# Best and Worst T.V. Show Theme Songs Ever **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 4, 2005, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965 "2005-03-04T20:47:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965/41 "2005-03-05T02:56:09Z")
My favorites are: Inspector Morse (absolutely haunting, though my husband hates it when I play it because he knows morse code and the code in the theme drives him nuts) Mike Hammer And I really like the Angel theme. ---
**Author:** ![Nunavut\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e95f7d/32.png) [@Nunavut\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunavut_Boy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965/42 "2005-03-05T03:06:47Z")
I can’t believe no one’s said **Airwolf** yet. That’s an awesome song! Almost as good as **Knight Rider**! ---
**Author:** ![Detritus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@Detritus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Detritus)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965/43 "2005-03-05T03:20:55Z")
I adore **Malcolm In The Middle**'s theme by They Might Be Giants. **Dangermouse** had a great theme (He’s the fastest he’s the greatest he’s the best!) and any song, theme song included, from **Animaniacs** totally kicks animated butt. Ditto on **Cheers** and **X-Files**. ---
**Author:** ![Good\_Egg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Good\_Egg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Good_Egg)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965/44 "2005-03-05T03:26:54Z")
My faves: Hawaii 5-O, Jeffersons, and Gary Shandling. The worst is probably All in the Family. I heard you can beep the Rockford Files song on a telephone, anyone know the numbers? ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965/45 "2005-03-05T03:30:12Z")
Ahem. **Speed Racer**. How can anyone forget **Speed Racer**? ---
**Author:** ![emekthian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecae2f/32.png) [@emekthian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emekthian)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965/46 "2005-03-05T03:39:18Z")
I like the themes to **King of the Hill** , **CSI** , **The Odd Couple** , and **Deep Space Nine**. My absolute favorite TV show theme, however, is the hauntingly beautiful opening song of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/59ef9b/32.png) [@Kaitlin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlin)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965/47 "2005-03-05T03:42:01Z")
I never watched it much, but I thought the theme to **Cowboy Bebop** was pretty great. I’ll second **Dangermouse**. And I vaguely recall really enjoying the theme to **MANTIS**. One that everyone my age seems to know by heart is the theme to **Hey Dude**. It wasn’t really _good_, though. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965/48 "2005-03-05T03:55:42Z")
It hasn’t yet been mentioned, but I love the theme to **The Adventures of Pete and Pete** (“Hey Sandy” by Polaris). It’s a really good song by itself, but its feel matches that of the show perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![SiouxChief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@SiouxChief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiouxChief)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965/49 "2005-03-05T04:24:27Z")
> [@davmilasav](#): > > Probably from how you spelled his name. 😉 Ah, yes, thanks for catching that! It’s funny…I googled “Roger Daltry” to make sure I got the name right, and just assumed it was since a bunch of hits came up, including IMDB. You’d think I would have noticed, though, that IMDB spelled it “Daltrey”. :smack: Conspicuously missing from our list is the theme from _The Love Boat_. ---
**Author:** ![GraceTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@GraceTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GraceTX)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965/50 "2005-03-05T04:46:30Z")
While not techinically a theme song, I love the song that played at the end of every _The Incredible Hulk_ series starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. It’s probably one of the most haunting songs I’ve ever heard and even as a child, I thought it showed the isolation and sadness that David Banner must’ve felt. ---
**Author:** ![Millit\_the\_Frail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@Millit\_the\_Frail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Millit_the_Frail)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965/51 "2005-03-05T05:36:33Z")
Polaris did a lot of songs for **The Adventures of Pete and Pete.** What a great show. The other Nickelodeon show theme song that everyone remebers…sing it with me! _“Camp Annawanna, we hold you in our hearts! And when we think about you…”_ ---
**Author:** ![JoeSki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b487fb/32.png) [@JoeSki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeSki)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965/52 "2005-03-05T05:49:54Z")
I love **Family Guy** , but the theme song really bothers me whenever it comes on or when I watch my DVDs. No matter what volume I have my tv set at, it always sounds too loud. It’s too upbeat. I adore the theme song from **The Critic**. I’ve searched online for days, weeks trying to find a full version I can buy or download, but alas, one doesn’t seem to exsist. I know it must, you can hear where the song is cut during the opening, but it’s just nowhere! Still, I will listen to this song as I drive through a big city in a fall morning someday. I also like the theme song for **ChiPs**. the show I can take or leave, but I’m always sure to listen to the themesong before changing the channel. My friend and I both think the theme to **Trigun** is quite nice. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965/53 "2005-03-05T06:21:47Z")
> [@SiouxChief](#): > > To me, the uncontested worst T.V. Show theme ever is the theme to NUMB3RS. I love the show, but the theme makes me wince. I think the song is pleasant enough, but it was a really bad choice for this show. It’s quirky and lighthearted when the show is quirky but serious. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965/54 "2005-03-05T07:57:38Z")
The worst: \*\* The People’s Court\*\* Admit it. I win. > [@](#): > > **kunilou** : If you like that, you would have LOVED the theme to the 50’s sitcom “I Married Joan.” It featured an a capella men’s choir. “…What a world! What a girl! What a life!” (Or was that last word _wife_? The best theme: Henry Mancini’s **Mr. Lucky** ---
**Author:** ![Nahk\_Ila\_Dihahs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/858c86/32.png) [@Nahk\_Ila\_Dihahs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nahk_Ila_Dihahs)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965/55 "2005-03-05T08:32:18Z")
I can’t believe nobody’s mentioned the theme from **Swat Cats**. Absolutely amazing…I especially liked the part where the lead guitar kicks in, and also the part where one of the rockets from the Swat Cat’s jet misses the target - “Crud!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965/56 "2005-03-05T09:05:40Z")
“The Venture Brothers” has a great theme song. It’s an instrumental. I also really like the “Teen Titans” theme song. ---
**Author:** ![Detritus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@Detritus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Detritus)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965/57 "2005-03-05T09:51:59Z")
I can’t believe nobody (including myself) has mentioned _Suicide Is Painless_, the song from **MASH**. That’s an absolutely amazing theme song. How much more pathos could possibly fit in a 45 second theme? Can’t say they’re really good but I have to mention anything you can sing in full-on lounge singer voice. Obviously **The Love Boat** springs to mind, but my favorite is **The Patty Duke Show** ’s theme in lounge style. _But they’re coooousins–Yeah!–identical cousins and I bet you’ll fi-yiiind…_ No animals were harmed in the singing of this song. I really don’t want to mention the worst ones because the ones I hate most will lodge in my head all day. Oh shit. Too late. _Doo-do-do-do-doop Inspector Gadget! Doo-do-do-do-doop…woo-hoooo!_ ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965/58 "2005-03-05T13:53:36Z")
> [@Fern Forest](#): > > I also really like the “Teen Titans” theme song. Please tell me you’re kidding. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Bongo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a9adbd/32.png) [@Winston\_Bongo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Bongo)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965/59 "2005-03-05T14:59:46Z")
Most of my favorites have already been mentioned, but here’s a few that haven’t: **Adventures of Brisco County Jr.** – Probably more people would recognize it as the “Olympics promo” music, but it was originally written for the short-lived but great Bruce Campbell series. Like the “Magnificent Seven” theme, it just _sounds_ like a Western. **Renegade** – Yes, the mindless '90s action series starring Lorenzo Lamas. I am ashamed to say I watched it, but you have to admit it had a great theme by Mike Post. Actually, Mike Post did a LOT of cool themes, including . . . **Magnum, P.I.** – A true '80s classic! One of the top 10 themes of all time, in my book. Worst: **The Patty Duke Show** Having it stuck in your head can cause one to consider suicide by shotgun. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965/60 "2005-03-05T15:22:35Z")
The _Batman_ theme, if it’s prepared. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-t-v-show-theme-songs-ever/292965.md?page=4)