The Simpsons opening sequence couch gag is shown, before the credits are displayed on a new widescreen flat panel television. Sometimes, the flat panel television falls to the floor and breaks, but unlike "Bart Gets a Z", the episode will begin then anyway. In the 500th episode, the opening sequence was a montage of all previous couch gags. Creator Matt Groening developed a lengthy opening sequence for the first season of "The Simpsons", in order to cut down on the animation necessary for each episode, but devised the two gags as compensation for the repeated material each week. In the first of the original
The Mary Tyler Moore Show opening sequence In 1997, the "Seattle Post-Intelligencer" called the sequence one of the best in history. In 2010, "TV Guide" ranked the sequence #3 on its list of TV's top 10 credits sequences, as selected by readers. In 2017, James Charisma of "Paste" ranked the show's opening sequence #15 on a list of "The 75 Best TV Title Sequences of All Time". The sequence has been referenced and parodied numerous times. Oprah Winfrey recreated the entire opening sequence of the show in Chicago, with herself in the role of Mary. "The All New Alexei Sayle Show" parodies the opening credits in its