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Zach Moser
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Zach Moser is a Philadelphia native who loves films, television, books, and any and all media he can get his hands on. Zach has had articles published on satirical sites such as Points In Case, Slackjaw, and McSweeney's.
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While skipping intros is enough of a common event that streamers give viewers the option at the bottom of the screen, there are some TV intros that you can't help but sit all the way through. Even in an age where viewers have little patience and low attention spans, the TV intro remains.
Some of the best TV intros of all time are easy skips. Even if they are excellent, beautiful, and thematically relevant, sometimes you just can't be bothered to sit through something you've probably seen five times previously. This is a list of those intros that, no matter how many times you've seen them, you'll watch again and again.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015-2020)
Ellie Kemper Close Up in Kimmy Schmidt
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's intro is titled "Unbreakable" by series composer Jeff Richmond, and it's the exact kind of funny, cheery, catchy theme song you would hope would open a series like this one. The clapping and sunlit scene of Kimmy (Ellie Kemper) coming out of the bunker is emblematic of the show's positivity.
The remixed version of a character saying the title is also perfect for the show, referencing real-world events of funny news bloopers. It's a quick, snappy intro that makes you want to bop your head along to the tune. It's the perfect lead-in to whatever strangeness Kimmy is dealing with in the episode.
Pinky And The Brain (1995-1998)
Brain (L) and Pinky (R)
Animated TV shows are at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to intros. Most live-action shows take advantage of the intro as an opportunity to experiment, but how much more experimental can you get in a cartoon where everything is already possible? Well, you can make the song incredibly catchy for one.
The intro, called "Pinky and the Brain Theme" by Jess Harnell, Rob Paulsen, Dorian Harewood, and Jim Cummings, describes the titular mice of the series, beginning with the memorable "ACME Labs" building. It's a catchy, somewhat foreboding theme, and the lyrics "brain, brain, brain, brain" will be stuck in yours for a while.
That '70s Show (1998-2006)
That 70s Show intro
The intro for That '70s Show is a close-up of the characters driving a car, viewed through the front window. As the intro goes on, the occupants and drivers of the car change until the whole cast has appeared. All the while, "That '70s Song" by Todd Griffin plays with the characters mouthing the lyrics.
The song is actually called "In the Street" by Big Star, but Griffin altered it for the show. After season 1, the theme is performed by Cheap Trick. It's a head-banging, enjoyable tune, and the intro is a great way to make the viewers feel like part of the cast. The constantly changing characters on screen also keep you interested.
Malcolm In The Middle (2000-2006)
Malcolm in the Middle intro
Malcolm in the Middle's intro is so quintessentially 2000s that it should feel dated, but it's as much fun now as it was then. The song that plays over the title sequence is "Boss of Me" by They Might Be Giants, a band known for their very catchy and memorable songs like "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)".
The song plays over short clips from lesser-known TV shows and cult movies, with scenes from the series spliced in. One Million Years BC, Clash of the Titans, and Nazca all make appearances in the intro. The clips happen fast, but you won't mind watching them again to catch everything.
House (2004-2006)
House and some of the cast. Clockwise from left, House, Chase, Buddy, Foreman, Wilson, Cameron
The House intro is simple, but it works so well at setting the tone, thanks in large part to Massive Attack's "Teardrop", which plays over the intro. Only the instrumental part plays, giving an otherworldly feeling to the series, and suggesting that Doctor House (Hugh Laurie) is thinking about medicine on a different level.
Pictures of medical diagrams and the inner workings of the human body are shown in quick succession, but none of it is off-putting. Instead, it grabs hold of you. It's a comforting intro to watch, with the easy, ethereal music priming you for another medical mystery only House can solve.
Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
Breaking Bad title screen.
The Breaking Bad intro is quick. It features a periodic table moving away from the screen, with only the cells for bromine and barium staying in the foreground. The "Br" of bromine and the "Ba" of barium (their respective atomic symbols) then form the beginnings of "Breaking" and "Bad".
The song playing over is an original theme created by series composer Dave Porter. It's a hard, twanging guitar strum with hollow-sounding bells and drums. It's cool, menacing, and exciting, and what's best, it's short and sweet. It takes more time to pick up the remote and skip it than it does to watch it.
The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air (1990-1996)
Will appears in front of the Hollywood sign in The Fresh Prince theme
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air intro is like a short film, introducing Will Smith and explaining exactly how a West Philly-raised teen gets sent all the way across the country to live with his wealthy family in the opulent neighborhood of Bel Air, Los Angeles. Fun fact: despite the hyphen in the title, the real Bel Air is unhyphenated.
It's a theme song that many people could say from memory, and those opening drum beats are so catchy that even if you're thinking of turning off the intro, you're putting the remote down and singing along. The goofy characters who appear for a few seconds throughout are another reason to keep watching.
Arthur (1996-2022)
Arthur and his friends on the couch and smiling in Arthur TV show
Arthur is one of those PBS masterpieces that is as relevant and enjoyable now as it was when it premiered nearly 30 years ago. It helps that the animated kids' show opens with a fantastic song, "Believe in Yourself", performed by Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, which is the reggae band composed of Bob and Rita Marley's kids.
The lyrics of the song are targeted at children, as they talk about being confident, loving others, and viewing the world through a positive lens, but they're totally universal as well. The incredible musicianship of the band makes for a highly memorable and well-crafted opening intro you can listen to again and again.
The White Lotus (2021-Present)
Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) and Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) sitting on the bed, meditating in The White Lotus Season 3 Ep 7Image via Max
The intro for each season of The White Lotus is different, but they're still similar enough that you can consider them as one. Each one presents a different version of Cristobal Tapia de Veer's main theme, with influences from Hawaiian, Italian, or Thai music, depending on where the series is set.
The song is mysterious, sexy, and approaches the type of music you'd hear in a club (and a fair few clubs have remixed the song for late nights). The visuals in each scene are expertly crafted and gorgeous to look at, packed with details that give hints about themes and what's to come in each season.
Game Of Thrones (2011-2019)
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Like Follow Followed Game Of Thrones TV-MA Drama Action Adventure Fantasy
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9.1/10
Release Date
2011 - 2019-00-00
Showrunner
David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
Directors
David Nutter, Alan Taylor, D.B. Weiss, David Benioff
Writers
D.B. Weiss, George R.R. Martin, David Benioff
Cast
See All-
Kit Harington
Jon Snow
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Isaac Hempstead Wright
Brandon Bran Stark
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The intro for Game of Thrones is a magical, transportive opening scored with Ramin Djawadi's sweeping theme that immediately conjures ideas of knights, dragons, and other more mysterious things. The camera flies over a map of Westeros and Essos, with notable cities and towns highlighted.
As the television intro continues, pieces of the map begin moving and coming to life like a Rube Goldberg machine. Each place that we travel to lets the audience know which storylines will occur in the episode, making it crucial viewing for fans, and that's ignoring how beautiful the animations are.
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