The 10 best HBO opening sequences of all time
“Fffwwwiieee, ahhhhhh,” and relax; you’re about to watch some top-quality television. The HBO opening sequence, as we eloquently brought to life in the opening line, is itself iconic in modern media, being synonymous with producing the finest TV series ever made. From the nitty-gritty criminal politics of The Sopranos, to the epic fantasy battles of Game of Thrones, to the deeply emotional violence of The Last of Us, HBO is a company truly at the top of its field.
Each of these aforementioned series is layered with excellent characters and gripping drama, creating unforgettable television that has proven to stand the test of time. One other thing that each of these programmes shares is their influential opening sequences that have long been hummed, whistled and sung by fans of the show, boasting impressive two-minute intros that encapsulate the show and prime you to receive an episode.
Some great series have rubbish opening sequences, and some forgettable shows have unforgettable intros, so we thought we’d shine a light on the artists and musicians who have brought a number of iconic HBO preambles to life over the years.
Take a look at our list of excellent intros below, where we delve into everything from 2008’s True Blood to 2011’s Game of Thrones.
The 10 best HBO opening sequences:
10. Carnivàle (2003–2005)
The early 2000’s series Carnivàle may not be HBO’s most popular show of all time, but the fantasy drama received swathes of favourable reviews upon its release. Running for two seasons, the programme was set during the Great Depression of the early 20th century and told the story of an Oklahoma farm boy and a church minister who discover themselves caught in the middle of a war between heaven and hell.
Using historical footage of the time and an immersive, haunting soundtrack for Lisa Coleman, A52, a visual effects and design company based in LA, created an unforgettable intro that perfectly set the mood for the story to come.
9. The Last of Us (2023–)
Video games have long been misrepresented in cinema and television, with production companies picking up beloved intellectual properties without giving much consideration to the context in which they were created. This changed at the start of 2023, however, with the release of The Last of Us, a post-apocalyptic drama that perfectly translated the heart, soul and terror of the original game.
Starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, the show quickly became a hit upon its release, with the opening titles taking the theme from the video game and entwining them with some neat visuals that show the virus taking over the world before forming into the two lead characters. It’s poetry in motion.
8. True Blood (2008–2014)
There have been series that have received more critical love than the vampire drama True Blood, but there are truly few HBO shows that have a more loyal fanbase. Starring Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer and Alexander Skarsgård, the story follows a telepathic waitress who encounters a supernatural world after she meets a mysterious gentleman who happens to also be a vampire.
An eerie intro, HBO well encapsulates the style and gothic nature of the show, highlighting the deeply religious context of America’s deep south, the setting of the show. With creepy religious imagery and other shots of decaying animals and more, the intro of True Blood is a perfect microcosm of what’s to come from the show.
7. Westworld (2016–2022)
Nominated on three occasions for ‘Outstanding Main Title Design’ at the Emmys, the opening sequence to Westworld, a series based on Michael Crichton’s novel of the same name, as well as the movie from 1973, is a work of art. With all the ingredients of the show involved, the opening scene shows how the robots of the titular theme park were originally created, demonstrating how art is entwined with science to craft the existence of the robots.
Starring the likes of Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris and Thandiwe Newton, Westworld lasted for three seasons before it was untimely cancelled by HBO.
6. Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014)
You can’t go too wrong when you use The Brian Jonestown Massacre in your introduction, with HBO using the song ‘Straight Up and Down’ from the 1996 album Take It from the Man! during the opening of Boardwalk Empire. Starring Steve Buscemi, Michael Shannon, Kelly Macdonald and Stephen Graham, the crime drama is set in the Prohibition era and tells the story of a politician who plays on both sides of the law.
Elevated by its song, the intro sees Buscemi’s Enoch ‘Nucky’ Thompson standing on an Atlantic City beach, smoking a cigarette, whilst bottles of booze wash up on the shores. Oozing style and class, the Boardwalk Empire intro is just cool.
5. True Detective (2014–)
When the first season of True Detective was released, it was discussed as if it was the best thing since sliced bread, and indeed it was, even if it was unable to replicate its success with future series. With Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey, the show is dark, moody and deeply emotional, exploring the mental health of its protagonists whilst digging up their past lives.
Much like the series itself, the intro starts softly before ending with bleak darkness, using the moody song ‘Far From Any Road’ by The Handsome Family as the basis of a truly delectable opening.
4. The White Lotus (2021–)
Taking critics and audiences by storm in 2021, The White Lotus is the perfect drama for the modern world. Brimming with tension, absurd comedy and plenty of cringe-worthy moments, there is nothing quite like seeing Jennifer Coolidge’s bumbling Tanya McQuoid strutting through the titular holiday resort in season two of the show where she somehow gets caught up in a story of crime, love and betrayal.
Indeed, the whole series surrounds love and betrayal, with the excellent opening intro of season two bottling all of this within a captivating two minutes of musical splendour. Composed by Cristobal Tapia de Veer, the score for the series has become iconic in and of itself, but once you pair it with the visuals, you get something truly modern yet classically majestic.
3. The Sopranos (1999–2007)
Many will associate the fizzing HBO intro with its best TV show of all time. The Sopranos helped to make HBO a household name, legitimising its ability to take on long-form drama with a show that forever changed how TV was consumed. Starring James Gandolfini, Michael Imperioli, Edie Falco and Lorraine Bracco, the show tells the story of a mob boss who has to juggle his professional life with his own deteriorating mental health.
Using the smooth sound of ‘Woke Up This Morning’ by the British band Alabama 3, the intro to The Sopranos sees Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano drive past all the key locations of the show whilst smoking a cigar before finally pulling into his driveway. It’s short, simple and stylish, with no-nonsense, perfectly reflecting the mood of the show.
2. Game of Thrones (2011–2019)
Speaking of TV series that changed the game upon their release, HBO’s Game of Thrones is undoubtedly one of the most important shows ever made for the small screen, demonstrating just how much could be achieved with a sharp dedication to pacing and loyalty to the source material. Featuring the likes of Emilia Clarke, Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Maisie Williams, and Sophie Turner, Game of Thrones reigned supreme for many years.
To this very day, the original theme, created by Ramin Djawadi, can be heard chanted by fans across the world. But the intro is far more than just a great soundtrack, with the visuals also playing their part too, taking viewers on a tour across Westeros, where cities and villages are steadily constructed like clockwork.
1. Succession (2018–2023)
Each of the entries on our list of the greatest HBO intro sequences of all time is perfect in their own right, but there is something about the opening of Succession that seems to extend beyond the boundaries of the television, speaking to the pain, torment, emotion and Shakespearian tragedy of Jesse Armstrong’s celebrated series. A business drama with sprinklings of comedy, the story follows the Roy family, powerful owners of a major media and entertainment company, who are each tussling for power at the top of the food chain.
Whilst there are countless characters at play in the business dogfight, the main players are father Logan (Brian Cox) and the four siblings Roman (Kieran Culkin), Shiv (Sarah Snook), Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Connor (Alan Ruck). The background of these characters is quickly explored in the nuances of the show’s opening theme, where home video footage provides a neat summary of their complicated upbringing.
Pair this perfect footage with a soundtrack from Nicholas Britell that speaks to the grandiosity of the capitalist storyline and the theatrically tragic lives of the lead characters, and you’ve got the best HBO intro of all time.
