TOP 20 TV INTRO’S OF ALL TIME (PART 4)

Well you made it to the end of my list – check out part 1, 2 and 3 but I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!  Let me know if I’ve missed any or if they should be in a different order.

5. The X Files

Fittingly, one scfi/ horror show gives way to another. The X Files was a nineties smash and the eerie intro was a big part of it’s cult status. It employs the tactic of not showing too much and it let’s the music and carefully chosen imagery do the rest. According to my parents, I used to run up the stairs to my room in fear whenever the intro would start playing. I don’t remember this but as a young impressionable youth it wouldn’t surprise me if I did.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbBX6aEzEz8

4. Kung Fu: The Legend Continues

” I’m a Cop. That’s who I am, that’s what I do!”. I’m sure people may remember the more acclaimed original Kung Fu series from the seventies but I grew up on the nineties one and that intro is cemented in my brain for life. It’s strangely addictive as I find myself looking it up just too listen to it. I can’t pretend that this intro doesn’t have a fair amount of 90’s cliches. It does, and I love it for that reason! The flashbacks and the narration with the random dialogue just make me smile. That flute part is the highlight of the intro for me.

3. The Incredible Hulk

The Green Goliath’s first ever outing on screens big or small. How I loved this show despite a sizable chunk of episodes being a real snooze fest. It was the first Superhero show to treat the source materiel with respect. The acting was strong and a lot of the stories still stand up today. The intro is a real gem for me on this list because I remember knowing the narration verbatim. I never tired of it. The main theme was actually cleaver play on the brilliant Outro that the show had. The imagery was appropriate as well. It wasn’t random. It focused on telling us the character’s back story and future endeavors as quickly as possible which, as I’m sure you noticed by now, is what seems to make for a great intro. The only line of dialogue in the intro is of David Banner making a powerful statement about the character, and it’s all you need to know. ” Don’t make me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqZuhrDM5vE

2. Tales From The Crypt

This intro I DO remember running from and going up the stairs to hide in my room. Eventually I mustered up the courage to watch it and I loved it. Scary yet appealing. It’s goal was not really to disturb you but more to lure you in. It reveled in it’s absurdity and camp. The very idea of taking you through on a  first person view of this creepy house is genius in and of itself. Add Danny Elfman’s hum able intro and you’ve got gold. The real fun part is right when you near the end and you wonder what you’re going to encounter, BOOM! The Crypt Keeper jolts out of his coffin cackling like a maniac. Great stuff.

1. Batman T.A.S.

My love for this show is no secret. Maybe a tad biased but this is, after all, MY favorites. Not to beat a dead horse but this is yet another intro that tells a story and offers us a clear glimpse of the character and his world. The animation is really on full display here recalling the memories of the old Fleischer Superman cartoons from the 40’s. If the show had never been made and it remained as a short cartoon in the vein of Superman, I’m sure it would still be revered. It also relied on a cinematic score that was a nice spin on the 1989 Batman original by Danny Elfman. Very much it’s own thing however. Another fantastic show with an equally fantastic intro. Deserving of it’s place on any list. Just happens to be number one on mine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A71i0a5x-qA