Dammit, show the episode titles!

[doubleohfive]

Seems more and more shows don't show their episode titles anymore. I don't know if its a "prestige" thing or whatever, but I generally like to know the title of the episode I'm watching.

Trek did it all the time. Other shows, most notable the hardcore dramas we get like The Shield or Damages, even the new Battlestar Galactica... no titles included in the aired episode. Maybe its a simple visual thing, maybe its me being particular, I just don't understand why we don't get them anymore.

Do you like it when a show starts their episode with the episode title revealed, or do you just not care?

Further, what are some of your favorite episode titles from your favorite shows?

 

[auntiehill]

This irritates me, too. It makes it hard to reference the episodes if they don't tell you the bloody titles.

I love the titles they use for "Pushing Daisies," especially the very first episode, the "Pie-lette."

 

[Cicero]

I prefer on-screen episode titles. The West Wing and E.R. were (and one is) very good about this. One of my favorite moments on The West Wing was when the titles were presented in negative colors (they were usually white letters on a black screen) during the tense ending of The West Wing's fourth season.

Batman The Animated Series also sported excellent titles, each with its own short episode theme and painted background.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Law & Order did it for its first season (and I think part of the second season), but then stopped. Of course, that was back in the early 90's, so it's a trend that's been happening for a long time.

That said, I agree. I wish all shows showed the episode title. Most of the time, I only know the episode title because of TiVo.

 

[Cicero]

^ I think Law & Order is one of the few shows I prefer title-less. I like the verisimilitude engendered by that show moving straight to the action. It's a procedural, after all, not a drama.

 

[Sharr Khan]

I agree and oddly was pondering this last night regarding BSG.

Sharr

 

[Cicero]

^ Didn't the original US airings of the first two episodes include titles?

 

[Mistral]

Back when I used a VCR I loved titles-it made labeling easier. Now, I generally don't care but I do appreciate a clever title. I think one of the best shows for good titles was B5.

The Deconstruction of Falling Stars was a great title.

 

[Twilight]

^ Didn't the original US airings of the first two episodes include titles?

Yes, on the first night BSG premiered in the US they showed the episode titles for '33' and 'Water', which they played back to back. The next week, they showed the episode title for 'Bastille Day' (each time it was after the "previously on..."). After that, I think they never showed up again.

I actually don't mind the fact that the titles aren't shown... never really bothered me...

 

[Cicero]

^ I thought I remembered seeing the title for 'Bastille Day,' but it seemed possible I might have imagined it.

 

[Trekker4747]

On-screen titles are nice to get but I pay so much attention now to the on-line component of TV show-following I know the titles ahead of time so I don't really realize we don't get them on-screen.

But, yeah, it'd be nice if they were shown.

 

[Cicero]

On-screen titles are nice to get but I pay so much attention now to the on-line component of TV show-following I know the titles ahead of time so I don't really realize we don't get them on-screen.

You know, that's true; I know the title of every episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles even though the show doesn't post titles.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ I think Law & Order is one of the few shows I prefer title-less. I like the verisimilitude engendered by that show moving straight to the action. It's a procedural, after all, not a drama.

Agreed.

Even so, DVRs (and other associated digital cable guides) will always show the titles anyway. So I don't see the need to have them onscreen.

 

[Nobody]

I miss episode titles. There was something comforting about seeing "In the Pale Moonlight" up on the screen. It got me in the mood to watch the show and absorb all it's details. There is no real need for them, but I enjoyed the aesthetic of seeing the title.


-nobody

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Where episode titles have their place, is in Quinn Martin productions.

 

[Harvey]

Chris Carter's shows (The X-Files, Millennium, don't have episode titles, except for the second season of Millennium, which was run by Morgan and Wong. In the end, showing the titles sort of cheapened things for me, and I was glad to see them abandoned in season three.

It really depends on the show. The West Wing presented titles in a simple yet effective way. So, it depends on the show.

 

[Kegek]

Doesn't bother me either way. I'd prefer for titles to be shown as it allows me to offhand mention the episode as something other than 'the one where this or that happened'. But if I'm really peeved I can find these titles online.

 

[Sakrysta]

Depends on the show. Maybe, the more removed from reality as we know it the show is, the more I'd like to have episode titles. But if it's sitcoms or crime dramas, I just don't care. After all, do we really need to see "The One Where Ross and Rachel..." at the beginning of every half-hour of Friends?

There are in-betweeners. I wish Scrubs would do it, because the titles are clever, but I also think it'd interfere with the "over the shoulder" feeling of the show to have them on the screen with the action. A slide with the title before the show started might be a workable compromise, especially since the titles are entries in JD's journal, and all start with "My..."

But sci-fi, fantastical stuff, yeah, I really appreciate having the episode titles on the screen.

 

[Starbreaker]

The only people who care about titles are nerds like us. There's always the internet to see what the episode name is.

 

[Rowan Sjet]

The only people who care about titles are nerds like us. There's always the internet to see what the episode name is.

Plus the episode guide pamphlet you get with the dvds.

You know what's weird? I probably know the name of every single episode of Buffy, even though its a show which doesn't include episode titles, but I could probably only remember a few of the episode names for The West Wing, a show which I've probably watched just as much of.