# Great TV Theme Music...but Lousy Show **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 10, 2025, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788 "2025-01-10T05:08:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788/1 "2025-01-10T05:08:50Z")
You see the show for the first time, and the theme and/or music is freakin’ _fantastic!_…then you watch the actual show and it varies from “meh” to “I wonder if you can make eye wash out of battery acid?”. I’ve got some in mind, but out of kindness (and morbid curiosity) I’ll let y’all go first. 😄 ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788/2 "2025-01-10T05:16:54Z")
The Big Bang Theory, although once in a while I have a good laugh despite the shallowness. Bare Naked Ladies really help elevate this show to more than it deserves. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788/3 "2025-01-10T06:12:13Z")
[_It’s about time,_ _It’s about space…_ _It’s about two men in the strangest place._](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsJhBn0I9U4) . Even as a wee lad, I recognized that here was the biggest letdown from clever opening theme to incredibly stupid show. I dare you to google and watch five minutes’ worth. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788/4 "2025-01-10T06:16:07Z")
Ooooo, ooooo, no thanks. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788/5 "2025-01-10T08:27:45Z")
[I understood that reference.](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTX2fgv5ZnkyNBg03qIYIBdWkD7tfD-hmxNbSyuyk4htg&s) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788/6 "2025-01-10T09:53:32Z")
I was thinking more of this guy: > [OIP.q-aj\_olVnPJpHqh3XKPZEQHaEK (474×266)](https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.q-aj_olVnPJpHqh3XKPZEQHaEK?rs=1&pid=ImgDetMain) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788/7 "2025-01-10T10:01:40Z")
> [@digs](#): > > [_It’s about time,_ > _It’s about space…_ > _It’s about two men in the strangest place._](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsJhBn0I9U4) > > . > > Even as a wee lad, I recognized that here was the biggest letdown from clever opening theme to incredibly stupid show. I dare you to google and watch five minutes’ worth. **Fun Fact:** After CBS bought the show, the name of Imogene Coca’s character was changed from “Shag” to “Shad,” for obvious reasons. Creator Sherwood Schwartz had apparently been unaware of the former’s use in British slang. I was 11 in 1966, and I still remember Coca’s line in the pilot “Shag—nag!” when Joe E Brown complained about how she was treating him. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788/8 "2025-01-10T10:15:48Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I still remember Coca’s line in the pilot “Shag—nag!” when Joe E Brown complained about how she was treating him. Missed edit: Ross, not Brown. Here he is as “Gunther” in _ **Car 54, Where Are You?** _ where he was famous for saying “Oooo, oooo!” [OIP.q-aj\_olVnPJpHqh3XKPZEQHaEK (474×266)](https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.q-aj_olVnPJpHqh3XKPZEQHaEK?rs=1&pid=ImgDetMain) This picture didn’t want to stay embedded above: > [https://i.pinimg.com/originals/40/81/2f/40812f20228531e8cb38e10bedeed75d.jpg](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/40/81/2f/40812f20228531e8cb38e10bedeed75d.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788/9 "2025-01-10T12:15:13Z")
**The Dukes of Hazzard** has a pretty catchy theme song, but I don’t think I could sit through an entire episode nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788/10 "2025-01-10T12:33:03Z")
I thought the OOOOOO was Horshack from Welcome back Kotter, which is a good answer to this question. I would always sing along to the song for Hong Kong Fooey but never bothered to watch the show. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788/11 "2025-01-10T13:52:38Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > **The Dukes of Hazzard** has a pretty catchy theme song, but I don’t think I could sit through an entire episode nowadays. The TV theme songs of the 60s and 70s were epic masterpieces of exposition. TDoH is a prime example. Here are some of the best ‘this is what the show is all about’ themes (the relative lousiness of the shows themselves is debatable): **Gilligan’s Island** _Come sit right back and you’ll hear a tale…_ **Brady Bunch** _Here’s a story of a man named Brady…_ **The Love Boat** _Love, exciting and new_ _come aboard. we’re expecting you…_ **Laverne and Shirley** _…makin’ our dreams come true_ _Doin’ it our way…_ **One day at a Time** _This is it_ _This is life, the one ya get…_ ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788/12 "2025-01-10T14:00:41Z")
**Too Many Cooks:** It takes a lot to make a stew, A pinch of salt and laughter too, A scoop of kids to add the spice, A dash of love to make it nice. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788/13 "2025-01-10T14:01:21Z")
The [theme to the G.I. Joe Movie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv_daZe1kNI&ab_channel=TheCobraThemeSong) rocks pretty hard and is the best part of the movie. The show was never high art but the movie took a hard right into weirdness and featured a race of Himalayan snake men who wanted to devolve humanity. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788/14 "2025-01-10T14:06:26Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > the movie took a hard right into weirdness and featured a race of Himalayan snake men who wanted to devolve humanity. Cobra-La wasn’t a creation of the movie. The toy/animation canon got pretty weird too. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788/15 "2025-01-10T14:18:36Z")
The best thing about _Airwolf_ was its kick-ass theme music. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788/16 "2025-01-10T14:19:40Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > **Too Many Cooks:** > It takes a lot to make a stew, > A pinch of salt and laughter too, > A scoop of kids to add the spice, **Too Many Cooks** ’ stew is made out of people! They’re making the stew out of people! Next thing they’ll be breeding us like cattle for food. You’ve gotta tell them. You’ve gotta tell them! **Too Many Cooks** ’ stew is people! We’ve gotta stop them somehow! ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788/17 "2025-01-10T14:21:14Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Cobra-La wasn’t a creation of the movie. The toy/animation canon got pretty weird too. Sigh, I know. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788/18 "2025-01-10T14:22:54Z")
I thought the theme for _Greatest American Hero_ was catchy, but the show was pretty stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788/19 "2025-01-10T14:30:20Z")
I love the 70s funk vibe of this intro. Probably never watched a complete episode. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4SpX8bVEmJo/hqdefault.jpg "Gerry Anderson's Space:1999 Opening Titles (Season 1)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SpX8bVEmJo) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788/20 "2025-01-10T14:34:30Z")
I have the soundtrack album on vinyl; you’re right, it’s the best thing about the show. Even the origin story first episode was deadly dull. Never made it to epi 2. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-tv-theme-music-but-lousy-show/1012788.md?page=2)