My Favorite 25 TV Show Themes
Posted By Ben W. on November 11, 2009
Rock ‘n roll and television took hold in American culture around the same time, so it’s not surprising that their histories have always been intertwined.
And let’s not be snobby about it. Pop music does not have to be serious to be good.
Politcal punk and folky protest songs are not the end all be all. Some of the best pop music ever made was designed solely for television. I really believe that.
So you take Dylan. I’ll take “Duck Tails.”
Here’s my list of my favorite 25 TV show themes. Please note it’s not my comprehensive list of the best themes. Far from it. These are only my favorites — and yes, in case it’s not abundantly clear, I did grow up in the 80s.
Enjoy.
MY FAVORITE 25 TV SHOW THEMES
25. MR. ED
And the most famous part happens before the music even starts!
24. IN LIVING COLOR
Hasn’t aged a bit, has it?
23. DEADWOOD
Not that amazing in and of itself, but it really sets the perfect mood for a show that ranks in my top five of all time.
22. BARNEY MILLER
My dad watched this all the time when I was a kid. I don’t remember anything about the actual show, but 25 years later I can still sing you that bass line.
21. THE MUPPET SHOW
They wrote a ton of really good music back in the old Muppets/Sesame Street days.
20. THE PATTY DUKE SHOW
Gotta like the theme songs that completely describe the show’s premise every week. True to the pop music of the day too, this one has TONS of words, TONS of syllables. I love it. They even manage to mash the line “A hot dog makes her lose control.”
19. THE ADVENTURES OF PETE & PETE
The band Polaris formed specifically to play music for “Pete & Pete,” including this little jangle-pop gem.
18. POIROT
The perfect audio equivalent of Agatha Christie’s detective. I don’t know how they nailed it, but they did.
17. THE MONKEES
I know it’s all a giant ripoff of “Help!” Who cares, though, when the results are this good?
16. READING RAINBOW
That little calliope at the beginning zaps me back to 1984 immediately. I’m eating cereal on the floor, ready for LeVar Burton to teach about dinosaurs or something.
15. SALUTE YOUR SHORTS
“This thing came apart…” Oh Donkey Lips.
14. FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR
Still his best song. By far.
13. 3-2-1 CONTACT
The show was like being at school. Seriously, it really sucked. So I sometimes would tune in just to sing along to the theme and then switch to a different channel.
12. THE X-FILES
Suitably spooky.
11. THE AVENGERS
As impeccable as a John Steed suit.
10. AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE
You know you’re on to something special when old-school rapper Schooly D turns up to freestyle about a shape-shifting ball of hamburger.
9. THE OFFICE (UK)
It usually makes me want to cry; really captures the subtle gray sadness inherent to the original “Office.”
8. THE SIMPSONS
We’ve heard it so many times it’s easy to forget its brilliance.
7. GROWING PAINS
It’s a thin line when it comes to 80s cheeseball. The basic rule goes like this: “Growing Pains” = awesome; “Family Ties” = awful.
6. THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
The Jeremy Brett “Sherlock” is the definitive Sherlock — (step aside Robert Downey) — and this theme is the definitive Sherlock music. Absolutely note perfect.
5. CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM
It’s rare that a theme song becomes part of a show’s very essence. That’s the case here, though. This music is “Curb.”
4. DUCK TALES
I still contend this is one of the best songs from the 80s. I just wish they’d play it 80s Night dance parties.
3. TWIN PEAKS
Angelo Badalamenti’s lush synth score — both gorgeous and dark — set the tone for viewers’ weekly visit to Twin Peaks. It takes up nearly three minutes at the beginning of every show, yet I never once wished it was shorter.
2. ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS
This actually made a really big impact in my life. I wanted to be in a band so badly when I was young, and I really, really idolized Alvin. Looking back, that’s kind of weird, isn’t it? What’s even weirder is now that I actually am in a band, the songs I write often sound like this.
1. DR. WHO
Delia Derbyshire’s groundbreaking tape loop techniques make this a classic that never gets old. Read more about it by checking out today’s 12:12 Tuner.
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Odd, I completely forgot there was ever a show called “Salute your shorts” but as soon as I pressed play I was able to sing along with every word… Thanks for getting this stuck in my head…. “Think anawanna-wanna, speak anawanna-wanna. Live anawanna-wanna! ugh!”
Loving the Chipmunks and Duck Tales, woo-ooo
Dismayed that there’s no mention of The Jefferson’s and/or DinoRiders – Almostfourstars didn’t harness the power, thus they must be moving on down.
Still enjoyed the list, nice work
This is a great list. I actually also love the theme song of the American Office, but I think it’s that pavlovian thing where I’m just so happy that The Office is about to begin. I don’t know what I would add on my personal list– maybe the theme to The Young Ones? It’s a cover of a Cliff Richards song, but they do such a great job.
Yeah that seems about right – what about the theme to Roundhouse or Are You Afraid of the Dark? That Roundhouse theme is kind of great – and now that I think about it, Are You Afraid of the Dark sounds exactly like The X-Files theme song….hmmmmm…..
Oh, and you neglected to mention the a cappella version of the Growing Pains theme song in the last season. That was real weird.
Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air needs to be moved WAY up on this list!
I don’t know much about Barney Miller, but that theme song was some straight-up baby-making music. Damn.
This list was impressive, like Robo-Duck.
Goosebumps. Punky Brewster. Bewitched. The Munsters.
Wow, that Reading Rainbow intro takes me back!
Where is the theme to ‘Perfect Strangers’? I would place that at number one. ‘227′ and ‘Disney’s Gummy Bears’ could also compete for a spot near the top. Also, REM’s Stand might not qualify, as it existed outside of the TV world, but was the perfect theme song for ‘Get a Life’