Thursday, August 16, 2007

Depressing TV Intros

Not only can TV title sequences get you in the mood for a show, they can also be unbelievably depressing when they accompany a show that has Jumped the Shark™. Has there ever been a title sequence more soul-crushing to watch than the final season of Laverne and Shirley, when Shirley was gone, Lenny had abandoned Squiggy (to make This is Spinal Tap) and they had to bring in a bunch of kids just to do the "Schlemiel, Schlemazl" bit? Particularly sad is the shot that accompanies the now-inaccurate title -- Laverne dancing with two versions of herself, just to make it look like the show is still about more than one person.



Or how about the last seson of The A-Team? The new arrangement of the theme song -- which sounds like a very early version of a custom cell phone ring -- practically screams "we've been re-tooled in a desperate attempt to revive a show that should have been canceled two years ago."



And once the opening voice-over of Charlie's Angels contained the line "Two of them graduated from the police academy, the other graduated from a top school for models," you knew it was over, even if Aaron Spelling didn't.



7 comments:

wcdixon said...

Excellent finds...

Ivan G Shreve Jr said...

I don't think I ever watched the final years of Laverne & Shirley--so, yes, I would have to say that's the most depressing opening theme I've seen in a long time.

VP81955 said...

How about the final, aunt-less season of "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch"*? That whole year was depressing to watch, and made the two previous, largely lackluster "college" seasons look as fresh and charming as year one.

*in name only

Jon88 said...

You and me, Ivan G, except now I'm absolutely certain I missed the final years, because I've definitely never seen that opening before. Could Penny Marshall look any more awkward, sniffing the flower and trying to smile? Wow.

Anonymous said...

Uggggh...the "Laverne, Where's Shirley?" era. Well I liked the Death Row episode a little...

Anonymous said...

Also...how about the ACAPELLA GROWING PAINS theme? Though I think they went on a bit after and brought back one of the B.J. Thomas ones.

Unknown said...

Laverne & Laverne! Yep, that's dreadful.