Visually stunning and refreshingly witty opening credits may have been disappearing from television, but many new shows brought the art form back this year.
With every minute of running time becoming more and more crucial to television's greatest storytellers, the art of title sequences — those minute-long sequences that set the scene and introduce audiences to those both in front of the camera and behind it who make the show possible — has largely fallen by the wayside. I mean, Grey's Anatomy fans still miss the clinical-turned-sexual sequence set to Psapp's "Cosy in the Rocket" that was traded early on in the series' run for a two-second title card.
But this year, title sequences saw somewhat of a resurgence, with many of 2013's best new series also bringing some fantastic new openers. From the beautiful animation utilized for Top of the Lake to that perfectly cheeky montage for Masters of Sex, below are the 15 best new title sequences that surfaced on television this year.
The Goldbergs
The opening theme song — "Rewind" by I Heart Dragons — may be kind of cheesy, but it harkens back to those themes that dominated the '80s, the decade in which this Adam Goldberg family comedy is set. The sequence, by Shine, is absolutely on point. Each week, the final frame of the cold open freezes, cuts to a granular "Pause" screen, zooms out on a perfectly '80s TV set and VCR, and then zooms in on a VHS tape, complete with the classic white dotted label. Then, a hand pushes the cassette back in and the action resumes. But perhaps even better than The Goldberg's opening credits are the show's closing ones, which include a scene from the show side-by-side with footage from Goldberg's personal collection. Your heart will be warmed and your eyes will be burning from the horribly fluorescent fashion.
ABC
Sleepy Hollow
Fox's surprise hit of the season came in the shape of Sleepy Hollow, which unsurprisingly centers on a modern-day Ichabod Crane (played by newly minted heartthrob Tom Mison) who rises from the dead and finds himself adjusting to life in 2013 with the Headless Horseman still after him. The series has gained a cult following in the first half of its debut season, and its title sequence sets up the premise of this mysterious and gothic tale quite nicely. A mysterious woman transports the audience to the titular town, which has gone from tree-filled to pavement-covered, and we see hints a Colonial romance, danger in a horse's red eye, and Crane's grave rising from the water. (We'll just ignore the tired, traditional moving head shots of the main cast members looking scared, seductive, and/or stoic — whichever befits their character — and just focus on the artful elements.)
Fox
Pretty Little Liars Season 4 Halloween Special
The Pretty Little Liars Halloween special has become one of the most highly anticipated TV events of the year for fans of this hit teen (and err, twentysomething and thirtysomething) series. And this year's installment ("Grave New World") brought an extra special treat: an appropriately bloody revamped version of the title sequence the show has been using since it debuted in 2010, complete with a creepy cat eye and some threatening thunderstorms. It got audiences in the perfect mood to watch their favorite episode of PLL for the year.
ABC Family
