled before its time... anyway, the opening catches the tone of the show exactly, poking fun at the concept of a grim reaper living a normal life, with laundromats and xeroxes and everything.
2. Weeds
I've never actually seen the show, just the open, but I hear the show's great. The opening is, too. A good song with wry humor and just the right amount of irony.
1. Dexter
This is, by far, the best title sequence I've ever seen - which is funny, because I usually skip over it when I watch the show. The show is about a nice, easygoing, mildmannered guy who works at the forensics lab at the Miami PD, and hey! is also a sociopathic serial killer. He has a sister and girlfriend (with kids) who all think he's just about the best, most normal guy around, as he's very good at acting the way that people expect him to. He goes about his "normal" life, but underneath it all, there's that sinister secret. The opening perfectly encompasses that. It shows him going through his morning routine - getting up, shaving, making breakfast, getting dressed - yet it's filmed and scored in such a way that it is both gruesome and frightening. It looks like a horror show, and it's really amazingly well done, which is why I don't watch it much because it makes me feel a little queasy. The show is really great, though, and I highly recommend it. Not for kids, though (in case you couldn't tell) because there's nudity and swearing and it's about a serial killer!.
Note his teeny little smile after he kills the mosquito...
