I started my adventure with tv series by being obsessed with anime, and openings were always my favourite part of the episode. Ok, it may be an exaggeration, but in anime openings play quite a different role from the one they have in western tv-series. In japanese animation they are longer, more carefully planned, so they can serve as a real business card of the show. In American and British tv-series the opening sequences get shorter and shorter up to the point where they become just a few-second flash of the title. "Supernatural" is probably the only one who pulled it off, with the title card changing from season to season (with few special episodes having their own design), but always maintaining the spirit of the series.
OK. So what makes a good opening for me? First of all, it has to share the atmosphere of the series. If the whole season is cute, let's make it cute, if it's funny, I want to crack a smile, and if it's is creepy, I want to feel shivers down my spine during these few seconds or a minute. Secondly, as an aesthete, I want something pretty, with the visuals that match the catchy or captivating song. Last but not least, it can't be something you get sick of after three or four times.
Remember though, it's a very personal list, which gives you a full right to both agree and disagree. You are welcome to share your opinion whichever it may be. If you have another candidates, leave a comment too! :)
10. Sex and the city
song : "Sex and the city theme song" by Douglas J. Cuomo
One more thing: I prefer when used part of the song includes lyrics, because it usually makes the whole clip more dynamic and interesting. That's why the opening for "Sex and the city" took it sweet time to grow on me, but when I did, I started to adore it. It's short, it's dynamic, and without words it lets us know everything we need to know about the main character - she's famous, but clumsy when it comes to handling her own life. Plus it indicates the show's gonna be pink, fluffy and funny at times. All of these things prove to be true, so congrats.
09. True Blood
song: "Bad Things" by Jace Everett
Okay. I may not be the fan of the series, but this opening is something beautiful. Mostly because of the soft, sweet voice of Jace Everett, which contrasts with the creepy images in such a delicious, twisted way. The video part is strange, but I love how it shows both the brutal/morbid and the overly sexual side of the show in a very tasteful way.
My main reproach is that the opening suggests something deeper, more exciting and, above all, more elegant than the show delivers.
08. Veronica Mars
song: "We Used to Be Friends" by The Dandy Warhols
The deep, sexy vocal captures the attention at the very first seconds of the song, but it's not even my favourite part - it's the lyrics, which match the plot of the first season so unbelievably accurately. It sums up the relationship between Veronica Mars and rest of the world in just three lines. Additionally, the visuals are great too - both sweet, with the spirit of the teen show, but with the hint of something darker (the doodles on the pages), which is exactly what that show was.
07. New Girl
song: "Hey Girl" by Zooey Deschanel
I know, I know. It's not something that you can usually see on this kinds of lists, but you know what? I don't care. This intro actually meets all my criteria: it's sweet and funny just like the show, makes you expect something slightly weird, but light-hearted, while the song is catchy and thanks to the sudden ending, it makes you wanna listen to it over and over again.
(Also Zooey Deschanel is cute.)
(Shutup.)
06. Friends
song: "I'll be there for you" by The Rembrants
Probably the most famous opening on my list. The lyrics capture what we loved in the show: the life sucks, but the friends are there for you. Simple enough, but combined with a catching tune and quite a lovely and charming choreography performed by the cast it's really something you don't want to rewind, no matter if it's the first or tenth season.
05. Orange is the new black
song: "You've got time" by Regina Spektor
"Orange is the new black" is one of a kind for so many reasons, opening being just one of them. It's main idea is to show collage of faces of female inmates who are the characters of the show, concentrating on how different they are, while revealing their similarities which go deeper than appearances - it's the similiarity of the situation, and of the emotions they might feel. After all, they are all just women, just people, trapped in the prison for their mistakes. I think it is a nice summary of what the show is.
(The deep, sexy vocals are not a drawback either!)
04. Firefly
http://www.downvids.net/firefly-opening-credits-355636.html(sorry for the outside link, but youtube provides only the song :c )
song: "the ballad of Serenity" by Sonny Rhodes
Probably my favourite song on the list, one I listened to many, many times and still love it as much as the first time when I've heard it. The brown and yellow colour scheme fits with the western-ish style of the whole series and even though the opening introduces the characters in the least unique way possible (and one that Whedon clearly likes), it actually doesn't bother me, because the whole thing keeps the pace and remains entraining.
03. Pretty Little Liars
song: "Secret" by The Pierces
If the list was called "the creepiest openings I've seen", this would be a number two. It's short, and very, very suggestive. Even though Alison's funeral is what brings the main girls together in the first episode, her death is treated rather symbolically in the series; in the opening it's anything but. There is something almost abominable in how plastic, waxen is the body prepared for it's own funeral, but it's kept just on the edge of tastefulness. It's not the images that make me flinch, it's the thought behind them.
Song is catching, and the atmosphere is captured brilliantly.
A special bonus: the Halloween episodes tend to include a slightly different version of the opening - the lips, or eyes of the dead girl are different, there are some extra sounds in the background that make it more scary.
02. Psych
song: "I Know You Know" by The Friendly Indians
Short, down-to-the-point with the not-so-random sync of the line "they just don't have any clue" (0:11) with the perplexed detective Lessie, is cheerful and funny, just like the show.
A special bonus: "Psych" does one of my favourite things ever when it comes to the opening sequences. It changes the song according to the theme of the episode, and with the criminal shows, that means endless opportunities. It has been sung in spanish (twice), in hindi (for bollywood-themed episode), a cappella, had a christmas version and slower version for a Twin Peaks-inspired episode. The visual side was mixed with too. All of it, apart from being simply awesome, adds to the really-not-so-serious atmosphere of the show.
and the winner is...
01. Dexter
song: "Dexter Main Title" by Rolfe Kent
I haven't seen "Dexter", because I am way too scared, and let's face it: the opening is partially here to blame. Even when I KNOW that no one dies in there, I still can't watch it all without flinching. But if I had the guts to watch a show, I know I wouldn't be able to resist watching to the opening every single time. It's original, it's brilliant, and it's beyond creepy.
Ok, so that's all. There are many openings I love, but didn't make to the "top ten" like the awesome Scrubs' opening, which just missed the list, or energetic Buffy: the vampire slayer's. It was hard enough to pick 10 and trying not to play favourites with the shows they are from!
Stay positive and remember to watch something before going to sleep!
- Aga.
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