The Three Greatest TV Theme Songs Ever

The Six Million Dollar Man

The Night Stalker

Starsky and Hutch

Greatest American Hero

The Beverley Hillbillies

Due South

Hawaii 5-0
Wild Wild West
Mission Impossible

The Peter Gunn theme

Hawaii 5-0

Miami Vice

Wow, so tough to choose only three.

  1. Hawaii Five-O

  2. Barney Miller

  3. The Wire
    mmm

The Liberty Bell March.

Hawaii 5-0

Mission:Impossible

I’ll throw one into the mix.

(Get Smart)

Here’s the original 90-second Hawaii Five-O intro, which aired only once, in the pilot showing in 1968. The two-part syndicated version has a modified 60-second intro.

True Detective, Season 2.
Terrible season, great theme song.

I’d go with these, too (though putting Mission: Impossible first). As an honorable mention: I do have a great fondness for the theme for It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, meta as it may be.

Yes, that chord change in the longer version makes all the difference. I’d say that and **Mission: Impossible** are two of my top 3.

Seems like one of them should have lyrics, so I’ll add Rawhide

Have Gun Will Travel

Have gun will travel reads the card of a man
A knight without armor in a savage land
His fast gun for hire heeds the calling wind
A soldier of fortune is a man called Paladin
Paladin Paladin where do you roam Paladin Paladin far far from home

Rawhide

Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’

Keep movin’, movin’, movin’
Though they’re disapprovin’
Keep them dogies movin’
Rawhide!

Muppet Babies!

The Theme From SWAT

The Peter Gunn Theme

And the Batman Theme had America dancing the Batusi.

So many to choose from! :frowning:

My top 100 would probably start with these three:

The Untouchables (1959)

***The Avengers*** (1965)

The Rat Patrol (1966)

Ah, to be back in sixth grade again.... :o

I have to slip this one in as an honorable mention, since it’s still my favorite TV show of all time:

Combat! (1962)

In no particular order:

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Mission: Impossible
Alfred Hitchcock Presents

In Color!!!

Twin Peaks

One Day at a Time
When Mackenzie Phillips performed with The New Mamas and Papas, she got requests for this all the time.
Masterpiece Theater (80’s vintage)

MAS*H

The Monkees

Law & Order