Television

Take my love, take my land Take me where I cannot stand I don't care cause I'm still free You can't take the sky from me

I think it's time we blow this scene

The Cheers theme song encapsulates a whole region of my childhood brain. I still get chills of nostalgia whenever I hear it.

Also, the theme to Trailer Park Boys builds a particular ball of sadness and nostalgia in my stomach.

Knight Rider was a theme I always loved

Doctor Who - lots of variants over the years but it's other worldly and really fits the show.

Game of Thrones, hands down. Different every time and focused on where most of the episode would take place.

If we can't agree on that one, then it's Airwolf.

Seconding Firefly

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' theme was groundbreaking comedy on TV for the time because it took an internet trend and did the thing

Gilligan's Island is cultural bedrock

So was Friends

Greatest American Hero, a song about a guy forced to have super powers that just wants to be boring. Best part of the show was the song.

The Muppet Show

Fresh Prince

X-Men, Batman and Gargoyles all have fantastic openings.

I always loved the fact the Game of Thrones opening showed the specific places we would visit in each episode.

Babylon 5 has a different intro each season, and the season three opening in particular hits really hard the first time you get to it.

Brisco County Jr had a theme that was so inspiring, NBC bought the rights to use it for the Olympics.

The X-Files is iconic

take my love, take my land -- Firefly

🎶 It's been a long road.... 🎵

hands down and without a doubt; m.a.s.k.

runner up? ds9 specifically season 1 - especially the premiere pre wormhole reveal.

third runner up? adventures of little koala - especially the japanese version

fourth runner up is david the gnome

worst? TURBO TEEN

Best: The Expanse Worst: Star Trek Enterprise

I don't know about best, but I will always watch the intro for the first season of Peacemaker. It is so absolutely ridiculous. The second season opening is good, too, but not quite as classic.

Are ya ready kids?!

Ducktales is the best. I scrolled for a while and some how didn't see it posted

FRIENDLY FACES EVERYWHERE

HUMBLE FOLKS WITHOUT TEMPTATION

Babylon 5. I challenge anyone to listen to that intro and not get curious. Also, I think it was the first series to change the intro from season to season.

King of the Hill is a close second.

141 comments and no one's said Futurama? That song slaps.

When HBO wasn’t run by absolute imbeciles, I honestly believe they greenlit shows based on their intro sequence.

The Sopranos, The Wire, True Blood, True Detective, Game of Thrones, Westworld, Succession, White Lotus. All top tier

Do you really wanna do you really wanna taste it?

House

I don't think I've ever skipped the Expanse intro. The singing always draws me in!

Twin Peaks must be the best one for me. I never got to see it when it was new (too young), but happened to hear the intro music and opening shots before my parents switched the channel. That minute stayed with me till I was in my late teens and bought the show on DVD.

The worst? Maybe Sex and the City, but that's also because I find the main characters self-centred and morally repulsive, which the intro communicates quite efficiently.

Buck Roger’s & the original Battlestar Galactica had great orchestral theme songs. I have both as ringtones!

Oh! I have another:

Battlestar Galactica the 2k4 remake.

Not the requiem for a dream one from the miniseries, but the vocal and drums episode intro; although both are good.

I had the drum riff as a ringtone for a while.

Best: Avatar the Last Airbender (anime). They got across all the world building you’d need to come in at any point without overstaying their welcome or being cheesy.

Worst: Star Trek Enterprise. Obviously.

I love the theme song used for MAS*H.

Haven’t seen anyone mention True Detective: S1 yet. Far From Any Road by The Handsome Family

Dexter also had a pretty cool opening sequence. Makes me hungry every time lol

Nanananananana Nananananananana BatMAN!!!!!!!!

There's a LOT of great ones, Firefly, Fresh Prince, Scrubs, GOT, Simpsons etc.

One that I cannot stand for some reason is Dexter. I don't know if it's that I saw it too much but god, I hate it with a passion.

Best... The Peacemaker! It comes with a dance.

Do musicals count?

Damn, beaten by 6 hours

https://lemmy.ca/comment/18693780

Since the obvious choice has already been mentioned (Firefly), I’ll add Top Gear to the list of best. I haven’t watched it since the Clarkson, Hammond, May days, so I’m not sure if it’s changed. But that intro was great.

So many comments for best, I feel like we need some more tip-ins for worst (mainly because you all stole my best choices, dang it).

One of the absolute worst has to be the weird John Tesh style piano-only intro to ALF. I have no idea how this show stayed on the air as long as it did, though I was absolutely part of the problem by watching it all the time.

Honorary mention to pretty much every ABC family sitcom sitcom from the late 80’s/early 90’s having the same awful formulaic intro with a saxophone and every character facing the camera with their hands on their hips.

Darkwing Duck and Wonderfalls always get stuck in my head.

Firefly. It's not a great song, but its theme suits the show very well.

Also, although it eludes me now, the opening theme to the Sweden/Denmark Bridge TV series with Sofia Helin. Loved the show, loved the intro, but forget it now.

Edit: https://youtu.be/0A1r9Jk9UC8 'hollow talk'

Best intro? Too Many Cooks. No questions.

Not sure about worst, though. Some are just… uninteresting, I guess

Related: The Lost Art of TV Theme Songs