For many TV shows, opening sequences are a necessary evil used to start the show. Every show has one, and in many cases, they’re just a distractor that we as viewers fast-forward through to get to the meat of the show. Some shows, however, have intros that draw in an audience's attention from the first second and stand out among the intros of their competitors.
6. Orange is the New Black: Memorable for many by the length, which is considerable, Orange is the New Black’s intro also stands out because of the theme song, “You’ve Got Time” by Regina Spektor, which was written specifically for the show, and the use of mostly photos in the intro which focus on human mouths and eyes. Faces show up on the screen one after another which help convey the message that the inmates aren’t just animals as the song implies, they’re each unique individuals with different physical characteristics as well as personality.
5. BoJack Horseman: The main character, BoJack has his head in a single position for most of the intro, but the background changes as he goes through his day. The look in his eyes and on his face, however, is always the same. He has a dead, unconcerned expression, which is the same as the character in the show. The intro illustrates BoJack’s inability to find meaning or joy in his life. For him, it’s just a series of events where the only thing that changes for him is the time of day.
4. American Horror Story: Since each season of American Horror Story features a different plot and characters, each intro is different as well, and they’re all equally terrifying. The show does a great job of portraying what their show is going to be through their intro. If having the word horror in the title isn’t enough to tell viewers that the show focuses on scaring their audience, the title sequence most certainly will. Featuring demon clowns, old photos of creepy babies and severed body parts, all edited stylistically with quick cuts, each AHS title sequence is a terrifying delight.
3. The 100: This title sequence features sweeping overhead views of the planet as it is shown in the show. What makes it particularly interesting is the analyzation of the land as it is shown. It’s similar to being in a video game, lines pop up on the land indicating pieces of information about each, the camera zooms in on specific sections on a mountain and reveals the inner workings of a building. The blueprints of the land are shown in conjunction with what they are made to represent.
2. Game of Thrones: No article involving any sort of ranking of TV shows is complete without a mention of Game of Thrones. The intro features each castle that will be included in the episode (it changed from episode to episode) revealed to be growing from the ground up in a clockwork fashion. The title sequence works on more levels than just being visually striking. The show itself can be considered a clockwork, with many moving parts: characters and plot lines going all at once.
1. American Gods: The lighting and attention to detail in this one minute 30 second opening makes for a beautiful piece of work. The dramatic neon lighting illuminate a strange mix of objects ranging from statues look like they belong in a museum, neon cowboys, religious tokens and a rocket. We see at the end of the sequence that each of these objects is arrayed in a totem pole topped with a wooden carving of massive bird. The intro is different than anything else I’ve seen before. Seemingly unrelated objects are featured with interesting camera angles and intense lighting and later revealed to be all parts of one working totem. A very memorable introduction that’s sure to captivate the audience to watch the following episode.
Although many TV shows focus their efforts on making the show itself excellent, they forget that the title sequence too can be a work of art.
