All of this recent blogging about opening title sequences got me thinking. So I geeked out and put together this uber-funtastico list.
The Best
Star Trek
Absolute perfection. It's like I'm in 4th grade watching the old reruns after school. It's enough to make a gal nostalgic for warp speed engines, tribbles, and pointy ears.
Twilight Zone
A classic. It goes without saying.
Battlestar Galactica (70's) Intro
Gosh, it's all so pretty and majestic.
The Jetsons
Brilliant.
Lost in Space
"Looooost...iiiinnnn....Spaaaaace...." Nuff said.
Roswell
Memorable because of the standout song that skyrocketed Dido's career.
The Worst
Automan
So bad and so retro that maybe it's come full circle and it's actually good now. Err...nope. Still bad. I am willing to admit I watched this show. It was the coolest...when I was like 10 or something.
Land of the Lost (70's)
Yeah, baby. Dinosaurs are scary. Run for the hills (which look suspiciously like cast offs from the old Star Trek set). If nothing else this sequence should serve as a PSA against the dangers of rafting.
Buck Rogers (Original Intro)
What??? Buck Rogers spends most of this incredibly long intro feigning sleep and having what ultimately turns out to be a trippy, somewhat naughty, absurdly sexist dream. It's enough to make you wonder if Hugh Hefner was working as a consult on this project.
Wonderwoman
Sure, she's hot but I still dare you not to laugh. Does Hollywood really think a premise like this will translate with today's audiences? Um, good luck with that (especially now that Whedon isn't attached).
Firefly
I loved the series. And I love, love, love Joss Whedon. So this one hurts. But that song? Is it any wonder that no one stuck around to watch the show after the opening sequence?
Saturday, August 18, 2007
The Top 5 Best & Worst Sci-Fi Television Series Opening Sequences...EVER.
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25 comments:
I agree with you about the Firefly song. I liked the show, but hated the song!
You sir are crazy. I still catch myself humming the theme to Firefly.
hey. I like the firefly intro... :-(
you're on crack, the Firefly theme song is actually a true original. not all the bland, stamped out cramp that hollywood passes as "good" these days.
the theme song was written by Joss himself...it has feeling, emotion, and soul in it.
The Firefly song is so awesome and so fitting for that show.
Not to be too much of a fanboy... but how does the Lost in Space intro rank above Firefly's? I found the Firefly intro rather good, not great, but good - catchy music and shots did a good job of evoking the 'sci-fi western' nature of the program. And where is the 6 Million Dollar Man? "we can rebuild him, we have the technology!" ranks at least as high as most anything there. Roswell's intro, while it has relatively pretty music, is just a plain montage of shots from the show and makes it look like a sappy drama, not good sci-fi.
Now that I'm done criticizing... good job bringing those classics to the forefront. I'm very happy with the inclusion of the Jetsons - I can think of few shows more iconic of the retrofuture.
Land of the Lost, one of the worst? Blasphemy.
Sci-fi banjos, he-llo.
Are you kidding me ?
Firefly song is the best ever.
I grew up on the original StarTrek myself. Loves the show, hated the credits. It sounded like a malfunctioning radio w/ it's constant blipping.
Serenity/Firefly is a old western sci-fi. It mixes the nostalgia of an old western w/ spaceships and aliens. A country music song is very appropiate. I loved both the intro and the show. I guess there are'nt a lot of country fans that watch sci-fi, which is why the show failed. I'm sad to see it go.
Great post. Awesome collection of credits. But its soo unfair to lump Firefly in with Wonderwoman and BuckRogers.
The firefly song took a while to get its way into my head but once it was there I started to think it was an AWESOME intro. Honest.
Also what about some new credits for 'best of'. How about Enterprise or BSG (the new one) they both have awesome opening credits.
What are you talking about. That song was excellent. Brilliant even, and it meshed with the show really well.
Agreed on all counts.
I actually saw the Land of the Lost intro on YouTube recently and I actually cringed. And then they hit the high note at the end and I cringed again.
Sleestaks rocked, though.
That was worth it for Erin Gray's hair flip in the Buck Rogers intro.
I have to agree that Star Trek and The Twilight Zone are the best in that order but I think you were too harsh with Firefly.
The Firefly song was perfect for that series and the words had special meaning for the show that the casual viewer probably wouldn't pick up on. I'd say it belongs in the top five instead of the bottom five.
haha Attack of the Firefly Fans!
I too enjoy the fly of fire, and I hated the themesong when I first heard it. 3/4 episodes in, I was singing along. It suits the show so well in context, but to an outside observer, it sounds silly.
You missed some of the best ( and worst ) title sequences ever. Just look to the UQ.
Doctor who ? ANY of them , they're all great
Blakes 7 ? Ok, so the special effects aren't that hot, but god they've got a great themesong
Hmmm...
In hindsight, the Roswell intro is probably not one of the best of all time. I haven't caught some of the intros mentioned but I will be sure to do that.
As for Firefly? I'm standing behind this one. That song is terrible. Yes,like other Firefly fans, I too have conditioned to like it. But the first time I heard it...yikes.
Anthony beat me to the punch, but here ya go anyway:
Dr. Who intro:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ic1WURj2C8
Tom Baker is the Roger Moore of Dr. Whos...There are better one's, but that's the one I grew up watching.
Great collection though, what a throwback.
The theme song for Firefly is horrendous. If they would've left it as just an instrumental, it would have been ok -- I like the part that plays over the end credits --, but those lyrics can only be described by a word that hasn't been coined yet, one that registers about 10 shades beyond lame. Yes, yes, the lyrics relate to the show, but really, I think one would have to try for a very long time to come up with lyrics more generic than those.
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That is a great selection of shows, all of them were good.
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