The television equivalent of the illustration on a book cover. This is a sequence at the beginning of the show (but generally after
The Teaser) It serves to let the viewer know what show he's watching. The
Title Sequence is also called the "Opening Credits" or "Opening Sequence", though, strictly speaking, they do not have to include any actual credits. They do, however, always display the title of the program, usually in the form of a series logo (except in rare cases such as
Batman: The Animated Series which never displays the title). For most shows, a
Theme Tune is played during the sequence.
In syndication, the title sequence is often abbreviated to leave more time for commercials. This is increasingly the case for first-run shows as well.
Although most shows modify the
Title Sequence to reflect the current cast lineup, anime is especially known for doing it at least once and sometimes more within a 26-episode run, complete with a new
theme song each time.
It may be of interest to note that
Title Sequences are usually made by a separate, specialist, production company from the one that's actually making the show.
Babylon 5 is a rare exception whose production crew created the show's five
Title Sequences entirely in-house.
Major types and tropes of the
Title Sequence include:
