When the Emmy nominations are announced, two of the categories that are often overlooked are Best Theme Songs and Outstanding Title Designs, which are actually a couple of my favorite categories. They fall in the technical categories and aren’t publicised, so many don’t even realize there are Emmy categories for them. They are relatively new categories (theme song goes back to 1988, and main title Emmy awards go back to 1990). The theme song/main title sequence is actually fairly important in setting the tone to a series, and there’s a lot of theme songs (like the theme song for Justified, for instance) that I would never, ever fast forward through. A lot of theme songs, too, are lengthy: It often feels like the Dexter opening is half an hour long (it’s actually two minutes, and it won the Emmy in 2007 for main title sequence). I also feel like the title sequence to Game of Thrones is a huge part of the show (it, too, won the Emmy in 2010).
The thing about the two categories, however, is that a show is only eligible to win their first year (unless the theme song or main title sequence changes), so they only get one crack at it. And, of course, like every other category, there are snubs. I thought Rectify, for instance, was a shoo-in for Main Title Sequence, while The Newsroom, which did get a nomination had a terrible main title sequence (somebody must have agreed, too, because they changed it this year). I also thought Hannibal had a stellar main title sequence, and though it was cancelled, I absolutely adored the Ben and Kate theme song.
Alas, however, these were the nominees.
Best Theme Song
The Americans
Copper
Da Vinci’s Demons
Elementary
Hemlock Grove
House of Cards
Main Title Design
Da Vinci’s Demons
Elementary
American Horror Story: Asylum
Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn (Couldn’t find the opening credits, so here’s this!)
Newsroom
