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May 8th, 2008
09:41 AM ET
The best TV themes say so muchThe fourth season of "Mission: Impossible" hits shelves next week on DVD. Nothing against the show - it was often stoically clever, and the fourth season added Leonard Nimoy to the mix - but when I think of "Mission: Impossible," the first thing that comes to mind isn't Peter Graves or self-destructing tapes or agents in disguise.  It's the theme song. Lalo Schifrin's tense, jazzy music - its menacing horns like little explosions - IS "Mission: Impossible." It did what the best TV themes did: established a tone and elevated what was to come. Much has been made of the decline of the TV theme, with most of today's shows' opening credits barely lasting long enough to show a title card, much less air a 30- to 60-second piece of music. But even those discussions often focus on the themes with lyrics - "Gilligan's Island," "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Happy Days" - and neglect the great instrumental compositions. Which gets me pondering some of the classics. Some that come to mind right away are "Hawaii Five-O," Morton Stevens' brilliant, pounding horn-and-organ concoction; Barry De Vorzon's "Theme from S.W.A.T.," a terrific instrumental that was far more exciting than the show it was written for; and Thomas Newman's theme for "Six Feet Under," a yearning, unusual melody that suggested its show's bittersweet mix of joy and pain. What are some of your favorites? Remember, instrumentals only. - Todd Leopold, CNN.com Entertainment Producer |
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Well as far as instrumental theme songs go I'd have to say:
Angel
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
the Office (US)
Dexter
It's Always Sunny in Philidelphia
and of course X-Files
How about the theme to NBC Nightly News? It's been an institution for decades, and gives you an immediate sense of importance and boldness.
The Rockford Files
I notice that a lot of people have posted themes that have words (Bat Masterson, Mary Tyler Moore Show, Speed Racer, Cheers, Golden Girls, Addams Family, and when someone says "great to sing along to" you KNOW s/he didn't pay attention to the rules!), and I also noticed that one instrumental-only that is really evocative isn't on here: Perry Mason.
Also the Alfred Hitchcock theme (which might not count because it was not written for the show, but "Funeral March of a Marionette") and the theme for PBS' "Mystery." What's fun is how many of these theme songs I have heard thanks to stations like TBS, TVLand, E-Western, and so forth. Yea for cable TV!
Coach & Murder, She Wrote
The recent remake of Battlestar Galactica is fantastic and shows that modern series can indeed have a rousing musical score to accompany opening credits.
Though i do like all of the Star Treks, especially Voyager, and i was a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Let's not forget Matlock!
The theme to "Remington Steele" by Henry Mancini! It was terrific!
The Price is Right!
The best theme of all time, in my opinion, was the classic Ron Grainer/Delia Derbyshire theme to Doctor Who. No theme has ever set the scene for a show better.
Other themes I highly enjoy include another Grainer theme, The Prisoner, a piece of music called "High Wire" which when it was used as the opening theme for Danger Man (a series that aired in the US as Secret Agent) proved that harpsichords and spies do mix.
And you could never go wrong with a TV theme credited to Barry Gray or the just-departed (RIP) Alexander Courage.
Thanks to the decline in shows actually commissioning themes anymore, there are slim pickings for recent themes that I would recommend. Alias had a great theme, and Torchwood has a very good theme that manages to get the job done in less than 20 seconds.
I loved the theme to Medical Center with Chad Everett. It started with that wailing siren. Excellent theme song.
My favorite is Earle Hagen's "Harlem Nocturne" used for the Mike Hammer TV Series and movies.
The theme from Dr. Kildare (Richard Chamerlain); it was titled "Three Stars".
WOW so many to remember, many have already been listed here.
Here are a few I see that were missed
Barney Miller, Quincy ME, Cheers
Nash Bridges – Second Season,
The Super Friends, Get Smart, Mr Ed.
The Jeffersons, All in the Family, Crime Story, Adam-12, Emergency
Law and Order, Home Improvement, The Six Million Dollar Man,
The Pink Panther, The Streets of San Francisco
So many more I could list.
In the Golden Age of TV when westerns were king there were a ton of theme songs. From fifty years ago I still remember
The Theme from Rawhide
Have Gun Will Travel
Bat Masterson
Branded
26 Men
Lawman ..etc All great..!!!
Some of them are posted on YouTube.
ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS!!! (I must be older than everyone else)
My other favorites have all been named time and time again.
The Waltons. And Star Trek: need I say more?
MacGyver!
"West Wing" comes to mind. It had a really iconic theme.
"The Simpsons" is my all time favorite and I think one of the most recognizable. I get a smile everytime I hear the "The Simpsons theme" and fond memories always come back. I still watch every episode a million times over and then some. In fact it's in my head right now.
A-Team is the best, but I can't seem to get "Night Court" outta my head.
I know it's not a TV show, but the Linus and Lucy theme from the Charlie Brown specials always makes me happy
How can Miami Vice not be on the list! Also agree, maybe for nostalgia reasons, Dr. Who is near the top.
Blue Thunder, The Virginian, Rockford Files, UFO, Space 1999, and of course, Captain Kangaroo
Little House on the Prairie – the theme song changed slightly over the years, but always had a great rural flavor to it;
The Waltons – had a slow, sad theme song that mirrored the sad Great Depression setting of this excellent show;
The Odd Couple – very catchy theme song to one of TV's funniest shows;
I Dream of Jeannie – most beautiful woman on TV –
Bewitched – magical theme song;
The Flintstones – fun to sing along to this classic;
The Munsters – one of the first shows I can recall viewing as a child –
The Adams Family – very unique theme song;
Roots ("ABC Novel for television" – remember those, in the pre-cable and pre-VCR days?) – theme song has an African flavor to it;
'North and South' (TV miniseries) – you knew this was going to be something big just by the theme song alone;
WOW...so many to choose from but here are some of my favorites:
Hawaii 5-0
Law & Order
LA Law
Newhart
The Odd Couple
Hart to Hart
Kojak
The Time Tunnel (Even in the 60's John Williams was a GENIUS).
I notice dramas are favored over sitcoms. Several of my favorites are: The Donna Reed Show (so cheerful & elegant), Adv. of Brisco Co. Jr., The X-Files, Ben Casey, Quantum Leap, Route 66, Peyton Place, Midnight Caller, Hawaii Five-0, The Name of the Game, Miami Vice, Get Smart, Trapper John, M.D. (a very '80s-type score and visual; clocks in at a generous 1 min. 20 sec.!), Bewitched, ER, Police Story, Perry Mason, Eden (very synthetic, but good pairing of score & visuals), Lancer, The Danny Thomas Show, Starsky and Hutch ( year 4), The Court (Sally Field), Cimarron Strip, Mission: Impossible, NYPD Blue, Simon & Simon, Ironside (thanks, Q!), ABC Movie of the Week, NBC Mystery Movie, The Virginian, Twilight Zone, Peter Gunn, Stoney Burke, What's Happening!!, The Fugitive, The Rat Patrol, Vega$ (so '70s!). Quite a trip down memory lane - this survey.
Hill Street Blues is the greatest (as so many have said), and St Elsewhere also comes to mind, but... an honorable mention goes to:
Family (the Spelling 70s series) – a forgotten masterpiece.
Dallas has to be it, hands down. What theme better catches the feeling of the 80's with the power, opulence, and elegance than that. During its peak popularity, it was played on radio stations, recorder by jazz groups and Floyd Cramer, and even had high school marching bands around the nation playing it in competitions.
Next to that, Sanford and Son, Bewitched, and how about The Odd Couple.... those are classics. Hopefully some powerful producers are reading this and will bring this wonderful artform back.
Don't forget Northern Exposure!
The all time Theme song from The Young & the Restless
Sopranos
Ironside
Mod Squad
In Living Color
Cosby Show ( can't remember what season)
Eye Spy
Different World
Living Single
Babylon 5/Star Trek: Deep Space 9/Carnivale/Deadwood/Battlestar Galactica (new)/M.A.S.H
High Chaparral and Babylon 5 – some of the B5 music just made the hair on your arms stand up it was so expressive.
Both arrangements of the "Farscape" were awesome. Also, the most recent arrangement of the "Doctor Who" theme music really pumps me up every time I hear it. I even have it as my ringtone!
As someone who owns a couple TV theme song compilation CDs, I will give you my favorites (in no particular order): Eight is Enough, The Fall Guy, Falcon Crest, Angie (Different Worlds), Rockford Files, Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Hunter, Cheers, Facts of Life, Cagney & Lacy, and, probably my favorite, Paper Chase.
Also, I did enjoy the theme song to Dallas...I would sing along using the names of the stars as they flashed on the screen. : )
Theme from the Monty Python TV show
'Inspector Morse'.
The morse code part is brilliant.
I think the best current instrumental TV show theme, hands down, is Survivor!! Excellent theme that definitely sets the mood for the whole show. It's recognizable, catchy and well....just fantastic!
The Odd couple
Chiming in for the thems from The Rockford Files (and Maverick), and the theme for Deadwood is haunting, spritely and complex–like the show. Also love the heavy bass on The Munsters theme–made it great for covers by punk bands!
VERY interesting.
Never even
thought of this before.
But you know, it is true.
Linda
http://www.attentiontodetailgifts.com
M*A*S*H – Without a doubt.
wow – how could I have forgotten Sanford and Son – a jazzy-little ditty in it's own right – every bit the equal (if not superior to?) of BARNEY MILLER.
Instrumental TV themes:
MIAMI VICE – if Jan Hammer didn't set the tone for what was to follow for the next hour – then no one did.
TAXI theme – Bob James crafted a light-jazz beauty that reflected the whimsy and fun of the series
BARNEY MILLER – Jack Elliot did for the sit com cop show what Bob James did for TAXI – no them ever had a bass line as funky.
I've always loved the theme to Dr. Who the best, partially because it's an instrumental. I can make my own ridiculous lyrics everytime I watch that show!
Andy Griffith
Sanford and Son [Quincy Jones!]
Arrested Development
Band of Brothers [HBO miniseries]
What's Happenin'?
Sherlock Holmes [The British version with Jeremy Brett]
Kolchak:The Night Stalker series! That theme promised mystery and good scares that my then pre-teen self craved from this great old show!
1) Kolchak: The Night Stalker – very memorable and the change from the whistling to the dramatic music set the tone
2) Twilight Zone – Even removing Rod's voice from it, the music is immediately recognizable
Seinfeld
The Pink Panther (Cartoon)
Bob Newhart
Get Smart
Hawaii 5-0
Henry Mancini wrote some of the best themes...
Peter Gunn, Bob Newhart and Remington Steele. Not to mention the theme from the Thorn Birds.
There were others but can't remember them.
Melrose Place...ahh palm trees, cut off shorts and illicit pool activity...all said with an electric guitar. Fabulous!
MASH, The Walton, Betwitched & The Price Is Right.... they are all unmistakably etched in our minds as decent television (and some of it fun, fun, fun!)
Magnum PI is my favorite of all time. After that it doesn't really matter.
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I loved the Dallas theme. I never watched the show, but I watched (and listened to) the opening credits – I'd watch the photographer's helicopter's shadow and compliment myself on my observation skills...
X Files, X Files, X Files!!!
Creepy
The MASH theme was called "Suicide is Painless". I agree with the person that mentioned the Tutors, it's great!
TAXI...'nuff said
My Favorites are definitely:
The Sopranos (can't believe no one remembered this one)
All In the Family
Good Times
Sanford & Son
Cheers
Andy Griffith Show (can't forget the whistling)
Golden Girls
The Virginian.
http://www.televisiontunes.com/
I'm surprised to see so few shouts out to the "new" Battlestar Galactica. Technically not a true instrumental, I still feel it's worthy of inclusion because the voice work on it is about as far from a pop song as you can get. It's haunting and melodic and is as chilling today after four seasons of the show as it was in the beginning. I suppose it's only fitting that the best show on television has the best opening theme of any show on television.
A few more worth a mention
I Love Lucy
Bonanza
The Flintstones
Magnum, PI
MASH
Miami Vice
Hawaii Five-O
Mission Impossbile
X-files
and doesn't anyone remember the theme to due South?
Batman, buffy the vampire slayer , stargate sg 1 , star trek, and finally DOCTOR *freaking* WHO
What about L.A. Law?
The Office and Futurama
Buffy the Vampire Slayer!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Doogie Howser, M.D.
I enjoyed the old "Equalizer" theme by the Police's Stuart Copeland, and the jazzy "Spenser for Hire."
The West Wing - very powerful and always made me feel patriotic when I heard it! - and this is a great list – why? because as I read the names of the shows, I can hear the theme music – and agree with almost all of the choices!
Some of my favorites:
The X Files
Wings
Sex And The City (which also happens to be my cell phone ring)
When I was a kid, my sisters and I would dance around the coffee table to the Miami Vice theme, so I have a soft spot for that. But, without a doubt, the BEST theme from any show is Twin Peaks. It was so haunting and mysterious, I got the complete series on DVD a couple of months ago and while on other shows that I watch on DVD, I speed through the opening, with Twin Peaks I let the opening credits play everytime just so I can hear the song (sometimes I even go back and listen a couple of times).
You guys all have bad memories, HAWAI'I FIVE-O had the best theme!! I have great memories of my childhood in Jamaica. Watching my bro and his friends doing the hula as the show started. We had the biggest tv, a 20" Blk & Whiter, and a huge veranda. We were the center of the universe.
p.s.
Let's not forget The Jeffersons, Ellery Queen and Sesame Street!!
Hill Street Blues...St. Elsewhere...Rawhide...Bonanza
hart to hart & charlie's angel's
.........and the original Law and Order........of course!
The Star Trek Themes.......especially The Next Generation.
perry mason
KNOTS LANDING!!!
Perfect Strangers!! Oh, Cousin Larry. . .don't be ridiculous!!!
There were soooo many good ones in the '70s and '80s.
"Buck Rogers", "Battlestar Galactic", "Police Story", then Jan Hammer came along with "Miami Vice". You also had Mike Post and Pete Carpenter doing "The A Team", "Magnum P.I.", "L.A.Law". Some of my other favorites include "Stingray" (the guy with the black 'Vette, not the puppets), "Airwolf", "The Equalizer", "St. Elsewhere".
It was really a "golden age" of TV themes back then.
Beverly Hills 90210! This shouldn't even be up for discussion! Dylan McKay for President!
I love the theme from "Cold Case". VERY haunting and sets the perfect tone for the show. Also love the theme from "Angel". I know Buffy gets all the cred but Angel's theme definitely set the show apart.
Peter Gunn, Hawaii 5-0, and the ever quirky and evidently not-so-well remembered Dead Like Me.
Definitely MacGuyver, X-Files and Star Trek.
Magnum P.I. ( I can't believe I've only seen someone mention it once, this is a great theme song!). Number 2 would be Miami Vice.
Star Trek>all of them
Batman
X Files
Doctor Who
Battlestar Galactica> both
Twilight Zone and......
DARK SHADOWS!!!!
Good themes take you back! Twin Peaks, Combat, Batman, Barney Miller, Hawaii Five O, That Girl.
The greatest of all instrumental TV themes was Henry Mancini's theme for Peter Gunn. Far better than the show itself. My other favorites include the themes from Perry Mason, I Spy, Ironside, The Mod Squad, Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice, The Bob Newhart Show, and Magnum P.I.
Twilight Zone! Made extra awesome with Rod Serling overdubs.
Also Simpsons (Danny Elfman and the twittering flute lines– brilliant!)
Amazingly interesting
informative and clear.
Fantastic to read CNN blogs.
Linda
http://www.attentiontodetailgifts.com
Originating from the UK first and foremost in my memory is Doctor Who. Another that i enjoyed actually came from a cartoon show called 'Peter Pan and the Pirates'. A current fav is the theme to Battlestar Galactica.
Peter Gunn theme, but I cannot remember what show it was from...
I have to say for the instrumental music of "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and the Big Valley" are a few of my favorites. The music is so intricate. Then, there is "Lost in Space, Bonaza and High Chapperal" I'd love a CD with all the old 60's and 70's series.
The West Wing!!!
The Tudors. I listen to it 96 times a day.
Taxi, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Space 1999, The Night Gallery, Barney Miller, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Simpsoms, Speed Racer, and Rawhide.
I hear the Rockford Files theme song and I am immediately transported to my first crush – Jim Rockford, of course.
And what about the old Tonight Show opening song with Johnny Carson?
Can't help but love The Office (US version) song and the ominous Law and Order ta-dums. They make awesome cell phone ringtones.:)
Star Trek Deep Space Nine
Twilight Zone
Xena: Warrior Princess (yes it has words, but I think they are Gaelic so might as well be an instrumental)
Rockford Files
I can't believe no one has mentioned ALIAS!
Night Court!
First TV theme I learned on the bass guitar.
great ones mentioned so far, but have to add:
The Muppet Show – always good to get into a great mood and
Doctor Who - from all incarnations; its mystery, haunting and power
SANFORD AND SON!!!!!! Written by Quincy Jones. Though not as dramatic or intricate as the ones mentioned by the author, it is definitely an iconic theme of the 70's Black television era.
It would have to be the theme to Dexter. I LOVE that show, and the intro music is great!
Mr. Belvedere had a great theme song that fit the show perfectly. Let's also not forget about the great cartoon themes "Animaniacs" and "The Smurfs." I have also always liked the theme from "The Muppet Show."
I Dream of Jeannie
Star Trek (all of them)
M*A*S*H
MIssion: Impossible
A few of my favorites: The Equalizer from Stewart Copeland (whose theme and rich score from the series were never Emmy-nominated); Miami Vice and Vanishing Son by Jan Hammer; Mike Post's NYPD Blue and Silk Stalkings; Kraft Suspense Theater and the various Irwin Allen science-fiction series themes (Lost In Space, The Time Tunnel and Land of the Giants) written by John Williams; Johnny Staccato by Elmer Bernstein, and the Naked City themes by Billy May (hour-long seasons 1-2) and Nelson Riddle (season 3).
Angel (Buffy spin-off)
Early Edition, Hercules The Legendary Journeys, Xena Warrior Princess, Knots landing
"Dexter," hands down. It's creepy, but cute; whimiscal yet devious – just like the show's title character.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utqoFsMYPKs&feature=related
Midnight Caller
Leslie, The Sunday Mystery Movie has to be the most haunting instrumental theme ever. You almost had it right, Columbo and McCloud were part of the rotating lineup but not Kojak as it was a CBS series. This version from 1973 also includes Hec Ramsey and McMillan and Wife
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zaWuXHMrwXo
STARGATE SG-1 – mysteries of the ancients discovered by the US Air Force in the vast unknown of the universe.
The best all time TV theme song is definitely Hawaii Five-O. I saw the telecast of the Ventures playing the song during this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, and it sounded just as great in 2008 as it did in 1968!
Many great choices noted here. Mine include West Wing, Homicide: Life on the Street, Barney Miller, TAXI, Law&Order, X-Files, Buffy, among others. Like some posters, I think I watch too much TV as well!!
For current shows, I love the theme for "The Office" (when they don't shorten it), and I've always been a huge fan of the theme from "Quantum Leap" as well
My most memorable are:
Hill Street Blues
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Mary Tyler Moore Show
And like you, I love to remember the themes from: Hawaii 5-O and Mission: Impossible.
No one, that I saw, mentioned my personal favorite. The theme from "Dallas".
What did ever happen to the TV theme? Here are some that are always stuck in my head...
Mystery Science Theatre 3000
Unsolved Mysteries
X-Files
SImpsons
that's just a few...
Come on it has to be Dynasty! for the 80s and the Six Million Dollar Man for the 70s...close runner up...St. Elsewhere.
Big Valley!!!
Room 222, without a doubt ... The Saint ... Ellery Queen [written by Elmer Bernstein!] ... so many great theme ... Streets of San Francisco ... am I the only one to note that many of the above suggestions actually have lyrics that were sung? People, read the instructions!
I'm glad Dallas and MASH were mentioned! I think ER should be in there somewhere. And I applaud Mike S. for picking X-files. Thanks for the memories and the tunes!
The Twilight Zone (original of course), X-Files, M*A*S*H, Law & Order
I add the original Superman TV show theme (something Zarusthra(?)) and the Syncopated Clock them from the Early Show.
Anybody remember... The Green Hornet!
Hey all you Canadians, how about "King of Kensington" from the 70s? Ya gotta love a theme song that you can polka to!
"Top Cat" plus countless cartoon themes from the 60s/ early 70s. Yes, I said "Top Cat". The song compressed a lot of quality and personality into a very short span. "Top Cat" had class and swing. It may be a cartoon but it blows the doors off contemporary theme writing, in terms of originality and catchyness.
Law and Order has a great music theme song. I have it on my phone as a ring tone even.
MacGyver is the most recognizable for me. Knight Rider and Airwolf get you ready for the tech heavy action that is about to come. X-Files is appropriately weird.
Sure, Stargate SG-1's theme was originally written for a movie, but it gives the impression of sweeping vistas and epic adventure so it should be mentioned because it was a terrific move to keep it for the TV show.
Oh, and My So Called Life.
LIttle House on the Prairie! Now let's go run down a hill.
I really liked Bonanza and I Love Lucy and The Dick Van Dyke Show. I know there are lyrics to I Love Lucy, but I still giggle when I hear the opening them. And the Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Peter Gunn.
Gotta agree with Julia R. Mike Post had some of the greatest music on TV...and still does!
Law & Order
L. A. Law
Hill Street Blues
CHiPs
Then again, what about Dave Grusin's theme to St. Elsewhere or Henry Mancini's Pink Panther?
And finally, what about daytime shows - Days of our Lives!
The West Wing always made me feel like I was watching a great movie. Other faves include L.A. Law, Hill Street Blues, St. Elsewhere, Wings, Northern Exposure, Picket Fences, Dallas, and my all-time face: Monday Night Football.
Agree that MI was the best. But how about "Bonanza" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show."
The Peter Gunn Theme was not only the the best but the first. Henry Mancini wrote it and won an Emmy and 2 Grammys for it.
AIRWOLF!!!
I too deeply lament the "lost art" that the TV theme has become ... loved them ever since I can remember. In fact, I still have a handful of obscure favorites that I taped through the TV speaker when I was a kid and have since transferred to CD.
Two favorites that come to mind immediately are "Quantum Leap" (and, hey, for that matter, ANYTHING by Mike Post) and "Angel" - two of the most unique and memorable TV themes in modern history!
The definitive list (or at least a start):
Peter Gunn
Jonny Quest
Miami Vice
MASH
Law & Order
The Lone Ranger (to be fair, it was on radio first)
for longetivity: Doctor Who (30 years and eight recordings)
most prolific: Mike Post
Don't forget Simon & Simon
I love the 'Twin Peaks' theme. It was soap opera-ey with a certain amount of mystique. The visuals of the saws juxtaposed with the beautiful nature shots really set up the location.
HBO's Deadwood. A great show with a great theme that would instantly carry me back to 1876.
I like Peter Gunn, Route 66, The Rifleman, The Andy Griffeth Show, Perry Mason, Star Trek, Mission Impossible, but the one I like best is Hawaii 5-0!
The original "Dr. Who" theme. The grating glissando sliding into menacing bass. The ethereal theramin dropping in over the top. It all combines to paint the picture of what is to come, or what just happened.
Coming as it did after the opening scene (usually at some critical moment), the opening blast always made me jump.
Oh wow, this is pretty much the best question ever.
-Twin Peaks is probably the best show-theme fit I can think of.
-The Addams Family is also ones that just sounds like the show feels.
-Sanford and Son. Quincy Jones!
-Knight Rider. The theme song totally outshined the show.
-Hawaii 5-0. Again, the theme song was better than the show.
-The Simpsons.
But, to me, the absolute winner is one I haven't seen mentioned yet. I think most of my generation will agree: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. That one's stuck in our collective consciousness forever.
The Waltons
The Waltons! Hawaii 5-0, Stingray, Magnum, Mission Impossible
The Colbert Report's theme is my current ringtone... it's really catchy and upbeat. The theme song is one of the reasons I bought his audiobooks instead of the hard cover book. I also LOVE the Addams Family theme song...
Deadwood's theme has to be one of my most recent faves.
M*A*S*H. The greatest.
And I love the theme from House.
The 70's TV shows had the best themes.
Police Woman
Ironside
And all those Quinn/Martin productions
MUNSTERS
BEWITCHED
BATMAN
ADAMS FAMILY
GET SMART
MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
BANANA SPLITS
MONKEES
COURAGEOUS CAT
The soaring theme of "Father Knows Best"
The legit-sounding cello-featured theme of "The Tony Randall Show"
and, way back in the vault, the jazzy xylophone rendition of "Charlie My Boy" for the "Charlie Farell Show."
XFILES is one of my favorite theme songs, it is errie like the show, the show never disappointed me. And Henry Mancini could write some great songs for movies.
Streep Hawk. It was a music peice for a short lived 80's show by Tangarine Dream.
I didn't see St. Elsewhere mentioned!
Apparently all but one of those who have posted so far have forgotten the epic intro theme to the old Jonny Quest cartoon. That is by far, the most fun to replicate in a small jazz band.
Man from Uncle, which I believe was written by the great Jerry Goldsmith. I would add his later work, Star Trek: The Next Generation. and Deep Space Nine. The latter has a "suite" feel to it, and represents terrific neoclassical music.
That 70's show theme will always remind me of growing up in the late 70's early 80's. Soap, The days of our lives theme, never watched it but knew it theme very well, used alot in the movies. The Muppet Show, and Electric Company show. Currently I would say Smallville, The Simpsons, and King of the Hill are very reconizable.
Hawaii 5-O is the best theme ever.
The theme From St. Elswhere and Hillstreet Blues. I still hum them Today after all these years.
Unquestionably, my recent favorites have ALL been Jeff Beal composed themes: Rome, Carnivale, and Monk.
Definitely the Buffy the Vampire Slayer theme, hands down.
11. The West Wing
12. Murder One
13. The Beverly Hillbillies
14. Hawaii Five-O
15. Picket Fences
16. Mannix
17. Bewitched & The Dick Van Dyke Show
18. Dallas
19. Dynasty
20. Guiding Light (1982-83), Texas (1982-84) & Another World (mid-70's & 1996)
1. Star Trek: The Next Generation
2. The Edge of Night (1980-1983)
3. Mission Impossible & MASH
4. Falcon Crest
5. Law & Order (Original Series)
6. Get Smart
7. I, Claudius
8. Good Times
9. X-Files & Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
10. Hill Street Blues & Magnum, PI
For me, there is no more exciting theme than Earle Hagen's driving, odd-metered 'The Mod Squad.' Earl OWNED the television scene during the 60's and early 70's.
m*a*s*h had a great haunting theme.
More recently... two of my favorites instrumental themes were Carnivale (HBO) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
M*A*SH with the instrumental version of Suicide is Painless without a doubt is the best of the best.
Millennium.
And The Waltons.
M*A*S*H takes it hands down....... I know the actual song has lyrics but the show used an instrumental version.
And Homocide:Life on the Street.
The Office, anytime I hear the song, it gets stuck in my head for the next few days.
The theme song from The Commish. I'll whistle or sing it for hours after hearing or just thinking of it. (THANKS A LOT!) 😉
Also the A-team. But for the lyrical ones, I'd say Who's the Boss and Growing Pains had excellent lyrics and music. I especially like how the Growing Pains one evolved over the years to the harmonizing a capella style.
They all have their nostalgic place in my heart. The Rockford Files and MASH themes remind me of watching TV at my grandma and grandpa's as a child in the 70s. Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere remind me of high school and X Files reminds me of college. Ah, the good old days.
In the 70's, there used to be theme music thatintroduced one of the network's "Sunday Mystery", for original episodes of Columbo, McCloud and Kojak. That haunting network theme music was synced to a lone figure sweeping a flashlight across a stretch of blue/black ground...and the hairs on my seven year old arms would go up and I would be fixed to the screen.
Wow! It's amazing that The Office is such a wonderful show and regardless of if you like it, every time you hear the theme song, you automatically think of everything that is politically correct with this fantastic show!!
Gee, so many themes, so little time to discuss.
For the 50's/60's: Andy Griffith Show, Leave it to Beaver, The Munsters, Addams Family, Star Trek, Gilligan's Island & Batman are the ones that stick out to me.
In the 70's my favorites are Sanford & Son, Good Times, Barney Miller, Maude, Hawaii 5-0, The Electric Company, The Muppet Show, Mash (movie theme was great too), Welcome Back Kotter & of course One Day At A Time.
Hmm, the 80's: St. Elswhere, Hill Street Blues, Cheers, Family Ties, Pee Wee's Playhouse, The Facts of Life, Different Strokes & The A Team.
1990's – Current: Friends, Law & Order (all variation of the show), CSI (I like the Who), Monk, Survivorman
...I'm starting to think I watch too much TV...
Bewitched, Bewitched, you've got me in your spell
You witch, you witch, you know your craft so well
My heart was under lock and key, but somehow it got unhitched.
I never thought my heart could be had
But now I'm caught and I'm kinda glad
to be
Be, be, be, be...
Bewitched!
There are too many!
60's: Ghost & Mrs. Muir, Courtship of Eddie's Father
70's: H.R. Pufnstuf, Alice
80's: Dynasty, Family Ties
etc. etc. etc.
room 222, lost in space (the second one), get smart
Any good action show from the 80s. Macgyver, Magnum PI (probably the most recognizable of them all), Simon & Simon, Miami Vice, The A-Team and even a few shows from more current times, such as The X-Files.
Macgyver was definately great, but i also really appreciated the murder she wrote theme, again kind of old school but suited the tone of the show
Hill Street Blues, Miami VIce, Barney Miller, The Avengers. Each of these successfully evoked the feel of their respective shows.
Some of the themes that evoke the strongest memories for me are:
The Theme from S.W.A.T., Jonny Quest, Rockford Files, Dr. Who, Thundaar the Barbarian, Voltron, Battle of the Planets, Space Ghost/Herculoids, Miami Vice, A-Team & Knight Rider
how about murder she wrote?
Taxi and Hill St. Blues!
Perhaps it's my age or my undying support of Richard Dean Anderson - but I always thought the theme from MacGyver not only well suited the show, but also the opening visuals. A great theme song builds the excitement for the show.
Some of the western's themes – Branded, The Rifleman, Gunsmoke. If you're including British series you can include The Prisoner, The Avengers.
Hillstreet blues...it's my all-time favorite!! Mike Post has a talent for ?Show theme songs!
Knight Rider, A-Team, and Airwold. Basically any 80's action TV show.
– The A-Team !!!!
One of my favorite T.V. themes is the theme from "Airwolf ". Just hearing the opening rythm of the music gets you excited for something high tech flying super helicopter. I get the vibe from the theme to " Knight Rider ". One of the most recgnizable themes is the theme from "Magnum P. I. Themes like these really get you in the mood for the type of show that you will be watching. I enjoy watching CSI and itsd' spinoffs because they feature the music of the WHO, but then they weren't written for the show. They were written over twenty years before the shows existance. They still get me in the mood for the show. The other current show with a original theme is NCIS. This dates me, but one of my favorite theme songs is the theme to "Cagney & Lacey ". Many of the best themes came out in the 80's. Some of them I've already mentioned, while others include: The A-Team, Hunter, The greatest American hero, and Hardcastle & Mccormick. Many of these were written by Mike Post. I miss great theme songs. They set the tone for the shows we watch, make them more memorable.
I've always appreciated theme songs that "felt" like the show – that previews the feeling of the series. Some of the ones that capture the appropriate attitudes IMHO are St. Elsewhere, Picket Fences, The Bob Newhart Show, Newhart, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Lois and Clark ... the list could go on and on.
"Peter Gunn" of course! Law & Order (the original) is a great one from more recent times. It sounds cliche to mention it, but the theme from Jeopardy is iconic as well.
Growing up in the '60s my favorites were Combat!, Wild Wild West, Wagon Train, and later on the theme from The Rockford Files.
Themes from "The Rockford Files" and "Magnum, P.I." – the one they started using in the second season and is most recognizable.
These two tunes both conjure action, drama and intensity – with a large dose of humor bubbling through – as befitting the charming, dynamic heros of the shows themselves.
Another good P.I. theme was the one from "Mannix" – delving a little deeper into the archives here, I guess. It was more dramatic and hard-hitting than the others- but Joe Mannix was just a grittier kind of a guy.
Rockford Files !!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNzabxjknJo
The Route 66 theme by Nelson Riddle is by far the best. And I have a soft spot in my heart for Glen Larson's theme to Magnum PI.
The A-team. Hands down the best TV theme.
Everytime I hear the theme to Twin Peaks I can just smell the coffee and apple pie.... And the X-Files theme just seemed to enstill the mystery that was about to be unravelled in the show. Other greats would be Police Squad, All the Star Trek themes especially the original and next generation ones, Father Ted from my homeland in the UK, Dexter and finally Buffy.