20 unskippable TV intros

It’s hard to imagine a cartoon TV landscape without Scooby-Doo. The Great Dane and his mystery-solving friends have been such a staple on the small screen that they’re practically American icons. The original series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, also had a remarkably effective intro, one which had both an earworm of a jingle as well as snippets from the show as a whole. Though Scooby has gone through many iterations over the years, this particular intro will always have a special place in the hearts of fans.

Murder, She Wrote was one of the most popular series of the 1980s and 1990s, and much of this can be attributed to Angela Lansbury’s undeniable screen presence. It also featured a memorable, if brief, intro that showcased snippets of Jessica Fletcher’s various adventures, paired with an image of her typing away on her typewriter (and later her computer). It’s an intro that helps to capture the cozy mood and ethos of the series as a whole, and skipping it would almost feel like a crime.

Even though it only lasted for two seasons, Raised by Wolves was nevertheless a fascinating piece of sci-fi storytelling. The series managed to be both thought-provoking and more than a little disturbing, particularly since it focuses on a pair of androids and their attempts to raise a group of human children. The opening sequence, with its otherworldly images and haunting vocals, establishes a pensive and slightly strange mood, and this is very much in keeping with the spirit of the series as a whole.

The Jeffersons remains a beloved sitcom, and it’s easy to see why. Like many of the other sitcoms produced by Norman Lear, it managed to combine hilarious comedy with a social conscience. It also had one of the best theme song intros in the history of the sitcom, managing to be both listenable and entertaining in its own right. No viewing of the series would be complete without watching the intro, which is key to a truly complete experience of any given episode.

Few animated series have grappled with such heavy issues as BoJack Horseman. This is clear just from the intro, which does a superb job of capturing the title character’s sense of alienation from the world around him. No matter how many times one watches it, it never fails to engender a reaction, serving as a potent and tragic reminder of BoJack’s troubled life and his tendency to engage in the same self-destructive behaviors that cause him, and those around him, so much trouble and emotional heartache.

The White Lotus has slowly but surely become a true cultural phenomenon, with a cringey and off-beat sense of humor all its own. Each season features a slightly different opening sequence, with a bizarre score that plays out over art that seems to come from its setting. It’s the kind of jarring aesthetic experience that is very much in keeping with the rest of the show, and even though not every episode is particularly strong, the intro is always worth a watch.

Apple TV+’s Chief of War  depicts the various conflicts that erupted throughout the Hawaiian Islands during the 19th century. With Jason Momoa in the lead, it manages to be a stirring and powerful historical drama. Its opening credits are also worth watching in their entirety, as they capture the beauty and the violence that are so key to the series. Like the best intros, they help to create a mood that carries through the episode to follow, allowing the viewer to see this unfamiliar world in all of its complexity. 

From the very first episode, Downton Abbey demonstrated that Julian Fellowes was the man to beat when it came to the costume drama. No one who has ever seen an episode can deny that the intro is powerful, perfectly capturing the nostalgic mood of the series as a whole. The scoring is particularly effective in this regard, suggesting that the series to come is going to be a period melodrama filled with heightened emotions and a distinctly rose-colored view of early 20th-century life on a British estate.

The intro of House of the Dragon–the first spin-off of Game of Thrones–has two different intros, both of which are compelling in their own way. The first featured blood running through the halls of a castle, while the second depicted the weaving of a tapestry (which, in turn, depicts notable events of the Dance of the Dragons). Each very nicely captured the ambience of the show as a whole, preparing viewers for the beauty and the bloodshed that was going to unfold as House Targaryen tore itself apart. 

Before its untimely cancellation, The Wheel of Time was one of the centerpieces of Amazon’s programming. It also featured an intro that perfectly captured the wonder and magic of the show’s narrative. In particular, it emphasized both the power of weaving–in keeping with the show’s emphasis on the nature of the Wheel itself, as well as the Aes Sedai’s use of the One Power–and the Aes Sedai themselves. It was the perfect lead-in to a show that was all about the circularity of time and the extraordinary influence of those who can wield supernatural and worldly power.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power takes some big swings when it comes to bringing Tolkien’s work to the screen, and for the most part, it succeeds. It also features a truly unmissable intro, one that is richly detailed and evocative, capturing the beauty and the menace of the Second Age of Middle-earth. In addition to being visually beautiful, it also features theme music composed by none other than Howard Shore, who, of course, was the composer for Peter Jackson’s film trilogy.

While its ending may have been dissatisfying for many, Game of Thrones was still a game-changer for fantasy on TV. It also featured a powerful opening sequence, which highlighted both the various locations that would play a role in the episode and also included a stirring musical background. Aside from everything else, the opening is worth watching because it shows the scope of the story and the vast geographical background, offering a bird’s-eye perspective on the various powerful people of the Seven Kingdoms vying for the Iron Throne.

The Simpsons sets a high bar when it comes to a compelling intro. From the moment the show opens with that chorus singing the name of the show, the series draws the viewer into the strange but eternally delightful world of Springfield. It’s really quite remarkable how effectively The Simpsons intro manages to introduce the various residents of the town, and if nothing else, it’s worth watching to see just how the animators will riff off the scene in which the Simpson family gathers on the couch.

HBO’s Rome might have only lasted two seasons, but it still managed to tell a powerful and compelling story about the decline and fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of Rome’s first emperor. It was a remarkably authentic series, and its opening credits made it clear that this was a series that was going to focus on the lower classes as much as the wealthy and powerful. Even now, it remains a work of art in its own right, a testament to how effective intros can be at setting the feeling for the series to follow.  

There’s no question that fantasy TV series are often the ones that pour the most energy and money into crafting compelling intros. His Dark Materials, for example, features a beautiful opening credit sequence that gestures toward the storylines that will motivate the series, particularly when it comes to traveling between various universes. The series as a whole is a remarkably faithful adaptation of Philip Pullman’s magnum opus, and the intro is a powerful introduction to this magical story. It’s the ideal blending of visuals and score.

Few theme songs are as immediately recognizable as the opening to Cheers. Like other great unmissable intros, it perfectly captures the mood and ethos of the show as a whole. After all, the bar at which the series is set is, indeed, a place where everyone knows your name. There remains something deeply comforting about this intro, which invites viewers to welcome this bar and its patrons into their homes and, in the process, inhabit a space of camaraderie that is a lovely shelter from the chaos and stress of everyday life.

The Golden Girls is one of those sitcoms that has a theme song that is immediately recognizable. Once one hears that opening bit of piano and sees the overhead shot of Miami, one can’t help but watch the whole thing all the way through. In addition to featuring the catchy song “Thank You for Being a Friend,” the intro also helps to introduce the viewer to the four main characters, in this case featuring frames that reveal, even without dialogue, their essential personalities. No matter how many times a person watches a given episode of The Golden Girls, there’s no way they can skip the intro.

HBO had a critical darling on its hands with Succession, which follows the various members of the Roy family as they scheme against one another to claim the throne of family patriarch and media mogul Logan Roy. Its intro is particularly notable, with a jangling score and view of New York that are key to establishing the bitter, cynical  — and often bleakly hilarious — vibe of the show as a whole. It’s a finely calibrated intro that works very well, and it’s key to the full experience of the show.

Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story might be a bit hit or miss when it comes to the strength of its various seasons, but even its weaker seasons have disturbing intros. It changes from season to season, of course, and the intros are remarkably effective for both giving hints at what’s to come and also setting the mood for the season as a whole. In some ways, they are works of television art in their own right, and so there’s definitely a good reason to watch them all the way through rather than skipping them altogether.

When it comes to TV intros, it’s hard to beat Ducktales. This 1980s Saturday morning cartoon may actually have the best theme song in the history of animation. In addition to nicely setting the stage for many of the adventures that Scrooge and his nephews will get into, it also has that theme song that is a true earworm. No matter how many times one may watch these familiar episodes, there’s no way that anyone is going to miss a chance to hear that beloved theme song.