I Think It's Time That All Soaps Drop The Long Opening Credits

[P.J.]

I like openings. What would the world be if people didn't know the theme to Gilligan's Island or The Brady Bunch? Didn't ER's original opening clue you in to the frenetic pace of the show? I hate that primetime has pretty much dropped the concept of opening credits and theme songs. They're distinctive.

If anything, I'm sick of the bland title cards that flash away in five seconds, only to be replaced with the intrusive images that "roll out" during the program to remind you what station/show you're watching. And don't get me started on the hyper-speed closing credits that roll by underneath yet more advertisements for (usually) mediocre "must see tv".

[y&r_fan]

Definitely not. I love openings. They just need to update them more.

[Paul Raven]

If all shows went to short openings,it would hark back to the origins of tv soap,where there was basically a title card.

Search had the clouds,Secret Storm the crashing waves,Edge of Night the night silhouette and ATWT the globe.

It really wasn't till the 80's that shows started revamping opening credits and adding cast members.

For the current shows,only OLTL doesn't have a signature symbol to represent it.

AMC -the book

ATWT - the globe

Y&R-the logo 'drawn'

GH-a speeding ambulance

Days - the hourglass

B&B - maybe a camera flashing,or a model posing.The original opening had the fabric unrolling.

So a move to a quick opening,with a snatch of music could work(not that I'm necessarily in favor of it)

[alexisfan07]

Well, I just mean that they've had them now for a long time, and making the switch back to having no faces would be just as jarring as the original switch from no faces to faces.

I don't think people hit the remote. My friends who don't care will go grab something or use the bathroom, but they'll come right back. The long opening I think also can build suspense for the resolution of the pre-credits "hangers."

[quartermainefan]

To my mind, opening credits length should serve the music. DOOL new truncated version of their opening sort of ruins the whole piece. AMC's classic first theme song was so brief the title sequence only needed to be 15 or 30 seconds, while the beautiful music of Y&R's "Nadia'a Theme" required a slightly longer opening. The problem with the current ABC opening sequences besides they all looking alike is they all suffer from completely forgettable themes. I have seen OLTL 4 trillion times and I could not hum their theme to save my life, same for AMC. And GH has made such a mess of their theme over the years I am not sure if I am remembering whatever they have now or the 1990s version.

Primetime? Their opening credits tend to suck up and down the line, and the death of the theme song is regrettable. Be it the theme from Mary Tyler Moore or Patty Duke, Gilligan, the Bradys or Laverne and Shirley, the older shows all tried to have a good opening anchored by a memorable theme song.

[SFK]

I love openings too, but I can live with the B&B-like balance of long and short credit days. If they're going to be stingy about commercial time, at least give us those 2 or 3 days a week of the long credits, a good short open is fine... makes you miss and appreciate the full openings more, really.

The first example of the "back to basics" opening credits trend I ever noticed in primetime was for Designing Women. I don't how old everyone is around here, I mean, I was only about 13 myself, but what a wonderful experience to be randomly watching this show that's been on for years and totally unexpectedly it starts for the new season with Ray freakin' Charles at the piano playing Georgia On My Mind with the cast (some newbies) all gathered round. Like, that's the awesomeness of opening credits right there, that's what we love about them and that's what made a site like WoST so special. And then, the very next year this boring as hell title card pops up, it flashes for all of two seconds and on to our show. Weak.

Then there's All My Children's iconic scrapbook, and that tune we hummed along to for years. But what AMC fan didn't sport a huge grin and didn't feel their heart melt the first time they saw the "falling pictures" credits?? That and OLTL's "tour of Llanview" get my vote for best opening credit transition from title card to cast pictures, and I don't believe they've ever topped those credits. Until they do, those shows might as well show title cards, I know that probably sounds extreme, but OLTL's current opening is an insult to what that show's opening credits once were.

[CSF]

I love a very classy, very elegant soap opening. I think that is possible with or without pictures. My favorite ATWT opening of all time was the 1993-1999 theme, it was timeless and it represented Irna Phillip's legendary quote about ATWT, the one Nancy Hughes read to her great grand children in the 40th anniversary episode. ATWT didn't incorporate cast pictures until it's 43rd season.

Out of all 5 opening sequences AMC has had over the past 39 years, the original opening, the 1990-1995 (falling pictures) opening and the 2002-2003 (scrap book) openings were the best. The original opening was warm, falling pictures was refreshing and the scrap book with the character's names was a very elegant arrangement. The current opening is not AMC and the 1995-2002 opening was stylish, but not necessary.

B&B's original opening was fabulous and it represented the show at the time of it's creation. When it became "dated," I think the the shortened version of the current opening works great (the one without the cast shots). It's cast shots make it look cheap, but the shot of the photographer and the model are very tasteful.

GH had two legendary openings, Autumn Breeze and Faces of the Heart. The current opening is garbage.

I know many people say OLTL doesn't really have something like the other soaps do in terms of it's opening, but if you look at all of it's past openings, flames, a sun rise, shots of Llanview, all that could be incorporated into an amazing opening sequence.

I like Y&R's current opening, but I wish they would just update it with all the contract cast in one sequence.

[MarkH]

I miss the opening credit generally. Gone are the goofly lyrics from Gilligan's Island, Family Ties...the hummable tunes from Dallas or Bewitched or what have you.

For me, the new standard for opening credits on a serial is HBO. Sopranos is iconic. Six Feet Under had a clarion call to "sit down and put your feet up and watch this show about death". True Blood continues the tradition, with a song and opening visuals that totally set the tone for the show that follows. Even the newest show, Hung, has a great little narrative (as the male lead starts out fully dressed in affluent suburban northwest Detroit, and then slowly disrobes as he proceeds to decaying Detroit, with a sign clearly showing that he is crossing 8-Mile).

I thought Linda Gotlieb did an effective version of that back in the day...and Gloria Monty too. It wasn't about showing random turning faces...it was about setting the tone and themes of the show.

To that end, I wish we could get 30-second openings featuring NONE of the actors or clips...but music and scenes that set the tone. Those would be cheap because they SHOULDN'T be updated for years and years.

[YRBB]

I completely disagree. I absolutely love opening credits in primetime and daytime alike and the fact that most daytime shows have retained them is one of the few positive things they are doing. Everything else is changed so horribly, let's not change this as well.

[R Sinclair]

I hate the fact that the casts are in the opening title sequence. I agree with the whole pecking order better left behind the scenes. I don't need to see who AMC favors.

[All My Shadows]

Truth!

The "House" theme song is a piece of [!@#$%^&*]. If someone can find emotion or meaning in that, they're a more intoxicated person than I.

"Friday Night Lights" has one of the best openings in primetime, IMO. The ONLY thing that ticks is that the credits don't match the footage. I remember in the first season, Aimee Teegarden's credit appeared over a giant close-up of Taylor Kitsch, and I think Scott Porter's credit appeared over a close-up of Minka Kelly.