Ah, yes. A hauntingly wonderful, Grammy®-winning song by Thomas Newman, of the famous Newman family (his father wrote what may be the greatest-or at least most well-known-piece of movie music ever).
All of the TMBG fans on this message board, and no one’s mentioned the Malcolm in the Middle theme? For shame! It’s great, and it fits the show perfectly.
Also, both of the themes for MST3k (the ending theme is called the Love Theme to MST3k, or something like that, and it’s wonderful).
The Sopranos theme is excellent. My dad bought the soundtrack so he can listen to it in the car and pretend he’s Tony. He also refuses to skip the opening credits when he watches an episode.
I second the mention of the Angel theme.
P.S. A dance mix of the Six Feet Under theme? Huh? It’s an excellent theme, but…a dance mix? My head is hurting just imagining it.
THANK YOU! I’m glad somebody around here has taste! 
Good times!
Anytime you make a payment!
Good times!
Anytime you make a friend!
Good times!
Anytime you’re out from under,
Not getting hassled, not getting hussled!
The story of my life, I tell ye.
I also like the theme song from Fat Albert. Honorable mentions: the theme songs from Fame, St.Elsewhere, and The Sopranos.
I loved the themes to “Family ties” and “Growing pains”…I also still get “Different strokes” stuck in my head quite often!
I was always hooked into the theme from The Smothers Brothers.
IMO, there’s only one choice: the theme to Mission Impossible.
Though, I have to admit the theme to Peter Gunn is pretty cool.
Magnum P.I.
No, no, no, no, no!
Quincy Jones’s bouncy theme to “Sanford and Son!” Hello, people!
Oh, well, okay, I might have to give you “Mission Impossible.” Oh, yeah, okay, and “Hawaii Five-O.”
But then comes “Sanford and Son.” No question.
Oops, I forgot about the first (American) Pokemon theme song. Damn that thing is catchy.
“You teach me and I’ll teach you - POOOKEEEEEMOOOOOON”
And then there are the Hamtaro opening and closing songs, which are as addicting as crack - and available in 3 languages!
“Snoozer, Penelope, Panda, Howdy, Oxnard, Bijou, and Boss, let’s go!”
Yeah, but I’m still waiting for someone to explain how “a hot dog makes her lose control”.
MAS*H
all the Star Treks were good, though usually instrumentals. Even Voyager. (the show went downhill from the credits)
I like Drew Carey’s 5 O’Clock World intro better.
Other good theme songs that have yet to be mentioned:
Pink Panther
Get Smart
Rockford Files
Price is Right
National Geographic
There are some good ones on here. But I don’t think anyone has mentioned Fat Albert yet.
I can’t remember how many times my friends and I went around singing “hey, hey, hey it’s FAAAAAAAAAT Albert” as kids.
SSHHH!!! It’s a euphemism - she was a sex fiend, but you couldn’t say that in 1963…:eek:
Sanford and Son, without a doubt.
Speed Racer and Gilligan’s Island.
Really great TV theme music transcends the production it was written for and becomes a metaphor in itself.
Peter Gunn (1958, Henry Mancini) qualifies, as does Mission: Impossible (1967, Lalo Schifrin) and The Twilight Zone (1959, Bernard Herrmann): you need only play the first few bars of any of these themes to communicate the concepts of investigation, espionage and eerieness respectively.
But Fat Albert? Sanford and Son? The Price is Right? The programs these themes were written for may be popular, but there’s no way they can be confused for great.
Wow, not one mention for Party of Five? The Bodeans singing Closer to Free?
Actually, it’s not my favorite, but my wife loved that show, and every time she hears that song she starts dancing.
I’d have to go with Hill Street Blues as well.
how about “route 66”
it was a big hit song when the series was on
and what about 60 minutes theme?
ticktickticktick…
simple yet effective…
Without question: Wonder Woman.