The main title sequence on television is a disappearing art form.
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In the 1990s, opening credits were a starry but fleeting experience, spotlighting a cast in rapid succession before the show even began. In the 2000s, the dawn of prestige television, succinct but eye-catching titles were used to signal a heightened state of creativity. But by the time Patrick Clair entered the industry, something had changed.
“I was fortunate enough that I really got my break when streaming became the dominant force and they were all competing to prove that they could have the best main titles, so we had a couple of really great years where every major show wanted the biggest, longest main titles,” the title sequence designer tells Variety. “Those years are clearly behind us.”
That's partly due to the addition of the "skip intro" button on streaming services, allowing viewers to skip titles and essentially giving studios permission not to invest in them.
