Downton Abbey
A dog's back, a bell board and a house — thirty-one seconds establishing an entire social order without showing a single face.
Downton Abbey opens with a main title sequence of 31 seconds.
At 31 seconds, it opens well under the 50-second median for drama sequences in this catalogue.
It arrived on ITV in 2010, when Thomas & Friends, Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends and Birds of a Feather were also on the network.
The opening titles
Season 1
31sThe title sequence.
More drama opening titles from the 2010s
2 sequences
Euphoria
No opening sequence as such. Each episode runs a cold open, often one character's history told in narration, and only then cuts to the title card.
- Season 1
- Season 2
1 sequence
The Boys
Superhero iconography rendered as corporate branding and then defaced — the show's whole argument, done in graphics.
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1 sequence
The Night Manager
Le Carré's arms dealer and the hotelier sent in after him, opened by weapons assembling out of luxury.
- Season 2
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Game of Thrones
A map that rebuilds itself each week. The clockwork cities shown change with the locations the episode visits, which makes it the rare title sequence carrying actual information.
- Season 1
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1 sequence
Yellowstone
Montana filmed as a land claim — cattle, mountains and fence line, with the ranch's brand doing the title card.
- Season 1
3 sequences
The Witcher
No sequence in the usual sense. Each episode opens on its own sigil, drawn together out of liquid silver and shards over black, with the theme beneath it.
- Season 1
- Season 2
- Season 3