# TV Shows Whose Theme Song Changed During The Show's Run **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 19, 2015, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308 "2015-01-19T19:59:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308/81 "2015-01-20T13:02:11Z")
I can’t believe we missed a **major** one! _Family Guy_ notoriously had a bit in the original theme song that, to some viewers at least, didn’t sound like what was intended. After the chorus sings “Lucky there’s a man who Positively can do All the things that make us…” Stewie says “Laugh and cry.” Somehow, viewers took that as Stewie saying “Effing cry.” It was changed in later seasons to have Stewie enunciating the words “laugh and cry” more clearly. FWIW, I never thought it was anything but “laugh and cry.” ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308/82 "2015-01-20T14:23:26Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > _Frasier_ had about 25 different opening “themelets.” I think all the opening themes were the same - it was the title animations that changed. There were four or five different end-credit themes, all sung by Kelsey Grammer. (It takes an act of will to spell that word with an e…) ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308/83 "2015-01-20T14:33:03Z")
“Petticoat Junction” adjusted the lyrics to match changes to the cast. The original had the line “it is ran by Kate come and be her guest” and the later one had “there’s a lady MD, she’s as pretty as can be”. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308/84 "2015-01-20T14:36:05Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > The pilot for Lost in Space borrowed the theme song from The Day the Earth Stood Still; subsequent episodes used the more commonly-known theme song written by Johnny Williams (yes, aka John Williams). John Williams wrote two different themes for the series. The second one (in whjich the opening titles started with a countdown) was better than the original first season one. But the first season theme wasn’t related to Bernard Herrman’s Day the Earth Stood Still music. I haven’t seen the original pilot (no Dr. Smith), so I don’t know what they used there. ---
**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 20, 2015, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308/85 "2015-01-20T16:05:24Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I haven’t seen the original pilot (no Dr. Smith), so I don’t know what they used there. No Dr Smith?!? :eek: Are you quite certain of that? I need to find the pilot on YouTube… ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308/86 "2015-01-20T16:11:57Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ used a different intro for the episode “Superstar,” where Jonathan gets “augmented” into a starring role. That’s not to mention “Once More, With Feeling.” Was the music actually different for “Superstar”, or just one-off visuals to go along with it? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308/87 "2015-01-20T16:15:13Z")
> [@tim-n-va](#): > > “Petticoat Junction” adjusted the lyrics to match changes to the cast. The original had the line “it is ran by Kate come and be her guest” and the later one had “there’s a lady MD, she’s as pretty as can be”. Oh good one! Forgettable show but I really enjoyed Meredith McRae when it ran. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308/88 "2015-01-20T16:22:29Z")
_Farscape_ went from having a non-verbal song that sounded like an orgasm, in its first season… to a different non-verbal song that sounded like a completely different orgasm, in later seasons. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308/89 "2015-01-20T16:24:30Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > No Dr Smith?!? :eek: Are you quite certain of that? > > I need to find the pilot on YouTube… From here: [Psychotronic 16: No Place to Hide - Unaired Lost in Space Pilot (1965)](http://psychotronic16.blogspot.com/2011/05/no-place-to-hide-unaired-lost-in-space.html) > [@](#): > > No Place to Hide: > The un-aired Lost in Space pilot “No Place to Hide” kicked around underground video collectors’ circles for close to 20 years, but until its release, first through Columbia House on tape in the late '90s and later as part of the FoxVideo DVD set Lost in Space: Season 1, it wasn’t available to ordinary viewers. The first eight and a half minutes of the show are substantially the same as events in the first episode of the series, “The Reluctant Stowaway,” but with two key differences: There is no Dr. Zachary Smith (and, hence, no “reluctant stowaway” – so no saboteur), and there is no robot. This also confirms the use of Day the Earth Stood Still music in the pilot: > [@](#): > > As John Williams had not yet been engaged to write the score for the episode (or a title theme), all of the music here is tracked in from Herrmann’s scores from various 20th Century Fox feature films, including The Day the Earth Stood Still, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Beneath the 12-Mile Reef. ---
**Author:** ![Grotonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c2a13f/32.png) [@Grotonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grotonian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308/90 "2015-01-20T16:35:18Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Actually, the first half of the lyrics were completely different as well: > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuuYvQsN-ak](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuuYvQsN-ak) > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zfti7b31rs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zfti7b31rs) They’re completely different because they’re different stanzas of the same song. That certainly constitutes a change in theme song in accordance with the OP, of course. But the refrain was re-done from the uncertain, “you might just,” to the more optimistic, “you’re gonna.” That was a change in the lyrics, not just a different stanza. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308/91 "2015-01-20T16:38:33Z")
Well, the theme music to Baretta never changed, but in the first season, “Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow” was an instrumental. Starting in Season 2, the song had lyrics sung by Sammy Davis Jr. (\*And who knew more about the mean, crime-ridden streets than Sammy?) ---
**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 20, 2015, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308/92 "2015-01-20T16:42:26Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Oh good one! Forgettable show but I really enjoyed Meredith McRae when it ran. Ew! Jeannine Riley and Gunilla Hutton were infinitely better! [![](https://www.sitcomsonline.com/photopost/data/787/Pet51.jpg) ](https://www.sitcomsonline.com/photopost/data/787/Pet51.jpg) > **[Set Celebs - Source Of Biographies Of Celebrities](https://setcelebs.com)** > > Source Of Biographies Of Celebrities ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308/93 "2015-01-20T16:46:16Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > No Dr Smith?!? :eek: Are you quite certain of that? > > I need to find the pilot on YouTube… See post 47. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308/94 "2015-01-20T16:48:30Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I think all the opening themes were the same - it was the title animations that changed. There were four or five different end-credit themes, all sung by Kelsey Grammer. > > (It takes an act of will to spell that word with an e…) Wiki says what I posted. I haven’t had the time to Netflix the series and check. As for “Superstar,” I’m going on memory and Youtube. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308/95 "2015-01-20T17:24:21Z")
[quote=“terentii, post:55, topic:710308”] Like the _ **Star Trek** _ theme, _ **The Munsters** _ theme had lyrics that were never heard on the TV show (or in the movies, IIRC). A vocal version was, however, released on a children’s LP, and I got a copy for Christmas 1965: [/QUOTE] Years later, Butch Patrick released a single, [“Whatever Happened to Eddie?”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVgCt6cR6c4) set to the tune of the Munsters theme. His lyrics even contain a nod to those original lyrics, with the line about your hair turning white after peeking through a window screen. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308/96 "2015-01-20T17:31:35Z")
**New Girl** has changed. The theme song used to be a slower version with a singing part (by Zooey Deschanel), but now its a quicker version of the original without singing. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308/97 "2015-01-20T17:56:43Z")
CBS Sunday Morning has had multiple versions of its baroque trumpet theme music (“Abblassen” by Gottfried Reiche). The most recent version is performed by Wynton Marsalis, who gussied it up with a bunch of fancy fillips and runs & crap. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308/98 "2015-01-20T18:32:17Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Wiki says what I posted. I haven’t had the time to Netflix the series and check. We recently watched seasons 1-8 in a pretty continuous stretch. The opening credits and theme are very short - maybe 10-12 seconds - and I can’t bring any variations to mind. There were a number of variations on the animation of the “Frasier” logo, however, some seen only once each. The end-credits song had several variations that rotated, mostly varying in the last few seconds/closing words. If there are further variations in seasons 9-11, I wouldn’t have any good memory of them. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308/99 "2015-01-20T18:33:40Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > _Farscape_ went from having a non-verbal song that sounded like an orgasm, in its first season… to a different non-verbal song that sounded like a completely different orgasm, in later seasons. Come again? ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308/100 "2015-01-20T20:32:06Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Come again? Every once in a while, I’m really sorry that Dope posts don’t have a “like” button. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-whose-theme-song-changed-during-the-shows-run/710308.md?page=6)