MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE eventually altered its famous theme – not much, but (a) enough so you’d notice, and (b) more as the ending nears and the drums go crazy.
Yes, The Wire used different versions of Tom Waits’ “Way Down in the Hole.” My favorite was the one with the kids singing from S4.
Monk.
Star Trek: Enterprise used a different opening (visual similar but tweaked, completely different song) for the Mirror Universe two-parter.
In 1985, *Little Muppet Monsters *was a show created to run right after *Muppet Babies *as part of an hour-long block. After three episodes, the pretty terrible *Monsters *was canned. However, the theme music to *Muppet Babies *oddly retained the theme from Little Muppet Monsters until the end of its run. (Wiki cite, as I can’t upload the earworm section of my brain.)
Recently the Fox Sitcom New Girl changed from a Zoey Deschenel number to “generic sitcom instrumental song” and the opening was also changed from “we’re so quirky” to “random images of the cast”
I think Roseanne’s theme changed. No lyrics to lyrics in the last season.
***Psych! ***changed it’s song style to match certain episode themes
I hate it too. The old theme was so romantic, ending with that beautiful ampersand; the new one is crass and in-your-face. And I can’t stand all the yellow.
Season 3 had a totally different (peppier) theme song than Seasons 1 & 2;
Land of the Giants ran two seasons, each had a different theme song.
Even referenced in the episode “Mr. Monk and the TV Star”. “If you ever get a TV show, don’t change the theme song”.
I think Spenser for Hire changed the moody early theme into some pop turd in later seasons.
The Bob newhart show did such a different version of the theme in later seasons that in my mind it’s a different song.
I don’t care for it, either. It was romantic; now it’s bleh.
Bones is different, too. It’s more techno than it was a couple seasons ago. I don’t like it, either.
That Girl had three different renditions of its theme song; only in the last couple of seasons was a vocal component added. I did NOT care for that one at all!
Star Trek TOS and TNG both had more than one version of their themes recorded; I count five for the former. (Despite more recent claims, I would swear in court that the soprano’s voice was originally heard only in the final season.)
Mannix (another Desilu show) had at least two versions of its theme recorded.
IIRC, The Partridge Family’s theme changed over time, especially after they replaced the younger brother with a new kid in season two.
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.”
A show about the last 40,000 survivors of an apocalypse, living in rapidly deteriorating conditions who are always one jump away from being completely wiped out by a fleet of killer robots, but they ding the theme song for being too depressing…
I was going to mention that. This is the theme to the Bollywood episode.
The theme song for It’s about Time (another Sherwood Schwartz production) changed when they switched formats in the middle of the show’s one and only season.
The theme for F Troop changed when they went from B&W to color in 1966.
The theme for Danger Man was changed when it was shown in the US and became Secret Agent.
The Avengers had at least two themes; I believe the one most associated with the show came in with Emma Peel and was modified a bit when she was replaced by Tara King.