# TV theme songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 26, 2016, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072 "2016-11-26T19:19:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072/41 "2016-11-28T15:01:46Z")
[The Name of the Game](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-xExiIxS48) [The 1970s NBC Sports Theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUing_cfzSM) ---
**Author:** ![Grumbacher\_Red](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Grumbacher\_Red](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumbacher_Red)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072/42 "2016-11-28T15:01:51Z")
Here are a few I haven’t seen mentioned: Perry Mason - when they play the whole thing. All in the Family The Flintstones The Pink Panther Scooby Doo Mary Tyler Moore I would nominate Hawaii 5-0 and Mission Impossible for the best TV theme songs of all time. You can also tell I don’t watch much in the way of contemporary shows :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![ElderSign](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eldersign/32/8263_2.png) [@ElderSign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElderSign)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072/43 "2016-11-28T15:14:17Z")
When did TV theme songs become less of a priority for TV producers? I know there is a trend to get the TV show titles out of the way ASAP due to people’s short attention spans and to squeeze a few more seconds of advertisements in. But curious when we go from good, memorable compositions (even for TV shows that were not good), to generic, quick theme openings. ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072/44 "2016-11-28T15:58:10Z")
[Match Game](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXo9wAWn-hA) [The Original Match Game](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AISyVGLZjGA) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072/45 "2016-11-28T18:15:37Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > \ > The _second_ best T.V. theme song is “The Unknown Stuntman” from the series _The Fall Guy_. > [This clip gives you the chance to ogle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4LX8PPMuOY) 25 year old Heather Thomas in a bikini. Markie Post does not appear in a bikini but, c’mon, she’s _Markie Post_ so she’s ridiculously cute nonetheless. I used to watch _The Fall Guy_ with my grandparents, mainly because I loved the theme song. (Heather Thomas doesn’t really do anything for me :p) I haven’t heard that song in years and I could still sing along. Some of my other favorites have already been mentioned- _Greatest American Hero_ and _The Big Bang Theory_. One I didn’t see - _American Bandstand_ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYsej0ykSXI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYsej0ykSXI) ---
**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:** [November 28, 2016, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072/46 "2016-11-28T18:38:57Z")
> [@Grumbacher\_Red](#): > > I would nominate Hawaii 5-0 and Mission Impossible for the best TV theme songs of all time. Hard to believe, but in Solow and Justman’s book _ **Inside Star Trek: The Real Story** _ they talk about how Lalo Schifrin’s work on \*\*\*Mission \*\*\*was snubbed at (IIRC) the Emmys in 1967 (along with the music of _ **TOS** _). If I’m not mistaken, \*\*no \*\*music awards were given out that year because the powers that were didn’t like any of the submissions. ---
**Author:** ![Grumbacher\_Red](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Grumbacher\_Red](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumbacher_Red)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072/47 "2016-11-29T00:24:26Z")
> [@ElderSign](#): > > When did TV theme songs become less of a priority for TV producers? > > I know there is a trend to get the TV show titles out of the way ASAP due to people’s short attention spans and to squeeze a few more seconds of advertisements in. > > But curious when we go from good, memorable compositions (even for TV shows that were not good), to generic, quick theme openings. What I miss is when songs were actually written, fully orchestrated, FOR the show, and the music got you in the right frame of mind to watch it. it really set a tone. Now it seems it is just easier to use a mediocre snippet from the latest pop tart’s mashup sampled piece of unoriginal garbage, or to pull a lukewarm remake of a 70s classic…just seems so much less special and leaves me cold. And someone mentioned the Golden Girls…and I gotta nitpick about that one…it’s one of those lukewarm remakes of a 70s classic, like mentioned above, not really a theme song. And to call myself out for my pick of All in the Family, that opening song wasn’t specifically written for the show either, it was just an obscure old song nobody was familiar with anymore, so it can’t really be a theme song either, despite the originality of Jean Stapleton, BUT the out-going music was original (co-written by Carroll O’Connor), and just as much associated with the show as the opening. ---
**Author:** ![Grumbacher\_Red](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Grumbacher\_Red](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumbacher_Red)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072/48 "2016-11-29T00:26:17Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Hard to believe, but in Solow and Justman’s book _ **Inside Star Trek: The Real Story** _ they talk about how Lalo Schifrin’s work on \*\*\*Mission \*\*\*was snubbed at (IIRC) the Emmys in 1967 (along with the music of _ **TOS** _). If I’m not mistaken, \*\*no \*\*music awards were given out that year because the powers that were didn’t like any of the submissions. Yes, that really IS hard to fathom. We don’t know what we have until it is gone. ---
**Author:** ![Grumbacher\_Red](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Grumbacher\_Red](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumbacher_Red)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072/49 "2016-11-29T00:31:47Z")
And I forgot to mention The Andy Griffith Show. Talk about setting the tone for exactly what you were about to see, lol! Perfect! ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072/50 "2016-11-29T00:39:06Z")
Speaking of Lalo-- on my playlist is [Theme from Mannix.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLTb3_-pdU4) Not Lalo but still very cool, [Theme from Lost in Space.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3yK77GWBbk) ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072/51 "2016-11-29T00:48:29Z")
Just looked it up. Lost in Space is John Williams. Of course. ---
**Author:** ![Hocus\_Pocus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/41988e/32.png) [@Hocus\_Pocus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hocus_Pocus)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072/52 "2016-11-29T01:02:11Z")
Almost forgot one as it was a sports show instead of evening entertainment shows… The theme to CBS Sports Saturday, which was clipped from the ELO song _Fire On High_. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072/53 "2016-11-29T01:29:41Z")
> [@ElderSign](#): > > When did TV theme songs become less of a priority for TV producers? > > I know there is a trend to get the TV show titles out of the way ASAP due to people’s short attention spans and to squeeze a few more seconds of advertisements in. > > But curious when we go from good, memorable compositions (even for TV shows that were not good), to generic, quick theme openings. Seinfeld. Although opening the show with a bit of his standup was defensible, it set a bad precedent. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072/54 "2016-11-29T01:33:47Z")
[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VSaDPc1Cs5U/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AG-AoAC8AGKAgwIABABGDcgZSgZMA8=&rs=AOn4CLB7Fz4C0-mzH0JnlDcxfN7l476H1A "The Batman Theme Song") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSaDPc1Cs5U) Anyone who was there will tell you this was the greatest of all time. The most exciting thing to hear in a theme… ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072/55 "2016-11-29T02:06:37Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Anyone who was there will tell you this was the greatest of all time. The most exciting thing to hear in a theme... For sure the blating horns distinguish this theme from others but for all around best lyrics for '60s superheros, nobody beats [Spidey.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUtziaZlDeE) Although, the best superhero cartoon theme song line has got to be [When Captain America throws his mighty shield/ All those who chose to oppose his shield must yieeeeeeld!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVU4HURKEXs) ---
**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:** [November 29, 2016, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072/56 "2016-11-29T02:32:48Z")
[Moderator note] **drad dog** , please don’t just post a YouTube link and say “this is the greatest”. It’s much more useful to give readers some idea of what your link is (in this case, the Adam West Batman). ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072/57 "2016-11-29T02:42:56Z")
_Hey Hey We’re The Monkees_ wasn’t bad, but [For Pete’s Sake](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKzw_rapYNs) (used as the closing credits theme for the second season) was a better song. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072/58 "2016-11-29T03:20:30Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > [Moderator note] > > **drad dog** , please don’t just post a YouTube link and say “this is the greatest”. It’s much more useful to give readers some idea of what your link is (in this case, the Adam West Batman). OK “It was the Adam West Batman” And here is the Diana Rigg Avengers: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/z2PdaP8m6oI/hqdefault.jpg "The Avengers - Emma Peel & John Steed | Intro w. Credits") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2PdaP8m6oI) ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072/59 "2016-11-29T03:21:57Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > For sure the blating horns distinguish this theme from others but for all around best lyrics for '60s superheros, nobody beats [Spidey.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUtziaZlDeE) Although, the best superhero cartoon theme song line has got to be [When Captain America throws his mighty shield/ All those who chose to oppose his shield must yieeeeeeld!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVU4HURKEXs) You are on my wavelength. I heard those cartoons when I was so small. I have them all on mp3 now. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2016, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072/60 "2016-11-29T03:38:11Z")
here’s the Road Runner theme. Tot me one of the greatest. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/sQGrwsar8H4/hqdefault.jpg "Road Runner Show intro and extro (s) in STEREO") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQGrwsar8H4) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-theme-songs/773072.md?page=4)