Series Opener: We Have a Winner
What if you had the power to open a show—before the first line, before the first scene, with just a few bars of music?
That was the question behind this month’s challenge: compose the theme song your favorite TV series deserves. Whether it was a brooding sci-fi epic, a dystopian cartoon, or an offbeat comedy, our community rose to the task with music that captured worlds in a matter of seconds.
From tension-filled drones to retro-futuristic anthems, these opening cues didn’t just hint at story—they launched us straight into it.
To every composer who participated: thank you. Your imagination, risk-taking, and storytelling made this one of our most cinematic challenges yet.
✨ Note on Highlights
For this and future challenges, we’ll spotlight the top 10 compositions that best reflect the spirit of the brief. Every entry was reviewed—and we appreciate the time, effort, and creativity you shared with the community. 💙
Now let’s roll the credits...
🏆 Top 10 Scores
🥇 1st Place – Star Wars: The Bad Batch by Andrew Milz
A bold and driving reimagining of a Star Wars theme, Andrew’s score fuses industrial rock and cinematic orchestration with thrilling intensity. From the percussive undercurrent to the sweeping gestures, this piece nails the action-sci-fi tone of the series with precision. While a stronger recurring hook could elevate it further, it already sounds like something pulled straight from Lucasfilm’s scoring stage. Powerfully done.
🥈 2nd Place – The Hollow – Redone by ExplodingCello1
An exercise in minimalist tension and atmosphere, this intro doesn’t shout—it chills. The rhythmic layering, use of silence, and spatial sense of sound show maturity and control. A masterclass in psychological scoring, perfect for a show where everything feels just slightly... off.
🥉 3rd Place – Assassindroids by L.W.L. Laboratories
Forget melodies—this theme builds a world. With glitchy synths, ambient FX, and distorted guitars, it echoes Murder Drones and other cyberpunk dystopias. It's not about singable tunes; it's about immersion. An impressive exercise in sonic architecture and a standout use of texture over traditional form.
4. The Hollow by 𝕻𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖔𝖒𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖉𝖊𝖃𝕴𝕴𝕴
Orchestration, pacing, and emotional build—this piece has the DNA of a strong series intro. A defined melodic identity would boost its memorability, but it already shines as an emotionally intelligent and beautifully paced composition.
5. Squid Game – Main Theme by Ilya Barabash
This theme doesn’t flinch. Hollow percussion, bleak motifs, and eerie restraint make it a perfect companion to the series’ dystopian survival tone. The music may be quiet—but it speaks volumes.
6. Survivor by Benjamin Morgan
With cinematic percussion and haunting choral textures, this score builds a sense of survivalist tension. It might not be iconic in the hummable sense, but it commands attention through atmosphere and form.
7. A Dead Man by TH Music
Built around loss, silence, and memory, this theme draws from The Terminal List's moral weight. With bell tones and restrained choral textures, it sounds like a spiritual lament more than an opening cue—and that’s what makes it memorable.
8. Rings of Power by Hyrulean Music
A rich, orchestral piece that walks the line between restraint and grandeur. Though it lacks a singable theme, the harmonic world and cinematic breath make it worthy of Tolkien’s legacy.
9. Abyss by drumking
Minimalist and rhythmic, this percussion-heavy piece is pure mood. With brass and strings lurking below the surface, it conjures images of desolate futures and heavy decisions. Sparse, but gripping.
10. This Deserves a Better Opening by UniStudios
Whimsical and full of charm, this theme plays like a musical wink. It might not have the most iconic motif, but the folk-influenced bounce and quirky textures make it a perfect match for something like Big City Greens.
🙌 Thank You
To all who submitted: your musical storytelling brought TV screens to life—before they even turned on.
Whether you scored with grandeur or restraint, electronics or orchestra, your pieces showed us how a great theme feels before it’s even heard.
Keep composing. Keep imagining the opening scene.