This Life
Five law graduates sharing a house in Southwark, shot handheld and stopped after two series while it was still growing.
This Life opens with a main title sequence of 18 seconds.
At 18 seconds, it opens well under the 50-second median for drama sequences in this catalogue.
It arrived on BBC Two in 1996, when Talking Heads, Yes, Prime Minister and Absolutely Fabulous were also on the network.
The opening titles
Season 1
18sFan upload from a titles channel.
More drama opening titles from the 1990s
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James Newton Howard's theme over sliding doors, gurneys and light — the template every medical drama since has either copied or deliberately avoided.
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Paula Cole over a Massachusetts creek — a theme so tied to the show that its absence from the streaming release became a story in itself.
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The West Wing
Oil portraits, flags and W.G. Snuffy Walden's brass — an opening that treats the executive branch as a cathedral, which is the show's entire register.
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1 sequenceBeverly Hills, 90210
Freeze-frames of a cast grinning at the camera over a synth-brass hook — the template every teen drama of the decade copied.
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