An Endangered Species

By: Jason Davis
Date: Monday, January 02, 2006

What do 24, THE SHIELD, LOST and recently STARGATE: SG-1 have in common? I guess the question really should be--what don't they have in common? The answer is a classic television title sequence. Sure, a brief shot of the logo and credits superimposed over the action of the opening act frees up more time for the show to tell it's story, but if this trend continues, will we miss what we once had? The Sci Fi Channel's entire slate of original series truncated their titles this year, though BATTLESTAR GALACTICA would later reinstate the second half of its sequence that previewed the content of the upcoming episode. It seems, that the opening titles of dramatic television shows are an endangered species.

Who else has fond memories of those opening notes coupled with the classic narration (complete with split infinitive) that ushered in another exciting hour of adventure with the crew of the USS Enterprise (classic or Next Generation, take your pick)? Can you imagine TREK without those classic opening glimpses of the Enterprise dashing back and forth as the names of the cast flashed on screen? DEEP SPACE NINE and VOYAGER would have been robbed of much of their magnificence had they lost their majestic theme songs. Even though I never cared for the music behind the ENTERPRISE titles, I at least appreciated the theory behind the title sequence portraying the history of man's journey to the stars.

For me, title sequences seem to fall into one of two categories. We'll call the first kind "Mood Titles." I know, it's corny, but it gets the point across. The four elder TREK shows fall into this group. These are the ones that set the tone for the series to follow. Possibly my favorite of this lot is the original DOCTOR WHO. From 1963 to 1979, >B>WHO had the most amazing array of opening title sequences. Sure, they changed every few years and every time the Doctor regenerated, but each incarnation held the same strange lure to adventure in another mysterious time and place. As a piece of TV music, Ron Grainer's DOCTOR WHO theme, as realized by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop's Delia Derbyshire, is without equal for uniqueness. Later incarnations, including the current series have a healthy hint of that allure, but just aren't the original.

BUFFY and ANGEL spring to mind as top contenders for this category. Each starts in a certain musical idiom before suddenly jolting the viewer into Joss Whedon's genre bending sensibility with abrupt musical and graphic segues. THE X-FILES and its 1013 brethren (notably my beloved MILLENNIUM) contributed iconic images and sounds to many a memory. Mulder's investigations would have been sadly lacking, in my opinion, without Mark Snow's music backing him up (remember, we had episodes without Scully, but never without Snow!).


The other category is somewhat rarer these days. These are the narrative titles--the ones that give you a leg up on the story before things get complicated. Some of them, like THE DEAD ZONE and QUANTUM LEAP come in two parts, with the narrative "saga sell" preceding the teaser and the title sequence proper leading into the first commercial break. Others, like FARSCAPE combine the two offering up informative narration over evocative images. Though I'm fond of the examples mentioned, I have to single out two shows that accomplish the same task visually without a word. Both are British productions and both feature uniquely shot titles that set up backstory never actually shown in the series proper. The more familiar, Patrick McGoohan's THE PRISONER follows a British secret agent from his resignation to his abduction by the mysterious masters of The Village. The other, created by sometime DOCTOR WHO scribe Terry Nation, is SURVIVORS which details the spread of a plague that wipes out most of the world's population.

At the end of the day, I suppose the title sequence has had a good run. If LOST and 24's minimalist aesthetic is the way of the future, then we'll all learn to live with it. HBO still sees value in the old concept--they've got some of the most beautiful mood titles on the air. ALIAS seemed to get more traditional with each passing year--minimalism for three years, followed by Garner-fetishism for season four, and a more ensemble montage for year five (probably in aid of equalizing the cast in anticipation of Garner's departure--oh well, that ain't an issue now). So, while I wander off to make a mix CD of my favorite TV themes, discuss the great old days of opening title sequences in the talkbacks and lament its seeming demise.

MONDAY, JANUARY 2

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (8 PM PST, Fox) "S.O.B.s" Andy Richter guest stars. Whether or not he still controls the universe is anyone's guess.

SURFACE (8 PM PST, NBC) Though it's filmed in my ancestral homeland of Wilmington, North Carolina, I've yet to watch this series... would it be worth my time to watch or should I just fly out and visit my grandfather if I'm feeling nostalgic?

MEDIUM (10 PM PST, NBC) "Method to His Madness" Allison has a taste of MILLENNIUM's Frank Black's life when she gets a serial killer stuck in her head.



TUESDAY, JANUARY 3

BONES (8 PM PST, Fox) "The Man in the Wall" DUE SOUTH did a story rather like this in its syndicated season... it resulted in one of my all time favorite lines being issued by Constable Benton Fraser... somehow, I don't think it will impart similar comedic highlights for David Boreanaz.

GILMORE GIRLS (8 PM PST, WB) "Welcome to the Doll House" While Richard deals with Rory dropping out of Yale, Lorelai deals with a plan to restore the historic street names to Stars Hollow. A re-run, but with Lauren Graham, who cares?

SCRUBS (9 PM PST, NBC) Zach Braff returns for an all new season of outrageous medical antics. I'm doing a dance as I type this--luckily for you, there's no camera. Did I mention I love this show? I do. A lot. Dr. Cox is a god. No--really. He is.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4

SMALLVILLE (8 PM PST, WB) "Aqua" Years ago, at a convention in Tulsa, I viewed an Aquaman cartoon wherein, the hero uttered the following bit of dialogue: "Quick, Aqualad--shine the limpness light on that gas bag!" Somehow, I've never been able to view the character with a straight face again...

LOST (9 PM PST, ABC) "The Rose Bowl" Discovering two barbaric armored clans battling each other across a 100 yard field, Jack and the castaways... wait a minute... nevermind.

VERONICA MARS (9 PM PST, UPN) "Blast From the Past" I recently noticed that Kristen Bell is starring in PULSE, a new film being distributed by the Weinstein brothers via their new non-Mirimax, company. I honestly couldn't care less what the film's about--I just like watching Bell smirk.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 5

MY NAME IS EARL (9:00 PM PST, NBC) Ensconced in its new night and time, MY NAME IS EARL reminds us what Thursdays were like before NBC killed it.

THE OFFICE (9:30 PM PST, NBC) Bringing up the rear... is that sexual harassment?... is the American incarnation of the British classic.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6

STARGATE: SG-1 "The Fourth Horseman, Part 2" Well, according to what I've just read, the full length title sequence will return with this episode--I tell you, the power of this column is awesome! Next week, I'll write about how Claudia Black should become a regular next season...

STARGATE: ATLANTIS "The Hive" Colonel Sheppard and company must escape from a Wraith Hive Ship. Kudos to John on his promotion... must've missed that while ranting about inconsistent rank systems in SF last week...

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA "Resurrection Ship" With the crew of the Battlestar Pegasus around, who needs the mirror universe?

SATURDAY, JANUARY 7

THE BOOK OF DANIEL (8 PM PST, NBC) Aidan Quinn stars in what looks to be an interesting show about a rather dodgy Episcopalian priest.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 8

THE WEST WING (8 PM PST, NBC) The first new episode since John Spencer's untimely death airs. Enjoy a great actor's work while you still can and have the Kleenex ready...

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (9 PM PST, ABC) New intrigues abound on Wisteria Lane... okay, place your money on the housewife most likely to take home a Golden Globe...