The best, Best, BEST show openings
First of all, I don’t mean for this to turn into the Rescue Me blog, but until It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia starts up next Thursday (premiering with two new episodes!) Rescue Me is simply the most interesting show on all of television. But before I get to the actual basis of this post, a few words about last night’s episode [#304]. It ended with a fairly troubling scene involving Tommy forcing himself on his ex-wife. It was troubling in the same way Straw Dogs is troubling. Its yet another example of how this series finds a way to seemlessly walk its audience from the comforts of frat-boy humor to the depths of the human experience. It makes for a great ride.
Now then, I’m watching tonights episode, and like every night I watch the show, I think to myself, “Damn, Rick. This has one of the best title sequences ever, but certainly the best on TV right now.” Sometimes I reply to myself, “You should post about that, and perhaps include some other good intros,” but frequently I just sit silently and go back to drinking my beer.
Not today! Check out five of the best show openings by clicking below…
Rescue Me
YouTube doesn’t really do this justice because the frame-rate is too low to really appreciate how kinetic it is on television (especially when its the only light coming from the room).
Big Love
New, and probably makes this list a bit prematurely, but it is without a doubt the best part of the show (something I wouldn’t have thought until the season ended, leaving me violated with disappointment). A high concept series needs a high concept opening… and of course Brian Wilson doesn’t hurt.
Cowboy Bebop
This series was always first about being cool. It’s title sequence oozed cool out of every frame. The show is animated, and while the titles are as well, the character silhouettes are achingly lifelike. Great tune, too (the silver bullet for any show opening).
Pee-Wee’s Playhouse
This gets a mention simply because its one of the longest (two and a half minutes of a 22 minute show!), and yet is packed with almost as much madness as the playhouse itself.
Animaniacs
I dare you. I dare you to watch this video and not sing along. Better yet, I dare you to watch this video and then not sing along four hours from now. No theme could possibly be as much of an earworm as this.
What would you add to the list?
Tags: Animaniacs, Big Love, Cowboy Bebop, FX, HBO, Pee-Wee's Playhouse, Rescue Me
June 21st, 2006 at 1:58 pm
I HATE HATE HATE the opening for Big Love.
I like how The Sopranos opens.
June 21st, 2006 at 4:26 pm
Off the top of my head, I’d say Boomtown and Carnivale, as far as dramas. The Office has a good opening as far as comedies go (both versions), with the American one looking better (bonus points cause I’m familiar with the Scranton area), and the British one having better music. And honestly you can’t put out the Animaniacs opening without mentioning Tiny Toons and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
June 21st, 2006 at 11:30 pm
Maybe this shouldn’t be mentioned here–maybe it shouldn’t even be under “good theme songs,” but instead, “recognizable, definitive theme songs,” and maybe I’m just a sucker for anything that follows a jaded Jerry Orbach wisecrack, but I’ll toss in the original Law and Order for consideration. Also, sidenote, I HATE Criminal Intent. Hate it. Every episode should have the disclaimer: “Just so you know, Vincent D’Onofrio’s character knows everything. In the world. For no reason.”
June 21st, 2006 at 11:47 pm
Truthfully, I prefer no opening to a show (Curb Your Enthusiasm is the only one coming to mind). I really enjoyed your choices….especially Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. I spent many a Saturday A.M “getting wacky at Pee-Wee’s Play House,” and I don’t remember the build up to the song being so long…maybe because I liked the bunnies. Who knows?
Disclaimer: I usually disagree with you, Rick, yet I find your points well founded and often……well humbling.
That aside…. I need some insight on Rescue Me.
I hoped that the relationship between Tommy’s brother and Janet would give us some insight into the female characters. It seems that the females only exist in Rescue Me as bitches, sluts, or pains in the ass. (Franco’s new “lady-friend” excluded)
Last season, Dennis’ character made poor choices, yet I still liked him. This episode has changed my mind. I can’t identify with him….at all. First the bus, then with Janet?
I hoping for one of two things:
a. the audience hates Tommy = female character development
b. somehow Tommy comes back to us as our golden boy
….any thoughts?
June 21st, 2006 at 11:48 pm
Oh, I forgot. Why is Big Love on the list?
June 22nd, 2006 at 1:02 am
1) The Law and Order theme is classic because when it starts you know what you’re getting: L&O. No more, no less. Also, it’s great because it still has the feel of an early 90s drama– before everything became all slick.
2) I think the Big Love opening is great because its moderately arty, has a fitting song, and its action tells you exactly what the series is about without simply being an assortment of clips.
3) Rescue Me:
Tommy Gavin is the series antihero. He isn’t suppose to be relatable. In fact, I’d worry for anyone who did find him to be relatable. He’s like Tony Soprano in that we can see parts of ourselves in him, but he does things that are reprehensible. Further more, the character is a complete mess: three seasons have illustrated this to a T. This past episode he crossed a line, and it will be interesting to see what kind of price he has to pay for it (sidebar: four episodes into this season we’ve yet to see any of the religious undertones that appeared in the past).
As for the female characters, well, the show drops the ball on that front. Perhaps intentionally. As illustrated with Diane Farr’s character the past two years, the fire house is boys club. But perhaps we can read into that as being a comment on the females in these characters lives. They work in an environment that rejects women, and also happens to be where they spend most of their waking hours. This isn’t an environment that breeds sensitivity (i.e. Lou’s post-poetry demise).
Back to Tommy and his ex-wife. The decision that she would more or less enjoy him forcing himself on her is almost as troubling as the act itself and raises many questions about the characters motivations, but those questions have been raised before. Why did she decide to get back together with him last season? Why did she steal the kids in the first season? All in all, I can’t tell if the character is crazy or if the writing is sloppy. Sheila, on the other hand, is much more interesting. While she may not be a powerful female voice, she is certainly a well developed character– and one with unbelievably bad luck. First her husband dies in 9/11, then she miscarries Tommy’s baby, all this before getting the shit kicked out of her by her lesbian (?) girlfriend.
The show has a pretty good track record for getting better with each episode, and I hope some of these ideas are addressed as the season goes on, but yes, the females are regrettably two-dimensional.
June 22nd, 2006 at 10:34 pm
More Rescue Me:
Here’s what some pros are saying about this past week’s episode:
And here is Peter Tolen doing a decent job of defending the episode and the arcs this season.
June 24th, 2006 at 1:22 am
For one, um, THE SIMPSONS! (Weekly variety, character introduction, Danny Elfman’s song, etc.)
And is this an all-time list? Where are the camp classics — Facts of Life, Doogie Howser, Growing Pains, Step by Step, Full House, etc.?
Ok, I’m pretty much just going by songs. Which brings us, of course, to Cheers. Though that had cool graphics too, which fit the strangely elegaic theme song to a tee.
June 24th, 2006 at 2:40 am
This is not my “All Time Top Five” but instead 5 notables that stuck me as noteworthy. Things appear better in fives. Yes, Cheers has a pretty fitting opening.
October 10th, 2006 at 12:32 pm
I always thought the intro to Get a Life was great–features the hit REM song “Stand.” I agree, though, Rescue Me is the best, and even prompted me to buy the Von Bondies album.