Line #8 Main/AutomobileOpening


1	[[quoteright:280:[[Series/BurkesLaw https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/burkes_law.png]]]]
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3	Among those TV shows that actually have an opening credits sequence, it's quite common for it to feature a car driving around whichever town the show is set in. This is probably because it's a visually dynamic way of introducing the setting, and isn't that expensive. DrivingADesk may be involved. There are variations with other vehicles such as skateboards and spaceships, but the common element is that the vehicle explores the setting of the show. An opening where the setting ''is'' the vehicle, as in many science fiction shows, is a different idea. ProductPlacement may or may not be involved.
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5	Might overlap with WelcomeTitles, when TheProtagonist goes around --maybe in a vehicle-- greeting the cast during the TitleSequence.
6	----
7	!!Examples
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9	[[foldercontrol]]
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11	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
12	* ''Franchise/LupinIII'' The introduction of the Lupin the III openings start off with Lupin driving in his yellow Fiat 500, the location varies on the iteration, he's driving alone or with his gang through Tokyo and Paris,In the opening for Part 1, he starts off by crashing his car through a window, driving it along France and then chasing it off a cliff, In the first opening for Part II, he chases Zenigata through a desert in his fiat 500.
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15	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
16	* ''WesternAnimation/TopCatAndTheBeverlyHillsCats'': In the opening sequence, Benny is seen seemingly riding in a limousine, but turns out to be riding on its fender.
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19	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
20	* Another PoliceProcedural, this one by Jack Webb, was ''Series/Adam12'', which opened with a dispatcher calling the unit to investigate an armed mob, and showing it rolling off, lights and siren full blast.
21	* One of the ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' title cards is a rear shot from the ''Series/BreakingBad'' episode "Full Measures" of Saul Goodman's 1999 Cadillac Sedan de Ville driving down an Albuquerque street, focusing in on his [[VanityLicensePlate LWYRUP]] license plate.
22	* ''Series/TheBeverlyHillbillies'' shows the Clampett family going into Beverly Hills in their old-fashioned hillbilly truck.
23	* For its first 13 years, the opening title sequence of ''Series/TheBill'' featured the area car (updated to a new one every few years or so) driving down a busy street in London.
24	* ''Series/BurkesLaw'' started with Henry driving Capt. Burke from his mansion (or wherever he was at the start of the show) to the scene of that episode's murder.
25	* ''Series/{{Ed}}'' is shown driving through Westfield NJ, which is [[CaliforniaDoubling New Jersey Doubling]] for Stuckeyville OH.
26	* ''{{Series/Emergency}}'' had its regular opening showing squad 51 speeding to a call with lights and sirens -- before cutting to the opening credits. The syndication opening takes it up a few notches, by having both squad and engine 51 rolling out of the station to the tune of the station ringdown -- but again, sort of averts it by having an epilepsy light show of rotolights with the title superimposed.
27	* ''Series/HawaiiFiveO'''s rapid montage ends with a shot onboard a Honolulu Police Department motorcycle, racing through the streets with its light flashing. [[Series/HawaiiFive0 The new series']] opening is a remake of the original.
28	* ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' features a car driving around [[UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}} the eponymous city]] with shots of local landmarks.
29	* ''Series/TheJeffersons'' has George and Louise in a cab following the moving truck.
30	* ''Series/{{Joey}}'' had the title character driving around Los Angeles.
31	* Showa era ''Franchise/KamenRider'' series, do this with a motorcycle rather than a car. ''Series/KamenRiderV3'' does it with a motorcycle and a BBCQuarry [[MadeOfExplodium that explodes randomly and pointlessly]]. The one exception is ''Series/KamenRiderAmazon'', justified since he was a WildChild and thus a reluctant BadassBiker.
32	** Especially ''Series/KamenRiderBlack'' and ''Series/KamenRiderBlackRX,'' whose opening consists of ''literally nothing but'' the hero riding his motorcycle(s) down a road.
33	** Mostly dropped in the modern series, though they typically retain a token shot of the Rider on his bike. Both openings of ''Series/KamenRiderAgito'', especially the second one, were around 80% motorcycle riding and 20% everything else.
34	* {{Subverted}} by ''Series/LALaw'', which starts with the trunk of a Mercedes-Benz being slammed, revealing "LA LAW" on the license plate[[note]]The trunk shot had to be redone every year, because the sticker on the plate had expired.[[/note]]...and then forgets all about the car, opting for a FullyAutomaticClipShow of the regulars [[WalkAndTalk Walking and Talking]].
35	* The first season opening credits of ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow'' showed Mary driving herself into Minneapolis.
36	* ''Series/{{Mash}}'' did a ''flying'' version, showing the camp from overhead as choppers full of wounded are coming in for a landing, then switching to the ambulance and Jeeps carrying the wounded to the camp.
37	* ''Series/{{Maude}}''
38	* The opening of ''Series/MoonlightMask's'', the very first {{toku}}satsu television show, mostly sees the eponymous hero riding on his bike much like a proto-''Series/KamenRider''.
39	* ''Series/{{Newhart}}'''s Automobile Opening was [[CowboyBebopAtHisComputer locally infamous in Vermont]] for 1) showing the car cruising otherwise-empty backroads ''at the height of leaf-peeper season'', and 2) featuring a 1972 Oldsmobile long after everything that age on the state's heavily-salted roads in RealLife had rusted to oblivion (unless the car belongs to an out of state vacationer looking for an inn).
40	* ''Series/{{One Day at a Time\|1975}}'' opens with a sweep over rush hour in downtown UsefulNotes/{{Indianapolis}}.
41	* ''Series/PoliceCameraAction'', although that's pretty much obvious for a show which focuses mainly on motoring dangers.
42	* ''Series/PoliceSquad'''s title sequence began with a shot of the flashing light on a police cruiser. In TheMovie, ''Film/TheNakedGun'', this was PlayedForLaughs when the scene was expanded to show the police cruiser driving around downtown UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, driving off the roads, driving through buildings, [[RuleOfFunny driving into jungles, driving down waterslides]], driving down the [[Film/ANewHope Death Star trench]]...
43	* A big chunk of ''Series/ThePrisoner1967'' [[ExpositoryThemeTune expository opening sequence]] has Patrick [=McGoohan=] driving around in [[CoolCar the actor's own Lotus 7]].
44	* ''Series/TheSopranos'' features Tony driving from New York to his home in New Jersey. His route is deliberately inefficient to provide more interesting visuals: it runs through Newark and Kearney to get to Tony's house in North Caldwell, but any reasonable driver going from New York to North Caldwell would never get as far as Newark on the Turnpike but rather get off the Turnpike onto NJ Route 3 at Secaucus and get home from there. One supposes that perhaps Tony intends to visit Satriale's (fictively in Newark, with the actual building being in Kearney), but we don't see that in the intro.
45	* The title sequences of ''Series/StarskyAndHutch'' changed over its run, but they always opened with a shot of Starsky's trademark Torino tearing around a corner, tires squealing.
46	* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' had the ship travelling through different astronomical settings, making it fit this trope.
47	* Another Creator/StevenBochco series, ''Series/HillStreetBlues'' had an opening montage showing police cars rolling out of the station-house.
48	* ''Series/{{Taxi}}'' had, of course, a taxi driving around New York and over the Queensboro Bridge.
49	* ''Series/That70sShow'' features various cast members rotating into the car singing along with Cheap Trick's In the Street.
50	* ''Series/WKRPInCincinnati'' has a driver tuning in to different radio stations while cruising by Cincinnati locations.
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53	[[folder: Video Games]]
54	* Several LateToTheTragedy PC adventure games open with a driving scene of your character's journey to the game's location, often using RealLife highway footage rather than CGI. Examples include ''Barrow Hill'', ''Rhiannon'', ''Dire Grove'', and ''Baron Wittard''.
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57	[[folder: Western Animation]]
58	* A large part of the opening of ''MakeWayForNoddy'' features Noddy traveling through [=ToyTown=] in his car, making deliveries.
59	* ''WesternAnimation/BobbysWorld'' follows Bobby around the house on his tricycle (with detours through his imagination, where it becomes a spaceship and a submarine).
60	* Another airborne variant: ''WesternAnimation/DastardlyAndMuttleyInTheirFlyingMachines'' opens with the titular villains and their crew in flight.
61	* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'''s "PTV" combined the above sequences from ''Film/TheNakedGun'', ''WesternAnimation/BobbysWorld'', and ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' into a single opening. We follow the top of Stewie's head as he rides his tricycle through ''still further'' pop culture references, including ''Franchise/StarWars'' footage, which culminate in him crashing into [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Homer]] in the garage.
62	--> '''Peter''': Hey Stewie! ...who the hell is that?
63	* ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'', particularly the once rarely-seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_zF_EPK74 first opening sequence]].
64	* ''WesternAnimation/TheFunkyPhantom'' opening title has Skip, Augie, April and Elmo in their car, the Looney Duney, in a thunderstorm.
65	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' showcases the Planet Express Ship as it flies through New New York and finally crashes into a large screen. There are even occasional in-show references to the crash actually happening every week (due to the pilot being a cyclops with a dangerous lack of depth perception).
66	* ''WesternAnimation/TheJetsons'' had George busing his family around on his flying car.
67	** ''WesternAnimation/BackToTheFuture TheAnimatedSeries'' had a variant of this, with Doc Brown getting into his [=DeLorean=] and picking up Marty from 2015, Jules and Verne from the Stone Age, and Clara from 1885. His dog, Einstein, had the Time Train for the day.
68	* The ''WesternAnimation/MrMagoo'' made-for-TV cartoons opened with him blithely driving his jalopy on a railroad track, through a barn, mowing down a hydrant, into a construction site, a roller-coaster track, finally into an electric substation and a fire of sparks.
69	* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'':
70	** "A Hard Day's Knight" begins with the Flynn-Fletcher Family arriving in London via taxi cab.
71	** "The Lake Nose Monster" opens with the family car arriving in Lake Nose.
72	** "Vanessassary Roughness" starts with Doof and Vanessa on a motorcycle.
73	** ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerbTheMovieCandaceAgainstTheUniverse'' opens with Candace riding her bike.
74	* ''WesternAnimation/ThePinkPanther'': '''The Pink Panther Show'' featured a live action sequence of (intercut with segments of the ''Pink Panther'' cartoons and random stock footage) a pink, purpose-built show car known as the [[http://www.carbodydesign.com/2011/09/panthermobile-goes-to-auction/ Panthermobile]]. At the end of the sequence the car drops off the Pink Panther and the Inspector at a cinema.
75	* ''WesternAnimation/PostmanPat'' features Pat driving around Greendale, picking up the mail from the post office and delivering it, while all the villagers wave as he goes past.
76	* ''WesternAnimation/FiremanSam'' The 1987 intro features Sam driving Jupiter around Pontypandy, greeting the villagers before getting to work, in the series 5 intro, a clip show is shown while he's driving.
77	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' cuts between the family members as they simultaneously drive, bike, or skateboard home.
78	* ''WesternAnimation/TopCat'' is seen in the opening of his show presumably being driven in a limousine. When the limousine turns around, we see T.C. [[RealVehicleReveal riding on its rear fender]].
79	* ''WesternAnimation/WackyRaces'', full stop. A checkered flag opening gives way to a stylized race car heading straight at the camera before the racers are introduced.
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Context Main / AutomobileOpening