So over in the forum for Enterprise the opening sequence is regularly bashed and defended so I'm curious in general, what's your favorite TV opening sequence? The one that best captures the essense of, and sets the mood for the show? And I mean the whole of it; not "the song was great but the imagery was dumb" or vice versa. I have to say "Sledge Hammer" or "Stargate Atlantis" get my vote for most appropriate opening to show relationship.
Stargate: SG1, Magnum, PI, PBS' Mystery, Deadwood, Dexter, Robot Chicken and The Simpsons are some to come immediately to mind.
M*A*S*H has a very powerful intro, and it sets the mood very effectively. It's not entirely Representative of the show (at least in the earlier more comedic seasons) but I don't think it was inappropriate. I also think those Mission Impossible montage intros were really slick.
Currently: Game of Thrones. I love that intro to bits. Also: I liked the Enterprise-intro, B5 of course (esp seasons 3 and 4), Beauty and the Beast (the 1980's version), SG-1 (the syndication-version with the clips), MacGyver
I agree on the Sledge Hammer opening. The X-Files was another one where I thought the music and visuals went together perfectly with the tone of the show.
B5, seasons 3 and 5 Buffy Angel Firefly Space: 1999 Mission: Impossible Hawaii 5-0 Cowboy Bebop Ghost in the Shell (both seasons) The Addams Family Gilligan's Island The Jetsons The Avengers (Steed and Emma) Mannix Lots more I can't think of right now.
"Six Feet Under" and "True Blood" both have very artistic opening credit sequences, and they're great on their own terms, but I'm not entirely sure whether I'd call them representative of their series.
Jonny Quest Mighty Max G.I.Joe: A Real American Hero Stargate SG1 Battlestar Galactica TOS Twilight Zone Wonder Woman The Six Million Dollar Man Seven Days Police Squad! (IN COLOR) JAG Buck Rogers in the 25th Century DALLAS
I really love the opening for Dexter. It's a great demonstration of how twisted ordinary things can look if you simply choose to see them that way, and how someone like Dexter sees the world all the time.
In the City of Angels, under cover of Night People are drowning in a sea of light... The devil's holding your life on the line - Angels are calling, praying for time! Something's got to give - something's got to break - Before it's too late - before it's too late! AFTER THE SUN GOES DOWN... Awesomeness. Can't forget Walker, Texas Ranger or Early Edition (particularly Gary's narration, though "Time Has Come Today" was excellent also)... I love how the Boston Legal intro bleeds in and out of the episodes' reality... Louie is great... TNG is classic (just recently discovered you can actually see people walking inside the ship during the final fly-by)... The Pacific's theme is heartbreaking, with beautiful visuals... Sledge Hammer! is indeed topping...
I love the ballad of Firefly. It sets the tone of the show, blends sci-fi and western, and is catchy as hell.
Top 10 opening credit sequences: Battlestar Galactica Buffy the Vampire Slayer Dexter ER Fringe Game of Thrones House, M.D. Star Trek: Voyager Stargate Atlantis The Walking Dead
Since nobody's mentioned it yet: Rome had a spectacular opening. Ancient graffiti come to garish life. Set the tone for the series rather well.
Agreed, but I find the visuals annoying as heck - way too much cutesy super-shiny names! animation and garish colors. I grayscaled the sequence just for kicks once, and found the resulting subtler visuals a big improvement. A great concept, yes, but every time I see it I can't help but be irked at how darn dramped the visuals are. I assume that's intentional; to box you in for two minutes at the start so that the actual outside scenes are all the more impressive.