10 of TV's Best Opening Title Sequences
How does your favorite television show begin?
When you log off for the evening and press play, I can almost guarantee you won’t skip the intro of a binge-worthy show.
Instead of fast-forwarding, you may sit back, relax, and enjoy the opening title sequence. The best ones transport.
Creative elements—songs, visuals, fonts, and editing techniques—set the tone, immersing audiences in the story’s world.
On Reddit, there are countless threads analyzing popular episode intros. Many devoted fans post the clips on YouTube or other social media platforms. Some websites, like Art of the Title, share extensive interviews with innovative design teams.
If you’re looking for art, design, or filmmaking inspiration, you can find it in the below list. Together, we’ll explore 10 of television’s best opening title sequences.
Mad Men (2007-2015)
Creative Team, Imaginary Forces: Mark Gardner, Steve Fuller, Maribeth Phillips, Cara McKenney, Jeremy Cox, Fabian Tejada, Joey Salim + MANY MORE
Song: “A Beautiful Mine” by RJD2
Emmy Winner: 2008
Mad Men chronicles the rise and fall of creative director Don Draper. On the way down, the two-dimensional protagonist passes advertisements with radiant smiles, red lips, long limbs, whisky on the rocks, wedding rings, proper families, and 1960s cultural ideals. The iconic phrase plastered on the skyscraper—“enjoy the best America has to offer”—summarizes his quest for success. Don wants to have it all, but it’s clear that the corporate world is cutthroat and unforgiving.
True Blood (2008-2014)
Creative Team, Digital Kitchen: Matt Mulder, Rama Allen, Morgan Henry, Matt Clark, Tevor Fife + MANY MORE
Song: “Bad Things” by Jace Everett
Images of catfish, alligators, Spanish moss, wetlands, gospel choirs, cemeteries, rocking chairs, and porches glorify life in the American South. They are juxtaposed with sordid visuals, depicting the “underbelly of society.” If you look away for a second, you’ll miss children feasting on blood-red berries or a sign that claims, “God hates fangs.” What does this frenetic collage bring to mind? Violence, vampires, and temptation.
Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
2011 Creative Team, Elastic: Angus Wall, Rob Feng, Chris Sanchez, Henry De Leon, Leanne Dare, George Fuentes, Rustam Hasanov + MANY MORE
Composer: Ramin Djawadi
Emmy Winner for Outstanding Main Title Design: 2011, 2019
Fun Fact: Every season has a unique title sequence.
This interactive map depicts territories across The Seven Kingdoms. From the southern capital of King’s Landing to the northern lands of Winterfell, some leaders will rise like towering palaces to the heavens. Others shall fall as the gears of time turn and war rages. Citizens across the continent of Westeros will have a role to play in the game of thrones.
The opening credits introduce significant symbols. Only as the series unfolds will answers emerge.
Black Sails (2014-2017)
Creative Team, Imaginary Forces: Michelle Dougherty, Karin Fong, Brian Butcher, Alan Williams, Alejandro Lee, Vincent Lucido, Bernard Custodio + MANY MORE
Composer: Bear McCreary
Fun Fact: The team at Imaginary Forces was “particularly inspired by the sculptural art of Kris Kuski, the photography of Pablo Genoves, and the intricate etchings of the time, like those from Ernst Haeckel’s Art Forms in Nature.”1
Black Sails takes place during the golden age of piracy in the early eighteenth century. Ships, figureheads, royal symbols, cannons, guns, religious havens, and terrifying creatures of legend collide in a powerful sea of visuals. Every scene of violence, romance, and victory is immortalized in sculptures of ivory or burnished steel.
Westworld (2016-2022)
Creative Team, Elastic: Patrick Clair, Raoul Marks, Paul Kim, Jeff Han, Felix Soletic, Maxx Burman, Henry DeLeon, Dan Alexandru + MANY MORE
Composer: Ramin Djawadi
The opening of Westworld considers the consequences when humans play God. Robotic tools extend long, sinewy tendons across bones to build horse and human forms. In an iris’ reflection, the western frontier spreads out for miles. One of the final visuals replicates Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Vitruvian Man. Although an anatomically perfect specimen, he is eventually submerged in a pool of stark white liquid, never to resurface.
The Crown (2016-2023)
Creative Team, Elastic: Patrick Clair, Raoul Marks, Javier León Carrillo, Paul Kim, Jeff Han, Felix Soletic, Maxx Burman + MANY MORE
Composer: Hans Zimmer
Tendrils of molten gold forge a coronet, evoking ancient royals. It is later decorated with a filagreed dome, precious jewels, and a traditional cross towering above all. Piece by piece, a luxurious crown—symbolizing the British monarchy—is assembled for all to admire.
This sequence alludes to the belief that rulers were chosen by God, also known as the divine right of kings and queens.
The Wheel of Time (2021- )
Creative Team, Imaginary Forces: Karin Fong, Russ Gautier, Henry Chang, Jake Ferguson, Brandon Savoy, Frederic Colin + MANY MORE
Composer: Lorne Balfe
Based on Robert Jordan’s best-selling fantasy saga, The Wheel of Time introduces audiences to a world where magic exists, but few can access its source.
At the beginning of the main title, a single thread ruptures, sending shockwaves of golden light across the universe. Colors of fate weave into a vast tapestry on a giant loom. From a distance, seven sorceresses—the Aes Sedai—appear. A series of complex knots joins them at a central point. As time passes, it swirls together, unveiling an ouroboros, “an emblematic serpent of ancient Egypt and Greece represented with its tail in its mouth, continually devouring itself and being reborn…”2
The White Lotus (2021- )
Creative Team, Plains of Yonder: Katrina Crawford, Mark Bashore, Lezio Lopes, Simon Mowbray, Where The Buffalo Roam, Jennifer Senkler + MANY MORE
Composer: Cristobal Tapia de Veer
This anthology series centers around a world-class resort, The White Lotus. It examines the dichotomy of hotel guests and staff members. Every character has secrets, some more twisted than others. The darker sides of human nature emerge against the backdrop of beauty and excess.
In these opening credits, themed wallpapers that you might find at one of the Four Seasons come to life. Intricate patterns of exotic flora and fauna give way to a frenzy of disturbing images. As the music intensifies, images of debauchery, violence, blood, and death multiply, foreshadowing dramatic events to come.
The overarching theme? All is not well in paradise.
Severance (2022- )
Creative Team: Oliver Latta (extraweg), Teddy Blanks (CHIPS) + MORE
Composer: Theodore Shapiro
Emmy Winner for Outstanding Main Title Design: 2022
The first scene depicts a droll office worker struggling to find rest in bed. He tosses and turns, only to be propelled into alternate dimensions, where he meets doppelgängers. Every version of him behaves strangely. Something is off. As the protagonist nears the truth, the surrounding environments devolve into pure chaos.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022- )
Creative Team, Plains of Yonder: Katrina Crawford, Mark Bashore, Anthony Vitagliano, Jennifer Senkler, Jon Derovan + MANY MORE
Composer: Howard Shore
This title sequence doesn’t showcase mystical lands or creatures. It was influenced by cymatics, “the study of wave phenomena, especially sound, and their visual representations.”3
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a prequel set during the Second Age. Sauron’s ascension sends ripples across Middle Earth. His darkness is felt in the farthest corners of the world by hobbits, elves, dwarves, and humans alike. All of these beings must join forces to restore the delicate balance of power.
These engaging sequences do more than present key production personnel and cast members.
While vastly different, they share similarities:
Surreal Visuals - Beyond literal plot points, the visuals depict allegories or extended metaphors. They utilize pervasive symbols to create a visceral feeling, so viewers are compelled to cross the threshold, becoming active participants.
Dynamic Fonts - Although bold when required, the fonts don’t overpower visuals. They complement.
Masterful Editing - Rhythmic cuts and seamless transitions guide perspectives. An episode opening may range from sharp and discordant to gentle and fluid. It simply depends on how producers want audiences to interpret the show.
Transportive Music - Musical notes trigger specific emotions including anger, joy, sadness, or excitement. Memories can be tied to specific songs. When compositions reach a crescendo, visuals follow suit. They intensify, propelling viewers forward.
Moving images cross space and time to reach diverse people. Beneath the surface, they may discover motifs, recurring elements that convey the theme of an artistic work. Sometimes, symbols reveal more about fictional narratives than words ever could.
Which opening title sequence caught your eye? Let us know in the comments below!
