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music Times when opening credits music really improved or detracted from a TV series

Ok so it's hard to overstate how much opening credits songs can become a part of the identity of a TV series. This thread is a place for people to post clips of their favorite, or least favorite examples of that artform, and comment on why they think a particular opening track helped or hurt series X.

I'll start this out with one where I feel like a tragically bad selection of opening theme practically tanked an entire series.

It was a bizarre and unexpected revelation for many long term Star Trek fans when the new series "Enterprise" premiered with the opening credits track "Faith of the Heart" a cringe inducing christian country song, that was about as far from what science fiction, or star trek fans could have rationally expected.


While banjos and tambourines were absent, the theme did manage to conjure images of people line dancing in tasseled jackets and juxtapose that with random historical images and scenes of interstellar exploration. A swing and a miss on a historic level.
 
I guess well-established bands/artists are in a better position to survive selling out because you don't immediately associate the series with them when you hear their songs.
 
Here's one that perplexed me, I'm not sure if it's good or not. It's very unique, I have zero idea what it has to do with the show, or what kind of mood it's trying to put me in to prime me for the story. It's a story about a family of androids. Sometimes they are psychotic killers, sometimes likeable family people. The show is unique, the music is unique, I'm a big Riddley Scott fan, but still, after 9 episodes, I still don't know what I'm looking at here, or listening to in this case. Was this show made by and AI?

It's the war that destroyed the last world. that's why they all traveled to the new planet.
 
I always loved the Sopranos intro, such a cool tune. But like most people I think, I tend to skip through the intro after hearing it a few times.

I actually like when they play the intro over a different opening scene each time and use the tone of the music to dramatic effect. My favourite show for doing this is Peaky Blinders. They used different cover versions in the later seasons too, which was interesting but the Nick Cave original is still by far the best.

So yes, this is definitely one where the intro enhances the show by using the actual song as part of the drama. Can't think of any other programme that does it as well as this. Any budding cinematographers/DOPs should take note of how clever the shots are too. That reflection shot in the stag's eye is so good.

A few examples of how they did it:



 
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I think Peaky Blinders did it best, but I may need to start an entire new thread just to list all the times "Red Right Hand" got used in film or television. Hats off to Nick Cave for creating something that was so versatile and became so ubiquitous.
 
It's a great song and Nick Cave executes it to perfection. Not too sure how well-known Peaky Blinders is in the US, but here in the UK the song is synonymous with the series now. It's an absolute anthem. My Dad, in his seventies, sings along with the crescendo to every episode. Now that's a good intro!
 
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