20 Of The Best TV Intros Ever
RAW IS WAR
In 1997 WCW president Eric Bischoff gathered his roster backstage, stood on top of a milk crate an announced that The WWF was going to die in a matter of weeks, and to prepare for victory. It turns out that he was right, the rival company was close to insolvency.
And so, Vince McMahon decided to have one last roll of the dice and pursue an age-old strategy: sponsor-worrying violence, sex and lunacy. The intro for his flagship show was some of the best from the 1990s, promising the opposite of the more family friendly competition. Perhaps the suggestion of stabbing someone in the eye with a thorn is indicative.
Pity how things have turned out, now that there is no threat…
THE DUKES OF HAZZARD
I’m here to tell you that this TV intro is manly as fuck. If the General Lee, Catherine Bach and beastly country music don’t do it for you, I don’t know what the hell will. They probably wrecked about ten of those cars in the space of that intro footage alone.
The less said about the remake, the better. Actually, it has to be said. The remake is a rancid piece of shit that should have its film taken aside and burned, then scattered to the wind.
MAGNUM P.I.
‘Magnum’ is a breezy series, upbeat and with authentic locations adding to its charm, it’s a series that must have done wonders for local tourism. While I don’t consider Selleck to the best actor ever, the guy carries a certain disarming likability and you can’t help but indulge in his dream existence of hanging out with blonde supermodels in paradise, in between the ‘mystery of the week’ for each episode.
It has a great intro too and the content is conveyed well. It’s maybe a little bit too long though. A good intro should find the right length.
THE WALKING DEAD
I’m starting to think The Walking Dead’s intro is better than the actual episodes which follow it. It was especially effective when it first appeared, when we didn’t quite know what to expect other than a gritty zombie TV series.
Its spin off show, Fear the Walking Dead, merely has a shortened, buzzy logo as its intro. But of course that’s how things are done with episodes now in the digital age.
HBO INTRO
This is probably one of the best intros ever, although not strictly from a TV show. I don’t know how much money went into this, but to reflect is ‘premium’ service and from the modelling work alone, it looks significant.
This some downright pre-CGI glory. This 1983 piece was a signal of the emergent satellite and cable boom… and it really does its job, in style.
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