the slow sad death of the TV intro

Entertainment! Film & TV
#1

Does anyone else miss killer intros and theme songs for TV shows?

There’s been so many good shows lately where I feel like they’re just begging for a great intro to set the tone and hook you in - recent example is Euphoria, which is so bright and bold, and I bet they could do something really visually arresting but … nope. Missed opportunity

Please share fav recent intros below, the shows that make best use of not having an intro sequence, complain about shows that should have good intros but don’t … and more

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#2

Wasn’t it Lost that was the beginning of the end? Remember people making a big deal about the fact that it had no theme music at the time.

Weebl even made his own theme tune for it

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#3

When shows first started doing the “just put the title on the screen” trick I quite liked it as a contrast, avoided some of the cliches of corny intros. First time it really jumped out to me was when Togetherness (RIP, Melanie Lynskey always) used it in a subtle way, so the title would blend into the sky or the background

Then Mr Robot nailed the format by making the title really stark and in your face, and even if there wasn’t a theme song they always had something cool musically going on:

37 seconds is one of the best of all, when the title is actually integrated into the show itself

after that it felt like other shows were just trying to rip Mr Robot off, or were just too lazy to develop a good intro

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#4

thought Yellowjackets was quite a good recent example

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#5

Not particularly recent, but it wasn’t that long ago I watched it, but the theme tune to The Bridge sticks in my mind as a good one that set the tone well.

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#6

Leftovers is obviously a really good recent one, for both the visuals and then switching it up with the different theme songs to throw you off (S2>S1>S3)

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#7

The best recent intro for the rolling news banner and perfect music

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#8
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#9

Fucking hate these 80s style intro things.

Especially as Game of Thrones had one of the great intros of recent times.

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#10

:thinking::thinking::thinking:

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#11

You can say a lot of shit about anime, but you can’t deny they often have intros that go so hard.

Obligatory big ones:

Evangelion, which has this upbeat pop banger with really weird lyrics

Cowboy Bebop, which is probably the best bit of the whole show tbh

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#12

pretty indisputable imho, i’d say it’s easily top 5 of the last … some years

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#13

Not for me Clive

#14

thanks for referencing a 25 year old show in my thread about recent intros :wink:

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#15

Crazy Ex Girlfriend made a separate all time great intro song for each season. Personal favourite is series 2

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#16

plz do share any favs that come to mind

#17

Just reminds me of stuff like Xena (which tbf the GoT show reminds me of anyway)

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#18
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#19

I get what it’s about. But those shows had good intros then. Just find this fetishisation of the past and when Sci fi/fantasy shows were shitter so very proto-Brexit.

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#20

True Blood had a great intro that sort of unpacked the whole vibe of the show’s setting. I might be misremembering the other shows around then but I think it was ahead of its time considering this was 2008

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