Top 5 Cartoon Intros

I had intended to include some of these in my first list, but it got so big I decided to make a separate list for cartoons. There were a lot to choose from and I surely left some out, but these I thought had the best intros based on pretty much the same criteria as the TV shows.

5. Scooby-Doo
I think I saw more episodes of this than any other cartoon. And for some strange reason, I never got tired of it (that is until they added scrappy-doo). Who was your favorite guest stars? Don Knotts? Sonny and Cher? Batman and Robin? The Harlem Globetrotters? I can't think of any cartoon that had real people as guests on the show (or lasted so long with the same plot for every episode). Great 70s theme music too.

4. Thundarr the Barbarian
Are there enough Star Wars rip-offs in this one? Toss in Conan for good measure and you've got a great formula for Saturday morning. Probably my first memory of must-see TV.




3. G.I. Joe
What's not to love. Action packed. Great theme. Patriotic. Scarlett and Lady J, and don't forget the Baroness. One of the all time great cartoons. By the way, if I lived in the G.I. Joe universe, I would invest heavily in companies that manufacture parachutes.



2. Samurai Jack
"Long ago in a distant land..." Perhaps the best cartoon ever, the Samurai Jack intro starts with his origin narrated by his nemesis, Aku (voiced by Mako, the wizard from Conan the Barbarian). It then transitions into a cool theme song stylishly intermixed with scenes from the cartoon.


1. Challenge of the Superfriends
This was simply my favorite cartoon as a kid, due in no small part to its awesome intro. It was the most epic, pump you up, starting to any show ever. The theme could have been used in recruiting advertisements. The show made you feel like you had a duty to watch and support the Superfriends' heroic struggle against the Legion of Doom (Even with the politically correct additions of Black Lightning, Apache Chief and Samurai).

And while we're at it, remember these?
Dungeons and Dragons

Tarzan

Voltron

Top 10 Television Show Intros

I remember as a kid, part of what made television shows cool was the opening credits. In addition to memorable theme music, the opening credits would tell the story of the show so that you could jump in anywhere. It also would pump you up to watch the show. I used to get mad if I came in late and missed the credits.

One thing I was amazed with was the length of some of the credits. Compared with today's TV shows where the credits are usually very brief (presumably to give more time for the show itself), TV shows in the 70s and 80s had fairly long credits, sometimes nearly 2 minutes long. I don't have a set criteria for my choices. Basically, it comes down to music and cool factor.

10. Bonanza
Great theme music, and the burning map is especially cool. Who didn't want to ride on the Ponderosa alongside Hoss and Little Joe after watching this?





9. Star Trek
Is it me or does Shatner manage to overact even in his narration?






8. Knight Rider
This may be the only positive thing I every say about something David Hasselhoff is invovled in. This also may be the only time a Trans-Am was so cool.





7. Incredible Hulk
I think its funny that the producers of the show decided that the best example of what sends David Banner over the edge into a raging monster is trying to change his tire in bad weather.





6. A-Team
Its amazing how something so lame could be so cool. Those who loved this show as a kid and have seen it recently know exactly what I mean. It had a great intro however. Remember when anything with a Crack-commando unit was awesome?




5. Greatest American Hero
This one makes the list purely on the basis of its great theme song. And William Katt's hair.






4. Dukes of Hazzard
Its hard to believe that my brother and I used to love this show so much that we would pretend that we were the Duke boys. The great thing about the credits was the catchy Waylon Jennings theme song and the way it tricked you into believing that the show was much better than it actually was. What other TV series had characters named Cooter and Cletus?



3. Battlestar Galactica (original)
A show that was actually as cool (at least at the time) as its epic opening credits.






2. Six Million Dollar Man
These opening credits make nearly dying in a plane crash seem like a good idea. Remember the episode where he fights Bigfoot? Classic.






1. Buck Rogers
"In the year 1987..." That just cracks me up.








Honorable Mention
These are goods ones too, but just didn't fit into my top ten.

1. Kung-Fu
Can you imagine how much cooler this show would have been with Bruce Lee instead of David Carradine?

2. Tour of Duty
I really liked this show. Paint it Black by the Stones was a nice touch.

3. Airwolf
Jan Michael Vincent's one hit wonder. Cool intro and cool show.

And While We're At It, Remember These?
1. Manimal
To an 8-year old boy, this was the coolest show on TV. Scary.

2. The Fall Guy
Yes. That is Lee Majors singing.

3. Tales of the Gold Monkey
I can't even believe I remembered this one.