Top 20 TV Show Opening Credits (Part II)

Let’s continue with our countdown of the 20 Best Opening credits of all times. Find the first part of the list HERE.

(Click on the name of the show to watch the video)

10. SIX FEET UNDER

For a show with such a dark subject, the Six feet Under theme song was weirdly uplifting. The image sequence was interesting and obscure. It was a perfect combination.

9. THE SOPRANOS

Anytime I drove to New Jersey I started replaying The Sopranos song in my head. That tune will forever remind me of Tony Soprano driving with smoke in his eyes. It wasn’t the most elaborate sequence but it really worked .

8. FRESH PRINCE OF BELAIR

I still have yet to find one person, male or female, who doesn’t like Will Smith. We all fell in love with him with The Fresh Prince. The show was as 90’s as you can get and so was the theme song performed by Smith himself (remember he started as a rapper?). Anyone who is old enough remembers the lyrics, I am sure of it!

7. GAME OF THRONES

I wasn’t blown away at first by this sequence, but as I started watching the show, the images coming to live on the map started having more meaning to me. The opening sequence is quite original and as the show becomes more of the cult-hit the theme song will probably become iconic.

6. DOWNTON ABBEY

One of the best theme songs of the entire list. It is a beautiful piece with a classic feel to it. The images are also very representative of the show contrasting the upstairs and downstairs world.

5. DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES/ THE SIMPSONS

The Simpsons has the most iconic sequence of all times. What makes it even more impressive is that they customize the end of the sequence for each episode. So we have hundreds of sequences over the years, quite an accomplishment. Desperate housewives, although is a live action show, also has an animated sequence. The Dany Elfman theme song is perfect for the tone of the show and the cartoons of housewives throughout time are hilarious. This is a very original concept for the opening credits.

4. MAD MEN

The surreal and metaphorical sequence is the perfect representation of Don Draper, a man lost and unable to connect constantly falling into the abyss. They even parodied in The Simpsons! You can’t get more recognition than that!

3. DEXTER

I absolutely love this opening sequence! In fact I use the theme song as my alarm clock. I love the music and I love the clever way they shot Dexter’s morning routine to evoke images of murder. It is quite perfect!

2. SONS OF ANARCHY

The biker gang show has one of the most stunning opening sequences. They have a perfect rocking theme song (they have an amazing soundtrack overall) and they display the names of the cast as tattoos coming out of a silhouette of each character. It looks amazing and it always gets me pumped up even before the episode starts.

1. True Blood

First time I watched True Blood I hated the opening credits. I absolutely did. But as I kept watching over the years something changed and I started getting how genius they were! The song couldn't be better picked. It has that timeless southern sexy feel. The images are creepy and bizarre and a tinsy bit surreal. They don’t even show vampires in the opening credits, and although it seems like a bizarre choice I think it is perfect because the bayou and its denizens are as much characters of the show as the bloodsucking folk.

Runner Ups

Almost making the cut was Everwood, a family drama that probably no-one remembers but is one of my fav shows and it had a beautiful opening sequence resembling Norman Rockwell paintings.

Honorable Mentions

If we were talking solely on how iconic the theme songs were, shows like Friends, Hawaii Five-0, The X files and even 90210 would be on this list. However, their visuals weren’t the most original and hence they scored lower.