Best Main Title Design: Will Emmy go to ‘Lovecraft Country,’ ‘WandaVision,’ ‘The Queen’s Gambit,’ ‘Raised by Wolves’ …

Few elements of television can entice the viewer quite like a well-designed main title sequence, as proved by this year’s Emmy nominees for Best Main Title Design. Such sequences may be less and less present in the modern TV landscape, but they help set a mood for the series to come, evoking emotions that might not be as potent with a simple title card.

This year’s nominees are: “Between the World and Me” (HBO), “The Good Lord Bird” (Showtime), “Lovecraft Country” (HBO), “The Queen’s Gambit” (Netflix), “Raised by Wolves” (HBO Max) and “WandaVision” (Disney+). So which opener will win the Emmy for Best Main Title Design? Let’s look at each of them individually, and be sure to make your Emmy predictions.

“Between the World and Me” — Creative Director: Hazel Baird

“Between the World and Me,” HBO’s adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates‘s acclaimed book of the same name, is a powerful look at what it means to be Black in America, and the special’s title sequence reflects this. Images of joy and protest are interspersed through the opener, with a stop-motion effect used on photographs and folded paper as transition points. This is Baird’s second consecutive Emmy nomination, following a bid last year for “The Morning Show.”

“The Good Lord Bird” — Creative Director: Efrain Montanez

The title sequence for “The Good Lord Bird” is boldly animated with reds, yellows and blacks, with stark versions of characters we see in the series, like escaped slave Henry and abolitionist John Brown. There is a sponge-like quality to the design as the sequence depicts a lone bird, a rolling onion and canyons firing. The effect is greatly aided by the show’s jaunty theme song, “Come on Children, Let’s Sing” by Mahalia Jackson.

“Lovecraft Country” — Creative Director: Patrick Clair

The “Lovecraft Country” main titles are about 10 seconds but vary from episode to episode. Each sequence starts with the show’s title in big bold letters before zooming out to reveal a creepy tease of what’s to come in the episode that follows, such as thorns, roots or a blue skull. The typecase of the title flickers ominously, not unlike the similarly-themed “Stranger Things” sequence. Clair is now a 12-time nominee in this category, previously winning for “True Detective” in 2014 and “The Man in the High Castle” in 2016.

“The Queen’s Gambit” — Creative Director: Saskia Marka

“The Queen’s Gambit” makes you wait for its title sequence. The limited series opens every episode with a simple, black title card, and it isn’t until the end credits of the final episode that the proper titles are revealed. The sequence is appropriately chessboard-themed, with black and white squares and circles that dance around the screen methodically. The end title cards also alternate with black and white outlines.

“Raised by Wolves” — Director: Steve Small

The opening titles for “Raised by Wolves” is a chilling depiction of a dystopian world. With explosions, fires and destructive winds all cast in fading light, the sequence represents a bleak future after the Earth has been ravaged. The stark opener is complemented by a haunting theme song performed by Miriam Wallentin.

“WandaVision” — Creative Director: John LePore and Doug Appleton

While the “WandaVision” team created a new title sequence for just about every episode, they are nominated for their end credits design, which remains consistent through each. The sequence begins with a “Please stand by” message before transitioning to a television’s RGB pixels, which assemble and crumble as they take various forms. We are also treated to disconcertingly extreme closeups of Wanda and Vision, adding to the sense that something isn’t quite as it seems.

So which series will win the Emmy for Best Main Title Design? Unlike in most categories, this category’s voters don’t care about the overall strength of a series, as recent winners like “Godfather of Harlem” and “Counterpoint” prove. So just because “Lovecraft Country,” “The Queen’s Gambit” and “WandaVision” landed double-digit nominations, it doesn’t mean “Between the World and Me,” “The Good Lord Bird” or “Raised by Wolves” can’t win despite being the only nomination for their respective shows at the Emmys. Last year’s winner, “Godfather of Harlem,” shares a lot in common with “Between the World and Me,” while “Lovecraft Country’s” simple yet effective opener evokes another recent winner, “Stranger Things.” Voters may feel a certain way about end credit titles being nominated, affecting the chances of “The Queen’s Gambit” and “WandaVision.” The most memorable (in my humble opinion) are “The Good Lord Bird,” with its vivid animation, and the haunting “Raised by Wolves,” and it is tempting to pick one of them to pull off a victory over the heavier hitters.

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