Only very rarely does a show have no theme tune whatsoever. However, many recent
anime series have left out the OP in the first or last episode (or both).
Current trends seem to favour the lack of a theme tune, particularly in sci-fi/fantasy drama series, such as
Lost,
Heroes,
Supernatural,
Invasion,
Surface, and
Threshold.
See also
Title Only Opening,
Special Edition Title.
Examples:
- One of the earliest examples is Pearl, the opening credits of which consisted of a hand writing the show's name on a chalkboard, with no other sound audible.
- Lost has no distinct theme song, just some sound effects and a few notes playing over a flying graphic of the show's title.
- Particularly amusing is that on the Soundtrack, this is cited as being "Composed by J.J. Abrams". 16 seconds of sound effects is composing, is it?
- Murphy Brown did not have a consistent theme, but would frequently open with a Motown song in which the lyrics would be relevant to the events of the episode.
- Seinfeld also had no real theme song, only the music stings heard at the beginning and throughout any given episode.
- Surreal/downright weird UK comedy series Jam had no theme, only a bizarre monologue from creator Chris Morris, always ending in "Then Welcome... In Jaaaam".
- The Aussie cop drama Scales of Justice didn't have a theme tune... because it couldn't afford one (article from The Age
).
- The second season of My Name Is Earl has taken to just using the final chord from the original theme tune with the final shot of the original opening sequence, with Jason Lee (who plays Earl) saying in voiceover, "My name is Earl."
- Jericho shows the show's name with the sound of a radio tuning amid static.
- With brief messages given in morse code.
- The Britcom Porridge, set in a prison, is unusual in having no opening theme. Instead the opening title shows a montage of prison cell doors banging shut, accompanied by the voice of the judge passing sentence on prisoner Norman Stanley Fletcher.
- Burn Notice uses an Opening Monologue.
- The Goon Show is an unusual example of a Radio comedy show with no opening theme. After the opening announcement ("This is the BBC Light Programme") the show launches straight into this week's absurd plot. The show did have a variety of closing themes over the years, though.
- Both Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis originally had cool orchestral theme tunes, for the ninth and second seasons respectively this was done away with in favour of a very short snippet of if in front of the show's name. After Fan Outcry the theme tunes were very quickly restored.
- lonelygirl15 has no theme tune; since it's presented as a series of video blogs, almost all the music on the show is either diegetic or indie.
- Greys Anatomy, which once had a theme tune by Psapp, no longer has a theme tune, instead showing the white background with the title in black show up for a few musical blips from the former theme.
- The title for 24 is the number 24 blinking into view on a digital display with sound effects, followed by a rundown of the plot thus far composed of clips from previous episodes. (There actually is a 24 theme that was used in the beginning of the pilot and serves as a sort of leitmotif throughout the entire series' score.)
