The Best of the 00′s: Title Sequences

One of the defining elements of the past ten years has been the emergence of the high quality “HBO-style” drama series. Nothing highlights the difference between show from the 90′s and the 00′s more than their opening title sequences.

During the 90′s, TV networks became savvy about ways to maximise their advertising-driven profits by cutting a few corners. Fewer series had an opening title sequence anymore. They were replaced with the simplicity of a title card. And for those shows that were allowed an opening sequence, they were often restricted to being just a few seconds long.

The 00′s introduced a new element to the world of scripted television with the continued success of high quality drama series on HBO. In 1999 they found success with The Sopranos, prompting them to try and build upon that – a business strategy adopted by their fellow cable TV competitors. The result for viewers is a wealth of excellent television offerings. The fact that cable TV derives much of its income from subscriptions than advertising means that in the 00′s we saw the return of opening title sequences. This time, with massive amounts of money spent on them.

We wanted to recognise the skill and beauty that exists within these opening title sequences, and so have created this list of what Televised Revolution see to be the top ten produced over the past decade.

10.Battlestar Galactica

The 2003 remake of the 70′s classic series is one of the most visually arresting shows to have aired in the past ten years. As such, the opening credits, which are mostly comprised of edited shots from the show itself, absolutely crackles on screen. Add to that the hauntingly beautiful voice which emotes the sense of pain and desperation shared by the survivors in the show and you have yourself one great opening sequence.

What sells the opening sequence completely, however, is the quick edits that close out the sequence each week. Each are scenes from the episode itself, teasing the viewer to stick with the show for the next 40 minutes. It’s just darn nifty.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd4_G0Uky5U[/youtube]

9.  John From Cincinnati

HBO started the decade out strong, but lost their way a little bit in the second half. While John From Cincinnati was creatively sound, it simply didn’t resonate with audiences at all. And understandably so. The show was a little off-beat with even regular viewers not entirely certain what the show was about.

The show had a very specific vibe to it that isn’t entirely easy to define. What makes this such a strong title sequence is the way that it managed to capture the mood of the program while going that little bit further. For a show that depended so heavily on the history of the characters and their relationships prior to the pilot episode, the use of archival surf footage makes the title sequence note perfect.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrWZlh7DnBE[/youtube]

8. Dead Like Me

Can an opening sequence be more charming and whimsical? Dead Like Me’s protagonist is a recently dead girl who discovers that she is to be a grim reaper. The show was very much a street-level look at people living in the afterlife.

What better way to depict this than an opening title sequence in which grim reapers go about their day to day lives? It’s certainly not as artful as other opening title sequences, but it conveyed the mood and point of the show perfectly.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM7xSSDd7TQ[/youtube]

7. Dexter

It’s difficult not to be impressed by this sequence. Dexter, the series about a serial killer working as a forensic scientist, has this delightful open each week which starts by focussing on the hair folicles of the shows protagonist. Dexter then goes on to cook and eat some fleshy meat for breakfast, before moving on with the rest of his morning.

The extreme voyeuristic focus on skin, hair folicles, juices, and other residues left behind by the meticulously careful Dexter is captivating. The opening sequence tells us nothing about the shows focus, but once it’s made aparent, the challenge is then not to giggle with glee everytime you experience this opening title sequence.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSjvLWHgaPI[/youtube]

6. Weeds

This is a series that has always played it loose with their opening titles. The first season was this wonderful depiction of the sterility of the housing estate lived in by the characters of the show. The gated community of Agrestic is depicted as a monotonous existence in which actions of the residents are repeated by one another and everyone looks the same.  It’s a clever intro that speaks volumes about the evironment that the characters exist within.

The second season replaces the theme song performed by Malvina Reynolds with cover versions of the same song, Little Boxes, performed by a different artist each week. The fourth season ditches the title sequence entirely as the characters move on from Agrestic/Majestic.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mGTLrI8rxQ[/youtube]

5. Desperate Housewives

While the sequence looks complicated, big, and brassy, the concept of this title sequence is fairly simple in its design. Taking images of women from well-known artwork, the sequence attempts to show women from all walks of life. While the women in the art are generally constructs, this cuts to the heart of the women depicted in the show. Through its faux-reality, Desperate Housewives makes no attempt to pretend that the women in the show are in any way real. They’re caricatures to an extent, and unashamedly so.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCzpPQzLNHU[/youtube]

4. Big Love

Polygamy is often looked at as a male fantasy. Not so in this drama series. A viewpoint made very clear though the opening titles for Big Love.

The Big Love opening title sequence is not only lushly shot, but works beautifully to serve the underlying themes of the show. The cracks forming beneath Bill Henrickson and his brides serve to illustrate the fact the characters family structure is at risk from the stresses that their larger family place on them, as well as the general threat from the wider community who deem polygamy immoral.

The credits look great, have a strong metaphor that cuts to the heart of the show, and have that great Brian Wilson track ‘God Only Knows’ as the theme song. It’s difficult not to be enamoured with this sequence.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y9c2Sfo1hM[/youtube]

3. Flight of The Conchords

This one makes the list due to the spirit of the sequence.

First, it is worth noting that its a great looking title sequence. The music crackles and the fact that it looks like a music video works wonderfully for this music-infused sitcom. It exudes the cool, indie folk-rock fun that this show is known for.

What makes it truly noteworthy, however, is that the sequence completely ignores the obvious route, which is to use a Flight of The Conchords song as the theme. Instead, it’s a pure instrumental affair – void of any jokes in itself. It’s great for establishing the general mood of the show, yet plays to the strength of the show by offering the unexpected.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALEQDC-NjoU[/youtube]

2. True Blood

This title sequence is an outstanding achievement. It couldn’t be more captivating. Embracing the humid smouldering sexuality of Louisiana and combining it with the delicious swagger of the accompanying theme song, the True Blood opening sequence compells you to take notice.

With its sharp editing between its shots of traditional Louisianan religious iconography interspliced with lust-driven imagery, and a nod to the racial conflict-inspired culture of the region throughout its history, these are opening titles that manage to be arousing and generally creepy all at once.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwXuZ14-d6M[/youtube]

1. Mad Men

This was a given and its doubtful that anyone can argue against this being the finest title sequence produced this decade.

Heavily inspired by the Saul Bass opening titles of the 60′s, the title sequence centers on the sillhouette of a man falling from the security of his office (and past advertising campaigns).

Mad Men sets its focus on Don Draper and the ad agency of Sterling Cooper as the characters deal with the changing social and political world that surrounds them. The falling sillhouette perfectly captures the anxiety and despair of the characters lives changing with such rapid pace. While the sillhouette is assumed to be Don Draper, it could just as easily be any of the characters in the show.

As in the show itself, the advertising campaigns witnessed in the title sequence are a representation of the way that society is being packaged. An advertisement offers a time capsule into the ideologies of an era. The falling sillouette passes each of these campaigns, reflecting different attitudes of a society in flux.

The Mad Men title sequence has achieved mass pop cultural recognition. While the show itself has a niche viewership, the credit sequence is well known to all. It’s inspired a Simpsons parody and has become the visual touchstone by which people now know the show. It’s this recognition, combined with the elegance of the sequence, that confirms its position as the finest title sequences offered in the 00′s.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQdihTFaKj8[/youtube]

Honourable mentions: Carnivale, Deadwood, Six Feet Under, Lost, Satisfaction, Bored To Death, United States of Tara, House, and The IT Crowd.