Special Edition Title: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

A variation on a show's usual [[Title Sequence]] for a special event. Does not cover the regular evolution of a title sequence from season to season. Likely to occur in conjunction with [[Something Completely Different]]. Can also be applied to the [[Ending Theme|ending sequence]], if the show has one (e.g. [[Anime]]).

 

 

Compare to [[Couch Gag]] and [[Evolving Credits]], which can often evolve the entire title sequence and thus fulfilling aspects of this trope as well.

 

{{examples}}

* Done in ''[[Soul Eater]]'' for episode where {{spoiler|Maka befriends Crona}}. It shows the two characters walking together hand in hand during the end credits, as opposed to Maka walking alone.

* In ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'', a [[Lower Deck Episode]] focused on the military [[Recurring Character|recurring characters]] changes the intro animation and narration; the usual changing pictures of Ed and Al are changed to a photo of the unit, and the title is given as ''Flame Alchemist'', referencing the unit's commanding officer.

* There's an episode of ''[[Hidamari Sketch]]'' where Miyako draws a sketch of Yuno in the preparations for the school festival. The finished work is shown at the very end of the closing credits.

 

* [[Script Fic]] ''[[Calvin and Hobbes: The Series]]'' has one for season 3 premiere "Dr. Brain Chill"; the credits are overlaid on various shots of space.

** Same with "Tracer Bullet in Color!", taking after film noir opening credits.

 

== Live-Action TV ==

* Jonathan, a minor recurring character, took over the credit sequence of the "Superstar" episode of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''.

** The musical episode "Once More With Feeling" had a mellowed version of the theme song playing over a shot of the night sky, with each actor's face appearing on the moon as he or she was listed in standard credits order.

** Also, in Season 4's "Bollywood Homicide", the song picks up a distinctly Eastern sound; most of the theme song was sung in Hindi, and the actors' names appeared in Hindi text which then switched to English letters.

** The sixth season episode "The Amazing Psych-Man & Tap Man, Issue #2" is done with the theme redone in a heroic orchestral style and the opening sequence in comic-book panels, specifically an homage to the opening sequence of ''[[The Cape (2010 TV series)|The Cape]]''.

* The ''[[Just Shoot Me]]'' episode "My Dinner with Woody" had the titles done in the style of the credits of Woody Allen movies (plain white text over black).

* The ''[[Babylon 5]]'' episode "The Corps Is Mother, The Corps Is Father" used a credit sequence with Psi Corps insignia in place of the usual Babylon 5 shield.

** Though this is only borderline "special"; during this part of the show's run, the shorter form was always used when the show was first aired, to leave more time for commercials. However, the full opening had been back for a few episodes.

*** If anything, it was more of a [[Take That]] at the Sci-Fi Channel's much-maligned decision to remove the full-length [[Title Sequence]].

* One episode of ''[[Clarissa Explains It All]]'' has her Brother, Ferguson take over the role of [[Breaking the Fourth Wall]]. The credits change the name of the series to Ferguson Explains It All.

* Episode 26 of ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'' has a [[Double Subversion]] of this: an announcer says the Queen might be watching, but the opening titles will proceed as usual; they don't.

** ''Double'' also did special openings in a story arc centering on an ''[[American Idol]]''-style TV show, replacing half of the standard opening with footage of the theme song's performers (who play judges in those episodes) performing the theme on the "Idol" stage.

** The 'movie footage in the opening' thing has become a tradition since Decade started it. ''OOO'' did it three times (for Movie Wars Core, Let's Go Kamen Riders, and OOO Wonderful) and ''Fourze'' has done it for Movie Wars Megamax. The movie footage is never the same in any two episodes, though. ''[[Super Sentai]],'' on the other hand, only movie-ifies end titles..

* One of the later episodes in Season 5 of ''[[Lost]]'' had, rather than its normal opening sequence with the "LOST" logo flying at the camera, a similar sequence on a starfield, and then the Enterprise flew by to promote the [[Star Trek (film)|2009 Star Trek film]], also released that year.

* The final episode of ''[[The Prisoner]]'' has the same end credits, but the opening credits replace the famous normal opening with a long helicopter shot over the Village, accompanied by a different theme music (actually written as the second half of the theme and only broadcast once before, as part of the incidental music in "Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling"). This was probably because it was the second half of the show's only two-part story. It was also the first time that it was publicly revealed that the show was filmed at Portmeirion, which had previously been kept secret to heighten the in-show mystery of the Village's location - although ironically the Portmeirion location was not used in the last four episodes.

** The final episode of Season 3, which takes place in a future that probably won't occur ([[It Makes Sense in Context|it makes sense in context...mostly]]), has a gray background and yet again different "cutting-edge" sciences, such as cryptozoology, chaos structure, and (to underscore [[Bad Future|how terrible the "prime" universe has become in 15 years]]) hope and water.

** The 4th season episode "Letter of Transit" takes place in a futuristic fascist dystopia. As well as images of barbed wire walls and faceless masses, the "Fringe concepts" include "Imagination", "Due Process" and "Freedom".

** In the first episode after Michael Scott's departure, the last shot of the opening montage (Michael adjusting the Dundee Award on his desk) is replaced with a similar shot with his replacement, Deangelo, adjusting one of his kachina dolls.

* One episode of ''[[The State]]'' began with David Wain explaining that all of the group's members have different specialties. His is editing, and though he gets less recognition for it, it is surprisingly good at letting you express yourself. Cut to a version of the opening titles in which Wain's credit is repeated over and over and the other cast members are only featured for a fraction of a second.

* The ''[[Sex and the City]]'' movies have a re-orchestrated version of the theme music. Not the only thing that's overdone about the movies.

* Variation: ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' sometimes had special commercial bumpers and/or ending credits, when prompted by the movie or one of the host segments. The typical version was to put different music over it, especially "[[Manos: The Hands of Fate|the haunting Torgo theme]]", but other examples exist.

** The second time they did an [[Outside Broadcast]] was from [[Universal Studios]] in 1998, and the episode was called ''Noel's House Party At The Movies'', with similar titles, an episode which is considered [[Fanon Discontinuity]], if not [[Canon Discontinuity]]. However, [[Word of God]] is that the man himself would have preferred to have stayed in the UK to develop fresh ideas - mentioned on [[YouTube]].

* The [[Christmas Episode]] of ''[[Warehouse 13]]'', makes numerous changes to the title sequence.

* The Granada TV version of "The Final Problem" (''[[The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes]]'') replaced the opening violin tune with a slower, sadder version.

* The credits of the last episode of ''[[Blake's 7|Blakes Seven]]'' were completely silent except for gunshots.

 

== Radio ==

* Talk show host Herman Cain of ''[[The Herman Cain Show]]'' normally warns any audience members still driving at the start of his show that "there are some '''[[Drives Like Crazy|nuts]]''' on the road", on some holidays, he has warned that there are "even more" nuts on the road.

* The episode of ''[[The Archers]]'' in which the long-serving and much-loved Phil Archer died didn't play the show's theme tune at the end, instead fading out to Elgar's "Dream of Gerontius", which Phil had been listening to as he passed away peacefully at home.

 

== Video Games ==

** In "Jumping Jack Flash", they only have the countdown, due to it being a continuation of the last level.

* The Japanese predecessor to ''Elite Beat Agents'', called ''[[Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan]]'', has a few of these as well. In the original, "Over The Distance" had a much quieter call for help and had their target running down the stairs to Heaven instead of the more [[Hot-Blooded]] regaining of spirit and countdown. In the sequel, "Believe" and "Sekai wa Sore wo Ai to Yobun da ze" are similar to "You're The Inspiration" and "Jumping Jack Flash", respectively.

 

== Web Original ==

* The webseries ''[[Awesome Video Games]]'' once had their opening sequence [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etgk-kIOe44 taken over] by R.O.B. Yes, '''[[Nintendo|that]]''' R.O.B.

 

== Western Animation ==

** The episode "What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?" replaced "SpongeBob SquarePants" in the theme with "WhoBob WhatPants".

* Another show with a special title for Christmas was ''[[Codename: Kids Next Door]]'''s "Operation Naughty", with the normally-white background turned green, snow falling over the titles, and the title decorated by Christmas lights [http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a391/Numbuh4fan/Naughty/OperationNAUGHTY005_0039.jpg (see here)]. That episode also had a [[The Teaser|teaser]]. Only "Operation End" and "Operation Knot" had a [[Cold Opening]] before this, and those were much shorter than the one in "Naughty".

** The first episode of the third season was all about the villains, and thus the credits featured their silhouettes in place of the expected titular brothers.

* ''[[The Backyardigans]]'' had these for both two-parters. For the first one, ''"International Super Spy"'' (parodying the [[James Bond]] movies), there was an opening in the style of the episode rather than the regular one. For the second, ''"Tale of the Mighty Knights"'', the theme song is done in the style of '70s hard rock.

** And in the [[Musical Episode]], the theme song was altered to sound more like it belonged in a musical production.

* The Halloween Special of ''What's New [[Scooby Doo]]'' cut the opening credits altogether and instead showed the words ''A Scooby Doo Halloween'' in large letters over the opening scene as a [[Title-Only Opening]].

* ''[[Happy Tree Friends]]'' uses Halloween graphics in the opening for Halloween-themed episodes, complete with the theme song being done in minor key.

* ''[[Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation]]'' had the [[Expository Theme Tune]] retooled to be about a different vacation, with [[Phineas and Ferb]] doing Christmassy or wintery things. And it was sung by Victorian carolers.

'''Candace''': Mom! Phineas and Ferb are making a Christmas special! }}

* The ''[[Futurama]]'' episodes "Mars University", "Bender Should Not Be Allowed on Television", and "Spanish Fry" all have different versions of the [[Theme Tune]] playing.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Title Sequence]]