Credits

I really enjoy watching credits. Anybody who has gone to the movies with me knows that I like to watch them all the way through to the end, even after any hope of a post credit scene has gone. The same is true of opening credits. These days, there are two types of credits, and both have their strengths and weaknesses.

One type is to show the actors doing stuff, usually along with their names. This is the standard one that most shows do. I find it really interesting to watch the opening credits of new shows and try to guess what's going on in the clips they've shown. You know that they have to be from the first couple of episodes that they've filmed, so you can try to guess the relationships and personalities of all the characters and what will be revealed early on. Recent example of this: Dollhouse.

The other type of credit doesn't show the actors, but it shows something that is meant to put you in the right type of mood to watch the show. An excellent example of this is Weeds or Dexter, but it isn't only in Showtime or HBO - Saving Grace and The Riches did the same thing.

What I don't really like are the shows that just show images of the actors (ie not clips from episodes). This is what the third season of Veronica Mars did, and what Sarah Connor is doing now. Unless it is really stylized, it doesn't get you into the mood to watch the show, which is what all credits should do.

Lastly, a word on theme songs. This is one of the most crucial things a show has to pick, in my opinion. It sets the mood for every viewing, and viewers have to listen to it every week (or every hour if they're watching from dvd). It would be interesting to choose to watch new shows based on their theme songs. I may have to experiment with that. Some of my favorites themes: Buffy, Veroica Mars (pre-Season 3), Firefly, and Star Trek: Enterprise. Dollhouse is slowly getting up on the list, but I think it's a bit too short.