Has Peak TV changed the way we watch television? Is it the ease of the streaming binge model, or the fast-forward function of DV-Rs that makes us want to rush so quickly into the next episode of a favorite series? Basically, is it ok to skip the opening credits to a TV show, or are we meant to watch them to start each new chapter as part of the program itself? Below, Collider’s Deputy Editor Adam Chitwood and TV Editor Allison Keene debate the pros and cons of watching a long title sequence, Netflix’s “Skip Intro” option, and whether or not it’s ok for dramas to cut the opening credits down to just a single title card to keep viewers interested.
Afterwards, let us know your own thoughts on the matter in the comments, and also what some of your favorite (or most hated) opening credits sequences to TV shows are.
Point - Always Watch the Credits
I not only like and watch TV opening credits sequences, I think they’re an essential part of the viewing experience. Call me old fashioned, but back in my day, we listened to an incredible theme byJames Newton Howardas we watched our favorite doctors and nurses from County General Hospital save lives and do their thing montage-style, settling us into the world ofERbefore the episode started in earnest. Indeed, in my mind the opening credits are an actual part of the episode itself, and serve as an exciting piece of world building for the series. They can provide context for the show’s universe as withGame of Thrones, they can underline the running themes of the series as withMad Men, or they can provide an extra few seconds of laughs or gags as withRick and Morty.
IsBreaking Bada lesser show for skirting on a fully fledged opening credits sequence? No, but just becauseBreaking Baddoesn’t have one andMad Mendoes, doesn’t mean I’m going to fast forward throughMad Men’s stylish credits sequence. More often than not, these credits sequences aren’t simply an afterthought but are instead another opportunity for the showrunner to further express his or her creative ideas about the show. This is a thing that was created for you, the viewer, to experience, and to simply push past that to get to the “meat” is to miss the full experience of the meal at hand.
The opening credits are inseparable from the episode itself, in my mind. If you’re fast-forwarding past the credits, you’re not getting the full, intended experience of the episode. Moreover, as we live in the #PeakTV age and are constantly switching from this show to that, the opening credits can serve as a nice “buffer” between shows to help reorient your mind into the series at hand. Even if you’re binge-watching a series and consuming four or five episodes at once, pressing “skip intro” on the next episode robs you of the opportunity to ruminate on the installment you just watched.
Indeed, the piecemeal aspect of television is one of its defining characteristics, and what makes it stand out from the feature film format. Most television shows are written by a team of writers and helmed by various directors, and each separate episode has its own writers and director, its own themes, and its own structure. The iconicMad Menepisode “The Suitcase” stands alone with an extremely powerful, emotional arc for the characters of Peggy and Don.Mad Men’s opening credits separate this episode from the one before it and the one after it, again allowing you to ruminate on the 48-minute story you just watched.Mad Menis not one long movie with a single opening credits sequence followed by 92 episodes that blend together. It’s a series of stories that connect, thus the credits sequence is a crucial piece of delineation between each installment.
Have we really grown so impatient that we can’t sit through a 60-second opening credits sequence? Must everything be on our own terms, all the time,immediately, consequences be damned? Or am I just an old man screaming into the void as an entire generation of viewers grows accustomed to watching television without credits sequences?– Adam Chitwood
Counterpoint - Watch Them Once, Then Skip
Yes, wearetoo impatient for 60-second opening credits, because who has the time? An opening sequence is an opening curtain to the main event, and I agree that when you start a series (or start your binge watch) it’s an essential part of setting the tone for what comes next. But if you’re watching 3 or more episodes in a row, or midway through the fifth season, do you really need to go through the full opening titles each time? Get to the action! (And if you need more episodic delineation, the closing credits always remind you that this chapter is ending; personally,thatgives me more of a reset and makes me think more about the episode—thanks usually to a certain musical cue—than starting a new one does).
In that regard, I respect series – primarily dramas, since most comedies or half-hours now just have a quick title card to save time – that have brief opening title cards rather than elongated sequences (likeBreaking Bad, as Adam mentioned, as well asLost), or openings that are interwoven with the episode recap (likeBodyguard).
I do also appreciate the occasional well-crafted long opening title sequence, likeThe Wire,Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,Six Feet Under, orGame of Thrones, especially in the case of those that change to reflect the new seasons or even new episodes. Will I watch them every time I flip to a new episode though? No;Game of Thronesand its changing locations aside, once a season is usually enough. Like in sports, I don’t need the pageantry of announcing the lineup for each new period or quarter of play; the opening set the stage, now let’s play!
But, there will always be exceptions. I will watch the full opening toThe Durrells in CorfuandThe Great British Baking Showevery time because they are so joyous and upbeat. I like the sweeping intros toPoldarkandOutlanderbecause it makes me want to dance and sing along. But there are other shows I really enjoy, likeAnimal Kingdom(or used to watch, likeHomelandandThe Affair) whose sequences I’veneverliked and will skip even to start a new season. As my 81-year-old TV-watching friend often says when a long title sequence kicks off, “Oh get on with it!”– Allison Keene
