May is officially Nicholas Britell season. The composer behind the lovely scores of Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk is composing the scores of Barry Jenkins’s The Underground Railroad series and Disney’s Cruella, both out later this month. And in major news, he has followed up his fan fave Succession theme song with another opening-credits banger, this time for comedian Ziwe Fumudoh’s new late-night show, Ziwe. Today, the morning of the Showtime series premiere, Fumudoh shared the show’s stylish opening-credits sequence on Twitter, writing, “this theme song was composed by my favorite musical genius @NicholasBritell and animated by @CartunaTV.â€
The colorful animated sequence pays tribute to Fumudoh’s Instagram Live series in its opening, before showing her animated avatar jumping out the window and driving to a TV set. It also pays homage to some (to borrow a phrase) iconic television stars who came before her. The bold choice of going with an animated opening for a talk show calls to mind the stylized, energetic Rosie O’Donnell opening credits of the ’90s, and the infectious blend of loud, girly fashion and confidence calls to mind The Nanny theme song (all three theme songs are not only animated, but extremely New York-y and camp). More than anything, though, this theme song sees Fumudoh channeling her inner Daria, taking joy in animated dress-up just like Daria’s end credits. It’s not the first time Fumudoh’s done a Daria tribute, either. Her “Universal Healthcare†music video is essential viewing before tonight’s premiere.