Have you met Skip? Skip Intro, that is.
For viewers everywhere, Skip Intro has been a savior. He saves us precious seconds (or sometimes minutes) as we’re careening through our latest streaming obsession. I’ve deployed our pal Skip hundreds of times, spanning multiple rewatches of The Office and a recent Brooklyn Nine-Nine outing.
While there’s many, many times Skip is indispensable, he isn’t always needed. There are shows that completely transcend the need for Skip Intro, begging the viewer to catch every last second of content, from the theme tune on… Before this whole “Skip Intro is a person” bit gets old, why don’t we jump right in? Here are five unskippable TV intros.
The Simpsons
You can probably guess where I’m going with this, but let’s start with the basics: The Simpsons intro irresistibly beckons the viewer into Springfield’s wacky, wondrous world, as Danny Elfman’s classic theme song whirls us along. There’s Homer working at the plant, accidentally whisking a radioactive element into the wider world beyond. Bart zips by on a skateboard. Lisa lays down a funky sax solo. Marge and Maggie enjoy a little mom-daughter grocery shopping trip. To watch The Simpsons’ intro is to understand you’re diving into a world overflowing with full-fledged characters and an infinite well of story potential.
But does that make it unskippable? No. Watchable at best, perhaps. The unskippable factor in The Simpsons theme is its everlasting rotation of new gags. Bart’s chalkboard punishments might be reason enough to tune in. Then you have Lisa’s sax solo, often customized and always disturbing to her conformist classmates. And of course, the couch gag. Every episode of The Simpsons sees the eponymous family coming together for TV time in a new and different way. It’s always something zany, thoughtful, artistic, or sidesplitting. Hell, some of the world’s best artists and creators have lent their talents to The Simpsons’ opening sequence: Guillermo Del Toro, Banksy, LEGO designers, and many more. My personal favorite is 2015’s Rick & Morty couch gag appearance.
The couch gag symbolizes The Simpsons’ staying power. What other TV show can keep viewers coming back and tuning in to catch the intro for 30 years? If not for my next pick, I might say The Simpsons intro is the all-time best.
Note: I know The Simpsons often cuts its intro down to a simple opening shot and a couch gag. Either form works, but I still say the full version earns the unskippable label.
Cowboy Bebop (Original Anime)
3… 2… 1… Let’s jam. Listen, as far as I’m concerned, this is it. Cowboy Bebop has the quintessential unskippable intro. Why? Because in a world of ho-hum intros, Cowboy Bebop dares to be cool. Let’s break it down.
There’s no episodic change, no unique creative flourish from one episode to another. Instead, Cowboy Bebop doles out the exact same intro for 26 straight episodes. Japanese band Seatbelts performs Yoko Kanno’s “Tank!” behind the visuals, and the song itself has become iconic. Paired with the fast-paced sci-fi noir montage of the intro, it’s just… sweet as hell.
No intro better prepares the viewer for the episode to come than Cowboy Bebop’s opening sequence. It’s brash and slick at the same time, and it isn’t afraid to say “Here’s a sick show about space bounty hunters with a killer score. Enjoy the heck out of it because we had a blast making it.”
An exquisite mix of animation, acting, musical prowess, and writing makes Cowboy Bebop a force to be reckoned with. Its intro is like lightning in a bottle… only you get to see it again and again.
Game of Thrones
At first, I overlooked Game of Thrones when compiling this list. Mainly, the bad taste of season eight was still on my tongue and I didn’t want to revisit that drama. But even through that trying time, the Game of Thrones intro held strong.
The intro’s length may deter you, but I urge you to reconsider. The epic theme offers a fantastic backdrop to the unique animation at work here. The locales of the series each feature in equal measure, mechanically rising off the Westeros map as though propelled by the turning of an offscreen crank. The Game of Thrones intro is like the map at the beginning of a fantasy book come to life. It sets the stage, grounds you in the story’s world, and hints at featured locales and events to come.
And that’s what makes it unskippable. Every Game of Thrones episode tailors the intro to the upcoming plot. If an episode plans to follow Joffrey’s storyline and Rob’s journey from the North, you might see King’s Landing and Winterfell heavily featured. The artistry and the playful nod to the story to come always makes for a special audiovisual treat.
Phineas & Ferb
Talk about a feel-good intro. Phineas & Ferb has an opening sequence that flawlessly matches the tone of the show. The opening lyrics usher in an upbeat track (performed by Bowling for Soup) that celebrates the wonders of imagination. Those imaginative marvels fill the long days of summer vacation, when stepbrothers Phineas and Ferb spend their time building rockets, discovering things that don’t exist, fighting mummies, and/or any other number of wacky activities referenced in the song.
The 60-second intro is short and to the point, and it simply says “Here’s what this show is.” For kids who watch, it’s a reason to stay tuned. For adults, it’s a charming and delightful ditty that harkens back to the carefree days of childhood.
Music is in the DNA of Phineas And Ferb, so this playful melody also opens the door for more musical triumphs to come. Each episode has at least one original song, and the vast majority are certified bangers—”Gitchee Gitchee Goo” is my personal favorite.
On repeat listenings, the Phineas And Ferb intro still hits the spot. It tells you exactly what’s in store, doesn’t apologize for its wackiness, and welcomes you into the show’s vibrant, happy-go-lucky world.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Say those four words to an Avatar: The Last Airbender fan, and chances are they can recite most—if not all—of the remaining intro narration from memory.
I’m admitting my bias upfront on this one. Avatar is my single favorite show of all time, so I’m easily swayed into thinking this intro is unskippable. However, I think there are good, objective reasons for it’s inclusion here…
Let’s start at the beginning. “The Boy in the Iceberg” is the show’s first episode, featuring an extended intro that outlines the world’s history and lore. After that, a more truncated intro ushers us into the beginning of every episode. The tidbits of lore and Avatar history contained within this opener make it completely, utterly unskippable.
The more you watch Avatar, the more the intro clicks. Make it through season one, and you’ll notice the silhouetted waterbender looks a lot like Paku. The firebender bears a strong resemblance to a certain maniacal princess. When you reach the Ba Sing Se arc, those rings in the Northeast section of the map make a lot more sense.
The deeper you dive, the more treasure you find. Avatar: The Last Airbender has an intro that rewards dedicated viewing. Watch the series, learn about the world, and revel in the Easter eggs contained within the show’s certified unskippable intro.
Runners Up
My list originally started with ten shows, but I whittled it down to showcase the various reasons not to skip them. Though I’ve left a few on the cutting room floor, they still deserve a quick mention.
Fairly Odd Parents is tonally similar to Phineas And Ferb, both in terms of the show’s intro and general vibe. Timmy’s fairy godparents empower his wacky schemes in the same way that Phineas and Ferb’s imaginations fuel their own.
Adventure Time is another I hated to cut, but its intro has echoes of Avatar and Phineas And Ferb. It has a catchy tune and the visuals lay a foundation for the show’s worldbuilding. But the sheer episode count makes it hard to deem Adventure Time’s intro universally unskippable.
Finally, nods go to both Succession and Last Week Tonight With John Oliver. The former features a fascinating look through the past via video footage and photographs that packs a lot of personal punch before each episode of the satirical family drama. Last Week Tonight, meanwhile, shoves dozens of one-liners and inside jokes into the space of about 30 seconds. Lots of fun, don’t get me wrong… but the final list had some hard-to-beat competition. Let me know what shows make it on your own shortlist for best-ever intros!
A version of this article originally ran on December 2, 2021.
Cole Rush writes words. A lot of them. For the most part, you can find those words at The Quill To Live or on Twitter @ColeRush1. He voraciously reads epic fantasy and science-fiction, seeking out stories of gargantuan proportions and devouring them with a bookwormish fervor. His favorite books are: The Divine Cities Series by Robert Jackson Bennett, The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, and The House In The Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune.
Completely agree with all and appreciate the Simpsons being first as it should be. I agree the full version is the best.
Babylon5 should be an honorable mention. They had a different opening intro for each of the 5 seasons. The beginning dialogue changed to match where the overall story was heading.
@2 “The Babylon Project was our last, best, hope for peace. It failed.”
What’s so great about the “Cowboy Bebop” intro is that the way it throws you into this unfamiliar milieu, as if you should already know it, makes it feels like you’ve somehow tuned into a noir TV series from 100 years in the future.
Can Bob’s Burgers, with its ever changing signs for the perpetually going out of business store next to the restaurant and for the pest control business that comes to their aid get a little love here, please?
I’ll second Bob’s Burgers – you’ve gotta love those terrible puns. I’d also like to nominate The Sopranos, which has one of the best intros of all time; I’ve re-watched all 86 episodes several times and I never get tired of listening to Woke Up This Morning as Tony drives from New York to New Jersey.
I was going to mention the Sopranos. I wasn’t even that big a fan of the show, but that opening is probably my favorite of all time.
I also loved the opening music of Deep Space 9.
In my experience, most anime openers have a sameness to them. You start off with a character role call, often followed by some actiony bits that allude to the storyline before concluding key art featuring all the major characters. But there are a few that do interesting things. The first season of Durarara livens things up with some unusual scene transitions. The first season of To Love Ru has a rather unconventional way of presenting the actual credits which reflects the show’s raunchy tone. The second season of the provocatively titled Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon gets the role call sequence over with fairly quickly and features some eye-catching use of motion.
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” has a different and great intro song for every season that set the tone for Rebecca’s fantasy world that season.
The previous time this article appeared, I suggested The Prisoner as my favorite TV intro of all time. I also watched the Intro to each episode of The Wire, which used the same song as background to the visual clips. But the clips changed some from season to season as appropriate to the storyline, and the singer and style of the music was different each season.
I never, ever skip the intro to a show. I feel like it sets the tone and gives me a moment to get in the right headspace for watching the episode. I also never skip the closing credits, since I enjoy sitting for a moment and digesting what I just watched. I’ve had to disable autoplay on all my apps to keep them from jumping ahead without my permission.
I also like Solar Opposites because they vary the dialogue.
For sheer beauty, I recommend Man in the High Castle, For All Mankind, and Last of Us.
There are lots of really good intros, but there is only one king of intros, and that’s this one:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR8RHBXjMlE
The theme song is, quite possibly, the greatest television theme song of all time, and remains the unofficial fight song of the University of Hawaii. The story of the production of this intro is legendary, and of particular note are the zoom to the inimitalbe Jack Lord whipping about on a balcony of the Ilikai Hotel and the image of Elizabeth Louise Malamalamaokalani White Logue running along the beach, which are iconic. The score itself is utterly brilliant and the intro is unforgettable.
All the details you could possibly ever want about this classic series are available here.
Two you didn’t mention:
Hill Street Blues – the soft sad music
The Rockford Files – messages each week on the answering machine were always a delight.
@2 The Babylon 5 intros are epic. I’d listen to them each time for the music alone, but the voice overs really establish that this is high fantasy in space. (Before anyone corrects me, yes, I know it may not fit the genre definition of high fantasy, but for me, it’s got the vibe of the Lord of the Rings movie prologue.)
I’ll add my vote for Bob’s Burgers. I always have to watch for the store next door
…and the exterminator’s van
. And the burger of the day but that’s not part of the intro.
And just by mentioning Fairly Odd Parents I now have that damn thing stuck in my head. It was one of daughters favs when she was teeny. Oddly enough, her other favorite show was The Nanny, or I should say the animated intro to the show. I recorded just the intro and she watched it over and over
(and now I have that damn song stuck in my head)
Pinky and the Brain – I just love that theme song, and I love when they vary it (“Pinky and the BrainAND LARRY!“). It was even the only good part of Pinky, Elmira, and the Brain (“It’s what the network wanted; why bother to complain?”)
Farscape – What I love about this one is just how weird the choral bits are, even though they’re still melodic. Like, I hear it and I can easily imagine that it could be the product of an entirely different history of musicology that took place on some far away alien planet.
Not an intro theme exactly, but the cold opening to Twilight Zone: The Movie is worth checking out for a discussion on this topic.
I always loved the opening to Firefly. Great song, great visuals, lovely typography. Made my former-graphic-artist heart go squee.
For me there are a couple un-skippable intros. The first is the lit-fuse and flashes of the episode to follow from “Mission: Impossible.” It’s the perfect mix of action, visuals and music. The second is the jeeps and choppers of MASH – though if the first thing we see is not the back of Radar’s head, I’m less likely to stick around for the episode to follow
The original Muppet Show intro. A different thing happened each episode when Gonzo blows his horn.
I always thought the intro to True Blood was pretty classic. It perfectly sets up the Southern Gothic horror of the show.
Recent research has shown that it’s scientifically impossible to skip the opening credits of James Gunn’s Peacemaker.
On the anime side, Dorohedoro’s S1 opening is delightfully weird and one of my all time favorites. It’s the Citizen Kane of gyoza-themed openings.
Pretty much any intro from a Gerry Anderson show. If I had to pick one I’d go with UFO. Amazon’s CGI Thunderbirds remake also has a great update to the classic show’s intro. They’re all jingle-class earworms.
Among recent science fiction shows I’d put the Expanse on the top of my list, any season. Excellent example of worldbuilding without overt exposition.
Among currently airing shows I never skip the opening of Yellowjackets, at least since season two. They made some tweaks after season one that really polishes it up. I think it’s a critical component for maintaining the show’s tone as the show often opens into some slow burn domestic drama.
A big thumbs up for “UFO.” The entire back story in what, 60 seconds?
I think that the Simpsons chalkboard owes something to Fawlty Towers.
I’ll confess that I frequently tuned into Greatest American Hero just to catch the intro. Then I’d turn off the television.
@26: I believe it (or not).
Patrick Morris Miller @27. Smile. Well played.
I love the GoT intro!! I called it a “clockwork Westeros” until, of course, they expanded the map!
You can’t take the sky from me.
The Expanse also have intros not to miss. They each set up the history and actions in their universe. Especially in Season 5 when they show the impact crater and the exodus from Mars.
Gravity Falls is great, too! Catchy song, excellent animation, and a cool twist for the final three episodes!
The Voyager intro always sends a chill down my spine. It aired when I was at an age where for it to crawl into my hindbrain.
@24 Pretty much any of the Gerry & Sylvia Anderson “Supermarionation” series had great intros. My favorite would have to be “Stingray,” with its opening cry, “Stand By For Action!” followed by an explosion; and later, the very meta dialogue line, “Anything can happen in the next half hour!”
the flight attendant
poirot is also on this list.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1980s Granada series): I learned to play the violin because I liked the etude that plays over the intro so much. Actually, come to think of it, PBS Mystery! in general, with its Gorey illustrations.
I never skip intros (though I confess to turning the sound off for the ST: Enterprise intro as I loved the imagery but couldn’t stand the music!)
The intro to the BBC His Dark Materials series are absolutely amazing – they change slightly with each episode to reflect what will happen in that episode. They’re a piece of art in themselves.