Favorite TV Themes?...

[swan24]

What is your favorite TV show theme song?...

Here's my all-time favorite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcflCzZlLcQ

[luvtolisten]

1) Gunsmoke
2) Andy Griffin Show
3) The Twilight Zone

and last but not least

http://www.evtv1.com/player.aspx?itemnum=7387

[eisforelectronic]

airwolf
A-Team

[Jimmy C]

...Hawaii 5-0!

[badhabit67]

I always liked this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SQ2X...eature=related
And this :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px_nr...e=more_related

[SlumpBuster]

This is awfully campy, but when I was a kid, once you heard this theme song you knew you would be settling in for an hour of awsome.



This is irony free awesome:

[kelsci]

My first vinyl disc was called IMPACT. It was a bunch of tv themes from the 1950s played in jazz style. They do have the Peter Gunn theme on this and I think it is played better than the Mancini rendendition. There is a cd available of IMPACT available.

As far as original tv themes go, my favorite was Sea Hunt. I also like the first season's opening theme of THE TWILIGHT ZONE.

[pixelthis]

1. The Avengers

2. Dark Shadows

3.Miami Vice

And for style points...

4. MOONLIGHTING

[RGA]

The older Doctor Who theme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnKNupdSH8g this is a mix with all the actors who played the Doctor from 1963

Battlestar galactica original series http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHp9oZPqs8E

Star Trek Deep Space 9 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORp0T6zYByM

Suicide is Painless - (MASH) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gO7uemm6Yo

Greatest American Hero http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9Q3orQhEcA

WKRP's theme really fit the job - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2t17...eature=related

Cheers - well I like it anyway http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KtAg...eature=related

The Avengers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogrgt...eature=related

[dean_martin]

I'll add this one:

[luvtolisten]

I'll add this one:

That's good one too!

[recoveryone]

I can't believe no one pick the Adams Family theme song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVDJvrBFDDc

[luvtolisten]

I can't believe no one pick the Adams Family theme song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVDJvrBFDDc

You're absolutely right! Shame on me, it was part of my granddaughters past Halloween
chorus concert. A fun song.

[cyto]

What about Batman?

[Woochifer]

TV themes ... ah yes, count that as yet another art form that's rapidly fading into history (like the 12" album cover), as nearly all new TV shows have cut out the opening montages altogether, or shortened them into an almost meaningless sound bite (witness the "theme" from Detroit 1-8-7) Consider how the Hawaii Five-O theme got chopped in half for the new series, despite assurances from the producers that they would not F-up the theme music. Well, in my book, cutting a theme in half is F'd up!

To add to the list, this is one of my old favorites. ABC's baseball opening theme from the late-70s thru early-80s. During the playoffs, they would use the opening sequence to recap the previous game, and setup that night's action. So much more informative and to-the-point than the endless studio analyst droning that they do nowadays.



Another example of how these sports themes were done -- CBS' opening for Game 4 of the 1987 NBA finals (blows away the overrated "Roundball Rock" theme that John Tesh wrote for NBC). Cool montage that sets the table, and gets the viewer ready for action.



Another one that hasn't been mentioned yet is the old NBC Mystery Movie theme. I believe that Henry Mancini wrote it.

I always liked this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SQ2X...eature=related
And this :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px_nr...e=more_related

Agree on Streets of San Francisco -- cool riff on blaxploitation music themes, along with a great montage of 70s street scenes in the city. Here's the original opening (Patrick Williams actually wrote the music, not Henry Mancini) ...

[RGA]

I never thought about sports or other kinds of television.

For the Americans on the board who don't get Hockey Night in Canada - this is a great sports theme song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg5Uo...eature=related

And Masterpiece Theater's opening was great - (Rondeau) J. Mouret. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaUvL...eature=related

[Worf101]

Welp these are some of my faves.

1. The Avengers Theme: I totally agree with that one it was Amazing and well done. There's already a linky so I won't post.

2. Star Trek - The Original Series
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHhePr0TKfc

3. The High Chappaal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu4g-N8bQKE

4. The Green Hornet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXgjzHSVDEA

5. The Men: A short lived action show with theme by the late Issac Hayes. I actually like it better than Shaft!!
(Dang that's the one they don't have!!!)

6. Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-44z...eature=related

7. Johnny Quest: Wow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIhEpjnaNlo

8. Speed Racer!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9eCqwzAjTY

Worf

[swan24]

Since we are segueing into whole opening segments, this is one of my favs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAmGsM4Dids

The characters are based on the works of author/illustrator Edward Gorey...

[see:] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Gorey

[Woochifer]

I never thought about sports or other kinds of television.

For the Americans on the board who don't get Hockey Night in Canada - this is a great sports theme song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg5Uo...eature=related

Actually, NHL Network in the U.S. shows Hockey Night in Canada, and a few other games from TSN. Apparently, HNIC doesn't have the rights to that theme anymore, and TSN picked it up for their hockey coverage. Neil Peart of Rush did a new arrangement for TSN last year.

[bobsticks]

Y'all know there was television after the 70s, right?







But, in fairness, I liked some old-school stuff too...such as:



...usually 'cause it led to something like this...:



...but frankly I think y'all like the subliminal ques toward...:

[Woochifer]

Onto newer shows. HBO's one of the few venues that still run full length opening themes (shows on basic broadcast/cable networks have chopped down or eliminated the themes altogether). Some hit (Sopranos), some miss (Boardwalk Empire), and some ??? (Big Love).

The Sopranos "Woke Up This Morning" theme is a great song with a classic montage of New Jersey's industrial wasteland and crumbling infrastructure that fits the show itself, and sets everything up perfectly.



The theme from Boardwalk Empire (Brian Jonestown Massacre's "Straight Up and Down") is not a bad song. It's just a lame fit for a Prohibition-era gangster series, and the opening montage itself is uninspired. What a waste of resources -- HBO generously gives 1 1/2 minutes, and this is how they use it.



Big Love originally used the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows" as the main theme. It was serviceable and catchy, and the opening segment fit the series. Neither here nor there. But, the new opening theme by David Byrne that was brought in during Season 4 is just strange. Seems that they're trying the artsy ethereal approach, but I'm not sure what the opening montage tries to accomplish. Again, they got 1 1/2 minutes to work with, and the results are confounding.

[Woochifer]

Surprised the theme from S.W.A.T. hasn't gotten any mention. It hit #1 on the Billboard chart in 1976. The only other TV themes I can think of right now that topped the Hot 100 were Greatest American Hero and Miami Vice (which is the supposedly the last instrumental to reach #1).

[Worf101]

For some reason I always thought the theme from SWAT was Cheesey.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH0YdU1L2yU

The Lone Ranger - Hell Arguably the greatest opening theme and title of them all
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxIuI...feature=fvwrel

The Men From Shilo - Great Spaghetti Western feel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xna6GjwSJ0

The Thunderbirds - Ah fun with puppets 101
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vpMy14XiBw

Combat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0qQG...eature=related

Damn I must be old.

Worf

[RGA]

Oh Bobsticks - now you make me want to have a Flowery Owls marathon.