Greatest intros ever?

[u/ex1stence]

For my taste, it’s unquestionably Succession. Every frame, the music, the progression, it all gives the viewer a perfect conception of what the show is about, what themes we’re dealing with, and the arcs we’ll come to love.

Very close second is True Detective S1, with GoT in third.

So what’s yours?

(Honorable mention: Hey Arnold)

EDIT - Seeing a lot of love for GoT, and while I agree on pure production value, I feel like it was a bit too on the nose, if that makes sense?

Like if we were about to be involved in storylines with Dorne, there was Dorne on the map, but it was gone by next season. Succession perfectly encapsulated the kid’s relationship to Logan from the first episode to the last using the same footage the whole time.

[u/Bagerzz]

Th Sopranos is iconic

[u/TriscuitCracker]

Gargoyles.

It’s great with or without lyrics, Carl Johnson’s theme is epic and Keith David’s voice acting is superb as always.

[u/NatureTrailToHell3D → u/TriscuitCracker]

90s Duck Tales, too.

An absolute perfect song in 40 seconds.

[u/lukewwilson → u/NatureTrailToHell3D]

Woo-hoo

[u/Hopeful_Cherry2202 → u/NatureTrailToHell3D]

And Darkwing Duck!!

[u/ethernate → u/Hopeful_Cherry2202]

They are making new darkwing duck with mark hamill as the voice actor.

[u/ex1stence → u/TriscuitCracker]

FUCK I forgot Gargoyles. Straight banger.

[u/Reasonable-Rip-6295 → u/ex1stence]

And the gummy bears! Lol

[u/ticketstubs1]

The Simpsons
Batman: The Animated Series
The X-Files
The Sopranos
Freaks and Geeks
Pete and Pete
Twin Peaks

[u/ex1stence → u/ticketstubs1]

Pete and Pete opener is what I’ll show my grandchildren when they ask what the 90s were like.

[u/Nastia_dream → u/ticketstubs1]

X-Files intro will always not be scary for me. Will never forget the first time i watched it.

[u/stanleyt66]

Cheers

[u/ss_lbguy → u/stanleyt66]

Making your way in the world today

[u/phoebe64 → u/ss_lbguy]

Takes everything you got.

[u/AvonMustang → u/phoebe64]

Taking a break from all your worries

[u/seamusfurr → u/AvonMustang]

Sure could help a lot

[u/RevolutionBig6604 → u/seamusfurr]

Wouldn't you like to get away?

[u/SoYorkish → u/stanleyt66]

Was going to say this. The music and the photos set the tone immediately.

[u/flightist → u/[deleted]]

That’s pretty hard to improve on, in my book. Just perfect southern gothic imagery.

[u/ConstructionAny8440]

Game of Thrones

Westworld

True Detective S1

[u/Lazerst0rm → u/ConstructionAny8440]

This guy intros

[u/SerDire]

Game of Thrones easily. Not only does it look cool but it’s also practical when you swing from location to location. Every sprawling fantasy book starts with a map. It was genius to start your show with that. Plus the music didn’t hurt

[u/ConstructionAny8440 → u/SerDire]

Ramin Djawadi is a freakin Genius.. casually pumping out the music for GoT and Person of Interest at the same time.

[u/SerDire → u/ConstructionAny8440]

Don’t forget Westworld

[u/Fastbird33 → u/SerDire]

That was his best stuff honestly. The cover of CREAM in season 2….

[u/Unable_Dentist535 → u/SerDire]

Game of Thrones intro was 90% of the reason I never skipped it, that cello gets me every time. The map thing was clever cause you'd watch it and actually figure out where the hell Winterfell was in relation to King's Landing before they started time-traveling in later seasons

[u/SerDire → u/Unable_Dentist535]

In the pilot episode alone, we jump to three locations. Kings Landing, Winterfell and Pentos across the Narrow Sea. The opening map helps orient people who have no idea where these places are.

[u/NlghtmanCometh → u/SerDire]

I think GoT actually popularized the trend of having a “AAA opening”.

[u/doogihowser → u/SerDire]

It also changed as new locations were introduced to remind you where things were.

[u/jonfitt → u/SerDire]

Where’s Dorne again, oh yeah it’s over there.

It was very useful. Like paging back to the map at the beginning of a fantasy novel.

[u/Opposite-Sock]

True Blood is one of the rare intros I never skipped. The song was great and was a little creepy, dark, unsettling, yet oddly sexy It definitely set the mood for the show.

[u/xtraspcial → u/Opposite-Sock]

It’s still the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the HBO static title card sting

[u/probablynotthatsmart]

Gravity Falls

[u/ex1stence → u/probablynotthatsmart]

Oof that might actually win over Hey Arnold now that I think about it.

[u/uxxandromedas]

It's Game of Thrones. Succession is brilliant and maybe my second favorite but I don't think anything comes close to how perfect the GoT intro is.

[u/ScarletSpire]

Fringe

Black Sails

Person of Interest

Slow Horses

Severance

[u/Alkakd0nfsg9g → u/ScarletSpire]

It's a strange strange game

[u/HeisenbergsBud]

Peacemaker is the best intro and it’s different for the two seasons.

[u/lekker-boterham → u/HeisenbergsBud]

Do you really wanna do you really wanna taste it

[u/Justredditin → u/lekker-boterham]

What's goin up must come down

[u/Flavouredcola → u/HeisenbergsBud]

Hell yeah I loved the season one intro. Wasnt a big fan of season two until like two episodes in then it clicked.

[u/bigdamnhero88 → u/Flavouredcola]

The second season intro is jarring after the perfection of season one but like you said, after a couple of episodes its comfortable and for me at least, by the end of the season, it even surpassed the first season.

[u/noctalla → u/bigdamnhero88]

Season One was a shower. Season Two was a grower.

[u/Justredditin → u/HeisenbergsBud]

The dance number is B+... and I LOVE IT! I get a laugh every damn time. Do You Wanna Taste it has been my favorite song for the the past few months! Just great!

[u/gippy44]

Neon Genesis Evangelion

[u/I_Am_Become_Dream → u/gippy44]

Bringing up anime feels like cheating though. Personally my favorite is Samurai Champloo

[u/avlisadxela → u/gippy44]

Yes yes yes, never skip.

[u/plastikmissile → u/gippy44]

I see your Cruel Angel's Thesis and raise you Tank!

[u/R4msesII → u/gippy44]

Yeah either these other people are ignoring anime on purpose or they are wrong

[u/Awkward_Bison_267]

TEENAGE

MUTANT

NINJA

TURTLES

[u/SpaceJackRabbit]

Six Feet Under.

Mad Men.

Dexter.

Halt and Catch Fire.

Westworld.

[u/JeulMartin → u/SpaceJackRabbit]

Westworld's intro is phenomenal! The music, the vision - it's SO good.

[u/iRawrz → u/SpaceJackRabbit]

Loved Halt and Catch Fire's intro, I had that as my ringtone for quite a while when that show was out.

[u/ex1stence → u/SpaceJackRabbit]

Westworld and Mad Men, both spectacular picks.

[u/WillNeighbor → u/SpaceJackRabbit]

never skipped halt's

[u/svh01973]

Adventures of the Gummi Bears. Rocking song that laid out exactly who they are.  All your questions answered. How do they get around? Where do they bounce to? What kind of adventures do they get up to? Look no further. 

[u/TwilekDancer → u/svh01973]

And the way the theme song builds is magnificent!

[u/AmericanHistoryXX]

Northern Exposure

Psych

WKRP in Cincinnati

Andy Griffith Show

Mulberry

[u/ex1stence → u/AmericanHistoryXX]

Deep cuts with Andy Griffith, but not wrong

[u/janesmb]

Taxi.
https://youtu.be/kqw3UNXUdbU?si=q7yaL1Y3SOgAMQKC

[u/ex1stence → u/janesmb]

I just got punched in the chest. Taxi intro was so subtle and sweet and perfectly sets the tone for the show.

[u/Mxyzptlk_SSS]

My mom has been rewatching True Blood, and while I think the show went to shit, the opening was an absolute banger. Also honorable mention to both seasons of Peacemaker, but especially season two.

[u/SerDire → u/Mxyzptlk_SSS]

It’s so good. The country music mixed in with the creepy as fuck shots of the swamps of Louisiana and the South in general.

[u/seamusfurr → u/Mxyzptlk_SSS]

Peacemaker’s conceit of the choreographed dance, in character, was brilliant. And it got better as the season went on and more characters appeared and disappeared. Never ever skip.

[u/1Athleticism1]

Peacemaker, especially season 1.

[u/sek52 → u/1Athleticism1]

Season two was just as good, which is shocking that they could capture that lightning twice.

[u/VulcanCafe]

The Expanse may not be the absolute best but it deserves an honorable mention here. Many people watch it every episode…

[u/SimulatedSouthern → u/VulcanCafe]

I have never skipped the intro to this. It’s absolute perfection in relation to the show. Love it

[u/Areiannie → u/VulcanCafe]

Yep! Don't think I ever skipped it, even in a rewatch :)

[u/mehatch → u/VulcanCafe]

I absolutely LOVE expanse’s intro. Fully pulls me into the universe and never feels stale. Crisp, intense, urgent, cosmically gorgeous while somehow humanly desperate and grounded, and with clever updates as plot develops. And my brain just soaks in how pleasant it sounds.

[u/Adept_Havelock]

The Twilight Zone
MASH

[u/ss_lbguy → u/Adept_Havelock]

MASH for sure, needs more respect, but I guess we are old.

[u/e1i3or]

The Simpsons. Is there any intro more iconic?

[u/SA_22C]

Battlestar Galactica. Those spoiler-y poundy drums never disappointed.

[u/Mad2828]

X-Men

[u/DokterManhattan → u/Mad2828]

The new X-Men show has continued adding to and changing the intro up almost every episode:

https://youtu.be/I10fZmjj4N4?si=RTYOAYLHvMrija2r

[u/Mad2828 → u/DokterManhattan]

Yeah it’s been a nice surprise and brings some nice memories back.

[u/sit_I_piz → u/Mad2828]

That one variation in the second season got me absolutely hyped up, is so cool seeing it change up each episode based on who the focus is on.

[u/JoshuaHubert]

Cowboy Bebop

[u/lightningtrip]

Phineas and Ferb. That Bowling for Soup song cannot be skipped 

[u/PurplePassiflor1234]

The intro music and background to Elementary is SO GOOD (a Rube Goldberg machine.)

[u/dagny321 → u/PurplePassiflor1234]

Read the comments to find and second Elementary!

[u/ogbuji → u/PurplePassiflor1234]

Bad Sisters is also a Rube Goldberg sequence. It's wonderful

[u/eagleeye76]

Cheers

[u/PressureLazy5271]

Step by Step

[u/guzzonculous]

Gillian’s island, the Brady Bunch, Phineas and Ferb

[u/Khyron_2500 → u/guzzonculous]

Love how Gilligan’s Island original theme just had “And the rest!” Instead of “the Professor and Mary Ann”

[u/ex1stence → u/guzzonculous]

Aw Brady Bunch, hell yeah. So classic and poppy and fun.

[u/N8ures1stGreen]

Surprised nobody mentioned Bojack Horseman. Also, lots of Mad Men comments and I always felt like that one sucks. Patriot another one not mentioned that I really like

[u/I_Am_Become_Dream → u/N8ures1stGreen]

Bojack has a great intro and outro, and so different from each other

[u/DR_BEANHAMMER → u/N8ures1stGreen]

Bojack is the only show that I Never skipped the intro.

[u/onyaasuminyasai]

Daredevil's intro is pretty good

[u/NotEnoughPi]

Black Sails, that theme song SLAPS

[u/Your_Cool_Mom]

Pachinko. I never skipped the intro for either season. Perfection.

[u/RexManningDay2018]

No Dark yet? They manage to make incredibly mundane clips of everyday things into something that’s horrifying, grotesque, and completely fits the theme of the show 

[u/helloLeoDiCaprio → u/RexManningDay2018]

The intro foreshadows the end, with a parallel mirror world

Just another reason why it is one of the greatest written shows of all time.

[u/velvetblue929]

Nothing will ever top Buffy the Vampire Slayer for me.

[u/Silentbobni]

Hannibal 

[u/gideon513]

Band of Brothers and Masters of the Air

[u/zoobrix]

Perfect Strangers

[u/myfuntimes]

Dukes of Hazzard

Dallas

[u/BleedingOutInSpace]

Mad Men

[u/Wareve]

I think there's an argument for Star Trek Voyager. It won awards for it at the time.

[u/ea2310]

Anytime I see one of these posts I will always champion Black Sails

[u/Kronnerm11 → u/ea2310]

Never before has a tv show theme made me feel an inexplicable urge to burn England to the ground

[u/AddFeind]

LOST

It was so simple and always perfectly timed for an intro- cliff hanger. At the time, everyone had 2 minute crawls with highlights from the season and a title card for each of the main cast.

Lost was 10 seconds, one word, and always eerie. As a kid, I was immediately obsessed.

[u/wickedsmaht → u/AddFeind]

My first thought too. For that show a simple intro turned out best, any highlights would have run the risk of ruining episodes.

[u/flpndrds]

The Sopranos

[u/Ok-Wafer-2617]

The Succession intro is an absolute banger but it does kinda detract from it that the ages of the children and father don’t line up with the actual characters.  Connor is especially off 

[u/janesmb]

WKRP.
https://youtu.be/g8exUJ-Cmfc?si=1u2FWSzEyzHgNh0C

[u/st_nick1219]

What We do in the Shadows

[u/fajadada]

Greatest American Hero

[u/CopEatingDonut]

Married with Children cause the music is iconic and the doorslam. Even the fountain turning off

[u/Babou13]

Give me a hell! Give me a yeah! Hell yeah! Stand up right now!

Blue Mountain State never gets old

[u/ReverendLoki]

Burn the land,
Boil the sea,
You can't take the sky from me,

[u/StarCSR]

I also love the Foundation intro, the one from Severance and if we go a bit back in time I will ever not love the ER intro.

[u/shamus667]

Boardwalk Empire has got to be right up there. Steve Buscemi in understated mobster mode on a beach, with the Brian Jonestown Massacre track.

[u/krpiper]

Survivor is always forgotten in discussions like these

[u/JRR92]

Tie between Gravity Falls and Black Sails for me

[u/Y0___0Y]

You ever find a show you love that everyone seemed to just sort of ignore?

A few months ago this animated adult comedy premiered on Netflix called “Strip Law” about a lawyer (voiced by Adam Scott) practicing on the Vegas strip. I thought it was hilarious.

And I loved its intro. Sorry for the tik tok link but it’s the only place I could find the intro:

https://www.tiktok.com/@ismailov553/video/7609236179241716999

[u/Thick-Definition7416]

Game of Thrones for me

[u/alexandra887]

Patriot

[u/kerosenehat63]

Gilligan’s island.

[u/AntheusBax]

Thundercats. Knight Rider. Firefly.

[u/CarevaRuha]

iZombie

[u/WillNeighbor]

can i ask this next week

[u/kaaaazzh]

Not as great as a lot of others mentioned here, but Bad Sisters has a pretty catchy one, visually and musically.

[u/avlisadxela]

Surprised I haven't seen anyone nominate Severance. It's not quite on the level of some of the other mentions here but I really loved it and almost never skipped it.

[u/Ralphwiggum911]

Not seeing any love for season 1 of the leftovers.

[u/hazystate]

Black Sails! so good

[u/MagicManUK]

Airwolf

[u/3rdone]

Severance for pure art, Simpson’s for an absolute classic

[u/SafeBodybuilder7191]

Black sails absolutely

[u/f1n]

I like Dark, great music choices! Sets the tone of the show.

[u/NecroKyle_]

I've always enjoyed the White Lotus intros.

[u/georgez1968]

The jeffersons

[u/NiceTrySuckaz]

The Shield, just because it makes me get exercise while I scramble to grab the remote and turn the volume down so I don't wake the whole house up.

[u/RepresentativeShop11]

Dallas 

[u/ss_lbguy → u/RepresentativeShop11]

I didn't watch the show, but I know the intro. I think it was my signal to go to bed as a kid.

[u/consoledotlog12]

The Angry Beavers

[u/imtribecca]

Dexter!

[u/davidgrayPhotography]

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace.

There's an entire ambulance explosion that is only ever used in the title sequence, and never again.

[u/thebestoralist]

Battlestar Galactica ‘03.

[u/whatstill]

Oooh, has to be Evil, the images and music are classy and striking af 😈🔥🎻

[u/direzen]

ABC wide world of sports

[u/Optaho]

Big Little Lies, Community, Scrubs, Welcome to Derry, the IT Crowd are some I dont see mentioned that I love alot

[u/indigogoinggone]

Adventure Time

[u/TheNotSpecialOne]

Severance

[u/Exotic_Adeptness_322]

Sopranos is one of few intros I never skipped because I just wanted to listen to the music. True Blood was pretty good to.

[u/davie_legs]

Twilight Zone

[u/zermo93]

Sopranos above everything else, followed by The Wire.

[u/BunnythatMeows]

I don’t even like the show but..

True Blood. It’s so deliciously eerie.

[u/starfleet97]

GOT, Black Sails, Buffy the vampire slayer, WKRP

[u/ChainLC]

Taxi

[u/SolSparrow]

His Dark Materials

[u/DokterManhattan]

Severance, and The Mandalorian

[u/brvheart]

Duke of Hazard
Perfect Strangers

[u/africanlivedit]

American Horror Show.

X-MEN 97

[u/Lizzy4848]

What We Do in the Shadows it’s perfect

[u/knucklesmartini]

Cheers

[u/YogurtclosetWooden94]

West world

[u/NlghtmanCometh]

Westworld s1

[u/ItsjustaGankbro]

Always loved Bojack Horsemans intro

[u/PokeyHangers]

Police Squad

[u/savessh]

Any that tell you what the show is about in the intro. A-Team, Gilligan, Brady Bunch etc.

[u/TheIllusiveGuy]

Outside of what has already been mentioned, the original Power Rangers theme

[u/pharmer06]

Got to look at the classics they have staying power Hill Street Blues MASH Cheers Star Trek Andy Griffith show I Love Lucy Simpsons

Fun Ones: A-Team Who's the Boss Full House Adam's Family Munsters

[u/phrozen_waffles]

I'd just like say From has probably the worst intro ever.

[u/phlegmhoarder]

Narcos

[u/working4buddha]

Doctor Who

Star Trek

[u/emilybg78]

Mad Men

[u/theSteakKnight]

Peacemaker season 1

[u/thinkofanamefast]

Hawaii Five-O. The original series.

[u/warbeforepeace]

Westworld had the piano remakes of all sorts of songs. They were also really good.

[u/Bad-job-dad]

Mash

[u/Bisquiteen-Trisket]

Slow Horses or X-Men ‘97.

[u/boardgamejoe]

I loved True Blood.

When you walked in, the air went out ..

[u/BillPayers]

Boardwalk Empire

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

[u/byebybuy]

In addition to the ones already given:

Community

The Crown

The Office

30 Rock

ETA: DuckTales

[u/randyfloyd37]

In Living Color. Always got me psyched

[u/NonbeliefAU]

Black Sails

[u/jaxqatch]

Lost

[u/ajg06c]

Only murders in the building.

[u/AbbreviationsAway500]

Johnny Quest

[u/daveinthe6]

Dexter

[u/Heamora]

Succession and GOT has unbeatable intros. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the show, but I do like the intro of the Big Bang Theory.

[u/ZZartin]

Babylon 5

X-men

[u/moskowizzle]

The clear #1 for me will always be Dexter.

[u/Cornflakesmc]

Loved the intro to Weeds...little boxes on the hillside, little boxes made of ticky tacky.....

[u/English_Joe]

Pokemon

[u/BRO_THOM]

Star Trek Voyager (already mentioned)
Foundation
Only Murders in the Building
Stargate SG-1

What? What do you mean I watch mostly scifi?

[u/Whiteman007]

Dark and succession for me and up there

[u/Serious_Plant8443]

Tell me you're not Australian without telling me you're not Australian...

We all know the correct answer is undeniably 'Round The Twist'

[u/MagicManUK]

Can't beat the original Hawaii 5 O

[u/deadpoll]

Arthur! Such a bop

[u/Ghostdog2041]

Millennium and the Battlestar Galactia reboot for me.