Where Have All The Good Intros Gone?

The TV landscape is changing all the time. Reality shows are taking over the airwaves and many shows are going to digital only. Even the way shows are being structured and presented is changing. Season-long arcs and serialized storytelling is becoming more prominent. Perhaps in the attempt to fit in more story time, a certain element of the show is being cut back: the opening theme and credit sequence.

I can barely recall a memorable opening theme song from a show in the last 10 years. It seems more and more shows are cutting back or completely removing an opening sequence. Arrow does a monologue and Lost had one of the worst, showing the title and about ten seconds of music. Whatever happened to memorable scores; like the openings from Star Trek, The Lone Ranger, The Flash, and more? Opening sequences were an art in themselves, and often set up the tone and story for the series. I miss those things. 

Here is a list of ten of my favorite themes: The Flash, seaQuest DSV, Hercules, Jack Of All Trades, Cleopatra 2525, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Battlestar Galactica, The Big Bang Theory, Doctor Who, Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

I’d love to see the one minute intro make a comeback. How about you, readers? Any thoughts on the demise of the opening credit sequence? As always, thanks for reading.

Canceled TV Shows

BRING IT BACK!! Have you ever screamed those words at TV networks when you heard your favorite show was getting canceled? I think everyone has at one point or another. Some lament the fact, then move on. Others  email the TV execs and start online petitions to return the show to the air. I usually believe such power is out of my hands and just try to enjoy the episodes that were. But here are a few of the canceled shows I enjoyed and  wish would return in one form or another.

Small Wonder - not many people remember this 80s show. It was campy but fun. The story revolved around V.I.C.I, a robot built to look like a ten year old girl. The inventor keeps her at home and tries to pass her off as a real girl. Domestic hilarity ensues. It lasted a few seasons but didn’t reach its full potential. This is a show that I think could be remade for today’s audience. With the technological growth spurt lately, a look at what it means to be human, done with a light touch, could work.

Cleopatra 2525 - One of my all time favorite shows. High on style, it didn’t take itself too seriously. From the team behind Xena and Hercules, it was a nice action-packed break from serious SF. 

Jack Of All Trades - I’ve watched all of this show, along with The Adventures Of Brisco County Jr. I prefer Jack. Stars Bruce Campbell. That’s all you need to know. And the greatest opening theme song ever.

The Flash - The most expensive show on the air at the time (one million dollars per episode), it is getting new life as a spin-off of Arrow. I’m looking forward to it. The original had a classic opening theme by Danny Elfman.

American Gothic - CBS didn’t know what to do with this one. Gary Cole plays the Devil who is the sheriff (and corruptor?) of a small town. He is attempting to persuade his son to join him. Not quite a horror show but not quite a straight drama. Lucas Buck is one of my all-time favorite villains. 

What shows do you miss? As always, thanks for reading.

Wonder Woman On TV

It’s 2014! One of my resolutions for the year is to blog on a more regular basis. To that end, I looked for blogging prompts, ideas to help me throughout the year, and to hopefully keep my motivation going. The prompt I picked for this post was: which childhood TV show do you wish you could bring back?

My first thought was Small Wonder. I changed my mind and picked one they tried to bring back, but failed: Wonder Woman. In the 80s I watched her on TV. I guess even as a kid I had a thing for strong female characters. She is a great character who just can’t catch a break when it comes to jumping into the live action realm. But with today’s wave of comic book characters hitting the small and big screens, I’d love to see WW come back.

Which brings me to the failed pilot starring Adrianne Palicki. I have seen the bootleg pilot that never aired and you know what…it wasn’t that bad. Written by David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal, The Practice, and many more) it had his trademarks and was a refreshing 21st-century take on the character. It had its flaws (like the Diana Prince alter-ego sadly eating ice cream while watching romance movies) but it was a pilot episode. The pilots are never the best episodes of a show’s first season. First seasons aren’t usually the best of a show’s run, if you think about it. It takes a while for the writing staff to get use to the characters and how best to present their stories. Even David E. Kelley admitted they went wrong. “We made mistakes with ours. My only regret is we were never given a chance to correct them. We had a lot that was right about it and a great cast. In time, we could have fixed what we had done wrong, we just didn’t get that chance. All my series have been a work in progress to a certain extent where you figure them out by episodes three, four or five. This one actually gelled sooner than any that I have had in the past. We would have gotten there and I wish we were afforded a little more time. ” (from this interview).

I hated that the show never got a chance. The pilot didn’t EVEN AIR and people were bashing it. At least give a show a season to determine its fate. Kelley said it was a genre he wasn’t use to, but I think after a while the show could have found its groove. With the Net able to deliver movie news on an almost take-by-take basis, people are jumping the gun and forming opinions without seeing the whole thing together. It’s like judging a symphony concert by listening to rehearsals.

With news of WW appearing in the Man Of Steel sequel, I’m hoping the Amazon Princess can step into the glow of the big and small screen. As always, thanks for reading.