Opening Credits No Longer Popular

[Joshua]

Has anybody noticed that opening credits in shows for example opening credits like "Buffy" or "Angel" are no longer used or popular anymore? I can't remember the last time I saw an intro for a TV show that wasn't an instrumental with a title card

 

[zobothehobo]

Well I'll point out here that both Buffy and Angel had opening credits that were instrumentals. So....

But yes. The theme song/opening credits thing is going out of style. Which is sad to be honest. I mean... What makes you happier than hearing the Friends theme song? Or the Scrubs sped up version of Superman by Lazlo Bane? Theme songs become a part of the tradition of watching the show... everyone has their own thing they do. For instance, I dance like a MAD PERSON when I watch Smallville and it's theme song (Save Me by Remy Zero) starts. It's part of the experience of watching Smallville for me... the dramatic dance moves and freaking a shit. hahah

 

[sosa lola]

I love the theme songs. I wish they'll make a come back. I've memorized all the theme songs of famous sitcomes like Mad About You, Friends, Golden Girls, Cheers and Family Ties.

 

[AndrewCrossett]

"Game of Thrones" has one of the best opening sequences ever. But yes, most shows have done away with theme songs and intro sequences. They barely get 40 minutes now for an hour-long show, so they can't waste all that time.

 

[Living Dead Boy]

I'm with [MENTION=10363]zobothehobo[/MENTION]. It used to be an integral part of a series, and lots of times it can define a show. C'mon, the entire concept of Buffy was the subversion of the helpless female. What better way to subvert your expectations by hearing the traditional horror music at the beginning, then having it turn into this loud, rollicking punk song. And I loved singing along to the Smallville theme! I used to pretend like I'm playing the piano every time Everybody Loves Raymond came on. It's also a tradition for me and my mom to sing the Golden Girls theme song every time it comes on.

"Thank you for being a frieeeeend!!!" 😀

 

[SlayerOfVampyrs]

I, too, miss the opening themes of TV shows at times. However, I completely understand why networks are, at large, doing away with them. Commercial time seems to keep getting longer, while the actual air time remains only an hour. They can't waste the valuable minute or so on credits.

 

[brinkster130]

For the most part I've always enjoyed the opening credits theme songs or music. Like others have said, they really do add a special characteristic and feeling to each show. There are several songs that will forever be associated with the television show that used it in the opening credits. Makes me nostalgic thinking about all the shows with opening songs I loved.

The only time I don't enjoy the opening credits are when I am doing a marathon watch and hearing/seeing it over and over can get tiresome; but thats what the fast forward button is for.

 

[WileyDairyGnome]

I agree so much, I miss tv shows having theme songs! I love the theme songs to Buffy, Friends, Smallville, Dawson's Creek, and Ghost Whisperer. 🙂 I understand they no longer use them because of commercial breaks, but I mean, they could at least air a short version on TV and then have the full version on DVD? 😛 The theme song adds to the experience of watching the show itself.

 

[nmcil12]

I must be the odd man out here - I don't miss those intro songs much.
Even with GOT - I just fast forward right past it.
With Buffy and Angel - I totally hated both intro songs. To this day, I always go right past the intro songs. And I continue to absolutely hate the Buffy Intro Song.

 

[sk]

This is something I also have noticed.
But I like it. As already mention a shorter opening credits give you more time to tell the story. And generally I prefer watching a story being told over watching the same opening credits over and over again.

There are some great opening credits out there though. Like AndrewCrossett said, Game of Thrones is one of the best I've ever seen.

/SK

 

[Taake]

I think it's a bit of a fad truth be told, things come and go, the market was saturated with shows with their "stand out" theme song (Dawson's Creek, X-files, Roswell, Buffy, Charmed, O.C, the CSI's... and so on and so on) and whatever popular show that started the upswing in the no theme trend made it seem fresh and new.

Many shows have caught on by now and though I think it is in part that it takes time from the show, I also think it's a bit that the audience is just tired of it. I'm sure that in a few years (when dramatic cues and a title fading in and out in a cool font has grown tired) the theme songs will make a comeback. 🙂

For now I don't really miss them. I like theme songs, a lot, but it's nice to get a break from them as it kind of feels as if we've seen it all by now anyway and it's nice not to have the show's tone 'set' in the first couple of minutes depending on what kind of theme song it has. (an upbeat tone suggests a non-too-serious show, a downer tone the opposite... Imagine "the Body" being cut into by the upbeat Buffy theme... it's not very fitting...)

 

[zobothehobo]

I, too, miss the opening themes of TV shows at times. However, I completely understand why networks are, at large, doing away with them. Commercial time seems to keep getting longer, while the actual air time remains only an hour. They can't waste the valuable minute or so on credits.

Actually commerical time has stayed pretty steady even since the end of Buffy. It was actually during Buffy's run that it changed. You can tell around season 3 I think it is the runtime changed from about 48 minutes to about 42. 42-43 minutes is the runtime now of a full hour slot. Which is the same it was back then. So if that was the case, then the change of theme songs and opening credits would have probably happened earlier. I mean that was nearly 10 years ago. We wouldn't be just feeling the effects now.

I think it's the recent obsession with 'sleek.' Having a title card is sleeker, cleaner... it leaves more time for the actual episode, and less time for extraneous stuff. While the television enthusiast, such as myself and many of you, notice the theme song and opening credits sequence as part of the television experience, the average viewer sees it as a waste of valuable story time. My mother, for instance, will fast forward through it when she can and mute it when she can't.

---------- Post added at 02:16 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:56 AM ----------

@SlayerOfVampyrs agrees: Huh. Interesting. Average runtime of Fringe for ssn 1 was 50 mins, it went down to 42 in ssn 2 and has stayed there. Either way, maybe I only notice them so much cuz I rarely actually watch TV and I detest them, so they keep seeming longer to me 😛

I didn't realize Fringe had a special runtime in it's first season. By that time, a 50 min standard runtime was just not done... special episodes could go over sure... OMWF did. That's 50 minutes (although Joss did get hell from the network about that). But 50 minutes for every episode... that's pretty much unheard of for a few years ago when Fringe season 1 aired. Interesting... I wonder why NBC allowed that to happen.


This brought up something... I kind of brought it up in my first post... but I'm wondering... If you don't like the opening sequences... do you watch a lot of TV? Like if you watch a lot of TV, are you more inclined to like opening sequences?

 

[Washburne]

Is it just me or was Lost the first time the intro/theme got extremly short? Maybe not since I don't watch everything. 😉 I remember reacting to it though.

The longer ones aren't totally extinct. Dexter, True blood, Game of thrones (as mentioned), Hawaii Five-0, The big bang theory, Community and Psych are some examples. Even if I guess some of them are more in the middle of things. If it's 10 - 20 seconds it counts as...?

I love the Psych theme (The friendly indians - I know, you know). It make me smile. When it comes to Dexter I want to skip it all together. Not because it's bad. I just don't have the patience.

As [MENTION=10582]brinkster130[/MENTION] I find the longer ones annoying when watching many episodes at once.

 

[prophecygrrl]

WOw, I've never really noticed that. One of my best Buffy-loving friends and I love jamming out to the Buffy theme song together!! It's so iconic and fun. God, I love all the Whedon show themes, come to think of it.

I really really love the Community theme! So cute. I agree though, seems like there's not as many shows with great opening credits to love these days.

 

[Ms.Trick]

Is it just me or was Lost the first time the intro/theme got extremly short? Maybe not since I don't watch everything. 😉 I remember reacting to it though.

The longer ones aren't totally extinct. Dexter, True blood, Game of thrones (as mentioned), Hawaii Five-0, The big bang theory, Community and Psych are some examples. Even if I guess some of them are more in the middle of things. If it's 10 - 20 seconds it counts as...?

Yeah that's what I was thinking, there are still many shows with an opening! I mean I watch Skins, How I met your mother, Big Bang Theory, Pretty Little Liars, The Inbetweeners and they all have (awesome) opening themes!
That might be why I don't really understand the thread, since all shows I watch have an opening theme.

And yeah, Lost was probably the first intro to be so short, I remember being shocked at the time because I had never seen such a simple and short opening (except maybe the one from Breaking Bad but it's much more recent than Lost)

 

[david4wt]

Ringer, Once Upon A Time and Glee don't have a real intro, just a titlecard.

 

[zobothehobo]

Ringer, Once Upon A Time and Glee don't have a real intro, just a titlecard.

Along with Cougar Town

 

[Vamp Jenny]

So do TVD, Supernatural, Nikita, Castle... Pretty Little Liars have a 15sec-or-so intro, but that's it.

I find it sad because I love opening credits. It's fun when you're really into a show to watch the credits and try to match the images with each episode.

 

[BuffyElevated]

I've noticed how most new shows don't have credits too... I never really thought about why other than studios trying to save money by not changing them every season.

 

[Vamp Jenny]

I get thaty sometimes you can get annoyed by the opening credit. When I have a marathon of any TV show, I tend to skip the opening credits, but once in a while I like to watch them. And some songs are great. The Gilmore Girls song was adorable. Roswell was great. Smallville was never getting old. Buffy and Angel were just awesome!

Apart from when watching lots of episodes in a row, I don't get the appeal of just having a titlecard. Yes it gives more time for the storytelling, but it's not as fun imo.