Ancient Aliens

Name: Ancient Aliens
Genre: Documentary

Rate it

A documentary series whose answer to every question it raises is the same one.

Ancient Aliens opens with a main title sequence of 21 seconds.

At 21 seconds, it opens well under the 37-second median for documentary sequences in this catalogue.

It arrived on History in 2009, when Ice Road Truckers and Pawn Stars were also on the network.

The opening titles

21s

Fan upload of the History Channel opening.

2005–ABCDocumentary

The American Strictly, which runs two seasons a year and rebuilds its titles for most of them.

2000–CBSDocumentary

The competition format that rebuilt American primetime, and rebuilds its titles for every location.

2005–FoxDocumentary

Flames, a skull made of a chef's hat, and Gordon Ramsay shouting — the titles tell you exactly what the hour is.

2009–Logo / VH1 / MTVDocumentary

Eighteen seconds that get remade every season — new logo treatment, new track, new set of queens.

2002–Fox / ABCDocumentary

The talent format that ran American primetime for a decade, opening on a spotlight and a logo that spins.

2002–BBC TwoDocumentary

Twenty-one seconds of engine noise and a rock riff — a motoring programme that opens like a trailer for itself.