Favorite TV theme song?

[Ptah]

Here's Johnny!

[Joanie Baloney]

1. To sing along with...

Green Acres.

[Ptah]

3. I hear it now!

Green acres is the place for me.
Farm livin' is the life for me.
Land spreadin' out so far and wide
Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside.

[SouthernIrish]

31. That's funny.

I live in Tennessee and the name of my neighborhood is Green Acres. It's a small neighborhood with only about 50 homes, but is is surrounded by beautiful farmland and it has a huge duck/goose pond when you enter it. It sits down in a valley and is so peaceful. A little piece of heaven.

[rusty quoin]

8. It's one of my ringtones. Another is Scooby-Doo.

[applegrove]

2. Hill Street Blues theme song:

[Sherman A1]

16. One of the Best to be sure!

Always enjoyed that show.

[malthaussen]

25. Seconded.

And boy, do we need to be careful out there now.

-- Mal

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

91. That would be my choice as well. n/t

[True Dough]

4. A true gem right here...

[mucifer]

5. Hawaii 50 and Mission Impossible and Gary Shandling's show

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

92. Garry Shandling is a brilliant example

Of a self-referential song -- a song about itself.

[FM123]

6. Maude!

[JarOCats]

33. Maude is defo in my Top 5.

The lyrics alone are fantastic -- although the grammar-obsessive in me always silently corrects "Betsy Ross got it all sewed up" to "...all sewn up."

[Liberal Veteran]

97. I like the Family Guy version.

[FM123]

108. Yes, I love that one too.

I wish we could update that song and throw in Maxine Waters, Elizabeth Warren, and all the great ladies out there today!

[MontanaMama]

7. As cheesy as it was...

I loved the Partridge Family.

[WePurrsevere]

35. I loved this show when younger! The song might be cheesy but...

It still makes me smile. Thanks!

[50 Shades Of Blue]

9. "He makes the sign of the Z!"

My first heartthrob.

[Bayard]

48. Used to sing along with this one

As a little girl

[quickesst]

10. The 4400

There was just something about this theme song.

https://m.

[First Speaker]

11. The Jackie Gleason Show...

...not the Honeymooners, but the variety show. It was slow, and both rather majestic and sad. For that matter, I always thought the Carson theme was rather melancholy, if you played it slowly. It always gave me the impression of something wonderful and exciting, remembered after it was gone...

[TlalocW]

12. Too many to pick from

TlalocW

[LoveMyCali]

85. You mentioned two of my favorites

Rockford Files and Barney Miller

[Dr Vegas]

13. Crime Story?

Runaway by Del Shannon

[FuzzyRabbit]

14. Perry Mason, Peter Gunn, M Squad

They don't write TV theme songs like these any more:

[Sherman A1]

19. The were superb!

This was one of my favorites from that era of TV

[LeftInTX]

73. My favorite is Peter Gunn

Perry Mason was scary. (Nothing like hearing it when you're in bed trying to fall asleep)

[BigMin28]

81. Love the Perry Mason theme.

nt

[shenmue]

15. Moonlighting

[Sherman A1]

17. A good one to be certain

it was an entertaining show.

[Anon-C]

42. Al Jarreau!!!

[Sherman A1]

18. The West Wing

[MissMillie]

24. +1 (nt)

.

[sarge43]

20. Mr Lucky, Henry Mancini

[Sherman A1]

45. Agreed

[FuzzyRabbit]

47. One of the best.

Did Henry Mancini ever write a bad song?

[sarge43]

49. I don't think he could write a bad note. n/t

[Drake Notthesinger]

21. Magnum P.I.

[Dave Starsky]

94. I liked that theme so much, I bought the 45.

I taped it and blasted it in my car (sadly, not a Ferrari) constantly.

[peekaloo]

22. Phyllis (long forgotten but funny!), The Rockford Files, Boston Legal

Bob Newhart's two hit shows had really good instrumentals as well.

[eppur_se_muova]

126. I had to check if anyone had posted The Bob Newhart Show! I love BN, and especially his first show.

The theme (by Lorenzo Music) is like a Reader's Digest Condensed Version of what a big band hit should be.

*sigh* RIP Suzanne Pleshette.

Here's an interesting little tidbit about the opening sequence: http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chicagoinc/ct-bob-newhart-show-opening-20170808-story.html# My dad said it was too long. I didn't care, I got to listen to a good band. Funny how it's almost all visual filler, with very, very little in the way of titles.

[peekaloo]

129. It changed from year to year (or every other year) yet never lost its kick.

Wasn't Lorenzo Music aka 'Carlton the Doorman' from 'Rhoda'?

Timeless comedy.

[RandiFan1290]

23. Too Many Cooks

[malthaussen]

26. Bonanza, maybe?

There were so many good theme songs in the 60's and 70's.

Or, you could go with Tour of Duty's theme song: Paint it Black.

-- Mal

[no_hypocrisy]

27. St. Elsewhere

[pnwest]

28. The Affair and House of Cards

[PJMcK]

29. How about the worst?

"My Mother The Car" starred Jerry Van Dyke:

[red dog 1]

111. "Rescue Me"..with Denis Leary, ran on F/X for 7 seasons, and was very good, very funny at times

except for the theme, a song called "Come On, Come On"..which was the worst theme song I ever heard..
(Much worse than "My Mother the Car&quot

[PJMcK]

114. True dat! (n/t)

[7wo7rees]

30. All In The Family

[OilemFirchen]

32. The Addams Family

And, of course, Peaky Blinders:

[peekaloo]

124. Vic Mizzy gave us both The Addams Family and Green Acres themes.

[Siwsan]

34. 'North of 60' - an amazing dramatic series out of Canada

The show was about a fictional town called Lynx River. The citizens were mostly Aboriginal, with a few White residents. It was a great showcase for Native acting talent and story telling, and the theme music was simple and slightly haunting.

&feature=youtu.be

[Tikki]

36. Third theme ...opening and closing theme song for TV series "Cold Squad"...

Just seems to fit the show’s context really well.


Tikki

[JenniferJuniper]

37. Peter Gunn, Speed Racer, Hawaii 5-0

[WePurrsevere]

38. MASH (aka: Suicide is Painless)

One of my absolute favourites (especially after the change to BJ Honeycutt

[Snellius]

41. ..."It brings on many changes." Great song. In the original movie too.

The TV show sort of eclipsed the original Altman film which is still funny as hell.

[WePurrsevere]

61. The movie was very good and one...

I always suggest to those who love the TV show.

[red dog 1]

125. Music was good, but the lyrics suck, imo

"Suicide is painless"??
Really?
Perhaps if one takes an overdose of sleeping pills, then just goes to sleep forever might be "painless"
Shooting yourself in the head sure wouldn't be "painless"
Stepping in front of a train sure wouldn't be "painless"
Nor would jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge.

Also, I know he was only a 14-year-old kid, but
"Suicide is painless
It brings on many changes"
DOES NOT RHYME!

Like I said, though, the music was good.

Altman did a good job directing the movie, but he sure hates the TV show, which I learned from an interview he gave many years ago [He mentioned his son getting royalties from the TV show]

[PearliePoo2]

44. We have a winner!! My favorite TV show EVER!

I have it for a ringtone on my phone!

[Brother Buzz]

58. Interesting factoid:

MASH film director, Robert Altman's 14 years old son, Mike, wrote the song's lyrics....and ultimately made more money in royalties than his father made for directing the film.

[WePurrsevere]

60. Thanks! I had actually heard this before but it's a very cool bit of trivia.

[Dave Starsky]

95. A factoid within a factoid:

Altman challenged Mike to write "the dumbest lyrics he could think of". Altman had tried to do it himself, but the lyrics always came out sounding too philosophical. They needed that sophomoric teenaged touch.

[Brother Buzz]

105. Thanks! I believe I had actually heard that before but totally forgot about it

[femmocrat]

102. That is the first one I thought of too!

MASH and Cheers!

[sl8]

39. It's About Time

[PennyK]

40. The Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes series

I love this piece and could listen to it every day.

[Anon-C]

43. Taxi

[Gidney N Cloyd]

50. Interesting story behind that theme song.

https://music.avclub.com/angela-set-the-tone-for-taxi-though-it-wasn-t-intend-1798242536

Running for five seasons (four on ABC and one on NBC) between 1978 and 1983, Taxi is one of the great examples of the television series as ever-evolving organism. Christopher Lloyd’s drug casualty “Reverend Jim” Ignatowski went from a one-off presence in the first season to a series regular in season two. When Andy Kaufman’s lovable mechanic Latka Gravas resonated with the show’s audience, the writers gave him more prominent storylines. And when musician Bob James presented producers with a melancholy instrumental theme for a guest character in the third episode, it wound up shaping the entire tone of Taxi.

The song originally intended to introduce viewers to the world of Taxi was James’ “Touchdown,” which later became the title track of the smooth-jazz progenitor’s sixth album. But with sizzling hi-hats and bombastic horns, it’s nowhere near the proper fit for Taxi that “Angela” is. On a show that boasts one of the greatest sitcom ensembles in the history of TV, “Angela” is like the unseen cast member, the bleary-eyed sound of tires splashing through puddles and street lights streaking by cab windows. Taxi isn’t a “Touchdown” show: Its characters dream big, but none have the confidence to pull off whatever David Sanborn’s doing to his alto sax on that track. They are “Angela,” even if none of them is named Angela. They’re lonely and a little weary and their lives move at more deliberate bpm. None of them set out to be a driver, a mechanic, or a dispatcher—but, hey, Bob James didn’t set out to write the theme song for Taxi when he sat down to compose “Angela,” either.

[Anon-C]

51. That's fantastic! I think life makes Angelas out of many of us!

[Ohiogal]

86. That's my choice, too! Love Bob James.

[Bayard]

46. Monk

Randy Newman, "Its a Jungle Out There".

[SeattleVet]

62. I preferred the older theme, from the 1st season:

[yellowdogintexas]

119. I did too. You still hear bits of it in the other seasons, and in the closing credits nt

[mulsh]

52. Gary Shandling Show, it's a theme song and a song writing tutorial. Brilliant

[link:

|

[Leith]

53. Several That Haven't Been Mentioned Yet

Gilligan's Island
Super Chicken
Underdog

One from the UK. It's the theme for Jonathan Creek (starring the guy on the Britbox commercial) and is called Danse Macabre (by Saint-Saëns).

[msdogi]

54. Mary Tyler Moore

for old show, Sons of Anarchy more recent

[Boomerproud]

71. Written by Sonny Curtis (of the Crickets).

He also wrote one of the best songs of the '60's "I Fought the Law."

[tonyt53]

55. An old one - Car 54. "Car 54 where are you??????...............

[LyndaG]

56. Fun thread!

Growing Up Fisher
Get a Life
Radio Free Roscoe

[mythology]

57. I've got a couple I haven't seen mentioned

One is a bit of a cop out as it is a Queen song, but it was the theme song for the Highlander TV show.

https://m.

The other is from Veronica Mars.


https://m.

[Johnny Noshoes]

59. Route 66

Johnny Staccato, Naked City.

[Chipper Chat]

87. yes, Route 66

Great jazz tune.

[sl8]

63. Spiderman. Spiderman.

Does whatever a spider can.

[yonder]

64. There are many but the one that popped into my head:

The Patty Duke Show.

I don't necessarily like the melody or style, but listen to those chorus folks belt it out. They start out subdued and then bust loose singing their asses off. They really work it. And it swings pretty good too.

[Va Lefty]

65. Sanford and Son. It's my ringtone!

[Glorfindel]

66. There's only one choice if you were a 12-year-old boy in 1957

[sl8]

68. Little did you know you were being filmed.

[Glorfindel]

70. Too right! I was the fat kid wearing the Husky jeans, but I still loved that show.

Thanks for posting this, sl8!

[Dave Starsky]

96. It's still a great show.

They offer a double dose every Saturday morning on MeTV, and I never miss it. Richard Boone played the smartest badass ever.

[nmgaucho]

67. National Geographic 1964 - 1987 Full Theme and Montage HD

[sl8]

69. The Green Hornet

[Afromania]

80. I was going to post this too:)

[LeftInTX]

120. Years later, I realize that as Rimsky-Korsakov's

Flight of the Bumble Bee

[Boomerproud]

72. Hogan's Heroes.

I also loved Sanford and Son and The Monkees.

[TomSlick]

79. Great Trombone counter melody.

But,

[link:

|

[ailsagirl]

74. For me, it's The Who's CSI Miami theme, Won't Get Fooled Again

[gratuitous]

75. I know all the words to the 60 Minutes theme

But I'll go with the Jonny Quest theme.

[LeftInTX]

121. The words to 60 Minutes are: Do your homework!!

Do your homework!!
Tomorrow is Monday.
You put it off all weekend.
It's Sunday night.

[JDC]

76. Game of Thrones

[Harker]

77. "The Avengers"

I still get a little tingle on those rare occasions I hear it. Honorable mention to "Secret Agent."

[BigMin28]

78. Too many

to pick a favorite, but the theme song to Cheers was certainly memorable.

[Quemado]

82. Miami Vice

[TexasBushwhacker]

83. Mission Impossible!

[SummerSnow]

84. These are mine...

[Leith]

88. I Can't Believe We Forgot This One!

The Big Bang Theory

An autotroph is an organism that is able to form nutritional organic substances from simple inorganic substances such as carbon dioxide.

[3catwoman3]

89. Masterpiece Theater intro from years ago.

Star Trek TOS, TNG, and Voyager.

[TheMightyFavog]

90. The Prisoner

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

93. No one has mentioned Greatest American Hero

[mainer]

98. T.H.E. Cat

Childhood fave. Kinda smoky/jazzy

[mainer]

99. And dare I mention the ear worm of "Gilligan's Island?"

I've heard that tune used for so many alternate lyrics.

[Ptah]

100. Wow!

[CanonRay]

101. Route 66

[sl8]

103. When criminals in this world appear and break the laws that they should fear ...

[femmocrat]

104. The original CSI theme song, "Who Are You?"

[left-of-center2012]

106. Mighty Mouse

Mighty Mouse

Mr. trouble never hangs around,
when he hears this Mighty sound,

Here I come to save the day!
That means that Mighty Mouse is on the way!

Yes sir, when there is a wrong to right,
Mighty Mouse will join the fight!

On the sea or on the land,
He's got the situation well in hand!

We know that when there's danger, we'll never dispair;
Because we know that when there's danger he is there...
On the land on the sea in the air.

We're not worrying at all
We just listen for his call
"Here I come to save the day!"
That means that Mighty Mouse is on the way.

When there is a wrong to right,
Mighty Mouse will joint the fight
"Here I come to save the day!"
That means that Mighty Mouse is on the way!

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

107. The Troubles from SyFy's Haven - Extended version

[GReedDiamond]

109. The Monkees...

The opening theme:

And the closing theme:

[Luciferous]

110. Golden Girls!

[red dog 1]

112. 77 Sunset Strip

and Gunsmoke

[mac56]

113. 60 Minutes

[hurl]

115. Shaft

[mpcamb]

116. Scrubs

&frags=pl%2Cwn

[peekaloo]

123. I loved this show so much that I watched that last season on ABC.

[TexasBushwhacker]

117. Twilight Zone

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

Law and Order

[csziggy]

118. My two favorites

[Proud Liberal Dem]

122. Pretty much every theme from every Disney Afternoon shows

Transformers, Jem, Voltron, Robotech. If you can't tell, I mostly like a lot of animated stuff.

[brooklynite]

127. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (full version)

https://www.televisiontunes.com/song/download/11122

[Tikki]

128. From the French tv series "Witnesses"....Season 1

Francesca Belmonte and Tricky

What I like about foreign tv is you not only learn about new shows but, also, writers, actors, production, music and styles.

Tikki

[MrScorpio]

130. Barney Miller

U.F.O. and Mission: Impossible

[JuJuYoshida]

131. Alice was always catchy

[IcyPeas]

132. PBS Mystery (the song plus the visual)

art by Edward Gorey.

[IcyPeas]

133. True Blood

[IcyPeas]

134. The Sopranos

[IrishEyes]

135. Firefly

"You can't take the sky from me"

[Donkees]

136. Midsomer Murders Theme

Celia Sheen plays Midsomer Murders on Theremin
Celia Sheen plays the theme tune from ITV's drama series "Midsomer Murders" on the Theremin. She has done so, along with incidental music, on the soundtrack of every episode for fourteen years. This fascinating instrument was the world's very first electronic instrument, invented in 1920 by Russian scientist Lev Theremin. Of course, nobody ever sees Celia's performances on the recordings, but what makes it interesting is that the Theremin is played without being touched

[Donkees]

137. BBC Sherlock's Theme Melody