Didn’t the Average White Band also cover the Batman theme?
The Good:
Twin Peaks
Dallas
Dukes of Hazzard
Andy Griffith
Dick VanDyke
Get Smart
The Bad:
Rockford Files
Gomer Pyle USMC
Friends
One Day at a Time
Mission Impossible (at one time every high school marching band in the US has butchered this tune)
The Ugly:
Brady Bunch
Three’s Company (what the hay does “down in our rendevous” mean?)
I am suprised only one person has mentioned Greatest American Hero. That song is incredible.
How about the Transformers? I always thought is was cool.
My current favorite:
Theme from NBC’s Kingpin
Worst: Friends, thank god it gets cut short in syndication.
Great theme music:
Doctor Who
The Avengers
Bewitched
Dark Shadows (0riginal show, for the kitsch factor)
Bonanza
Bad theme music:
Any Star Trek theme, but especially the “Enterprise” dreck.
Firefly, Angel, and Buffy all have/had good theme songs that were appropriate to their subject material as well as being good examples of their respective genres. Charmed also pulls it off.
I liked Deep Space Nine’s orchestral theme.
I used to have a .wav file of the Simpsons theme as well. It’s actually good - more than just a jingle.
Another vote for Welcome Back Kotter and Greatest American Hero.
Also, China Beach (“Reflections” by the Supremes), Pinky and the Brain and Punky Brewster. And is it possible no one’s mentioned The Jeffersons (I might have missed it)?
The worst theme song I’ve ever heard (don’t ask) has got to be a theme song from a travel show by folks in RVs. I don’t remember the show name, but to this day I can hear that twangy voice in my head…
…RV travelin’s the best way/To see the country in style…
Personally, I think all of the old 60’s & 70’s shows’ theme songs that had lyrics intended to “explain” the show (e.g., The Beverly Hillbillies, Gilligan’s Island, The Brady Bunch) are dorky-sounding. The best theme songs were all instrumentals.
I think my favorite is Peter Gunn. I also like the Hawaii 5-0 theme, the Rockford files theme, St. Elsewhere. There are probably more, but I’m having trouble recalling very many. I like the song from The Kids in the Hall.
I can’t think of any current ones that I really like, but I don’t watch as much TV as I used to, and most of it (that I do watch) is on PBS or Discovery.
RV Today would be a better bet.
Cagny and Lacey
I know, I’m so uncultured.
Thought of another like: the Thundercats theme.
I thought about putting this one down, but didn’t want to make myself look stupid. It was pretty repetitive if you’ll remember correctly: “Thunder, thunder, thunder, thundercats!”
Don’t they use that awful cover of “How Soon Is Now?” Or am I thinking of a different show?
I’ve never been able to figure out what the song has to do with teenage witches (or whatever the show is about).
My favorite theme music is from the already cited Twin Peaks. Angelo Badalamenti’s music has become almost synonymous with David Lynch in my mind.
Oh I forgot earlier- Perry Mason!
No doubt! That’s one of my favorites. I still have the 45 vinyl for that one.
Also, I may have missed it, but has no one mentioned The Simpsons? A classic.
And (mentioned already) Greatest American Hero. One of the few theme songs to outlive and even become more popular than the actual show.
I cringe when I hear “Three’s Company” theme
come and knock on our door…blah
One glaring omission by the group (including me):
The Starblazers theme(s).
If nothing else, they deserve recognition as the most tortured attempts at lyrics in a show intro.
Here we go - TV Land, Monday, 8PM Eastern:
I cant believe nobody said DALLAS!!!