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What are the greatest TV intro songs of all time?
I've been thinking of this for a while and wanted to see what people here think the greatest TV intro themes of all time are.
I'll start.
Here is my top 10:
- Succession
- Full Metal Alchemist (Golden Time Lover)
- Game of Thrones
- The Golden Girls
- X-Files
- The Boondocks
- Law and Order
- The Wire
- Curb Your Enthusiasm
- Doctor Who
What immediately came to mind is the Cheers theme song.
That is one catchy tune.
If this is anyone's first introduction to Too Many Cooks, you are about to be blessed. That song lives rent-free in my head.
I came in to say Pokémon. It's incredibly catchy. Sometimes my kids ask me to play it. It gets them all hyped up, lol.
ETA: I noticed you snuck Too Many Cooks in there. Thank you for reminding me of this. I watched it so long ago and had nightmares. I hope I'm not quite as affected now. It's still very horrifying to me. I just watched it again and it's, wheew.
It feels as new as it did watching it all those years ago ✊️
I absolutely love the Night Court theme. The revival's theme song was like, "if we add a bunch of distorted guitars, that makes it cool again, right?"
That's the worst thing I've ever heard
MASH is pretty high up there for me. The lyrics to the full song are heavy.
That's by Nick Drake right?
I really liked his song "pink moon." They used it for a Volkswagen commercial and for some reason that commercial struck a deep chord in me.
It appears not, but based on the article's Talk page, a lot of others thought it too.
That VW Cabrio ad ad stuck with me too. That, and the Jetta "Synchronicity" ad that ran around the same time in 2000.
Huh. Wonder why it's stuck in my head that Nick Drake did that. Thanks for setting it straight.
Sopranos. Perfectly capturing the vibe of an NJ commute warms the pizza in our blood.
I personally adore the Men In Black animated series opening for selling a moody sci-fi supernatural detective show to... kids.
Speaking of moody 90's animation, Lain, Eva, and Bebop.
this one's pretty good too :^)
X-Men. Love that lead synth.
Yes!
One that's maybe not on the same level but I love it all the same...
[M.A.S.K.] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2Z1yLO9C-Q)
Lmao sometimes my wife will mention something about overtime and I go "working overtime, fighting crime! Fighting crime!" She never has any idea what I'm talking about. I've even shown her the intro but she forgets (or pretends to).
God, I may be dating myself here... but no love for The Jeffersons, Beverly Hillbillies, Brady Bunch, The Monkees, or The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?
I love a theme song with lyrics and a story to it. :P
"The Jeffersons," hands down! I liked the theme to "The Rockford Files" too. Yes, I am old.
Hogan's Heroes is the classic for me.
Ah. Back in the day when people didn't have streaming, or DVDs, or VHS, and were catching shows on broadcast television... so producers had to explain the backstory of each show in a catchy 60-second jingle for people who'd randomly stumbled across this show they'd never seen before.
Lots of good entries here, but I'd add the Star Trek: TNG opening. It's iconic and instantly recognizable, and it's great at expressing the show's optimism and the grandness of space.
Great choice! This used to be on on Wednesdays at 6pm on BBC2, right before I tootled off to youth club. Just reading those words – I hear the voice in my ears – and am transported right back!
The Simpsons was on beforehand IIRC. And possibly Fresh Prince? I remember they called it the "six appeal" lineup. I tootled off to Air Cadets after!
Seriously, no one has said Knight Rider yet?
Still goes hard years later.
That and Airwolf. I can't remember a thing about the TV show except it having cool helicopter stunts and the theme song being catchy as hell.
And to complete the trifecta of best title melodies of my childhood, I'm going to mention the A-Team melody here.
Didn't think the A-Team would be buried so deep!
I had to scroll far too much to see these two. I'd already filed them away as conspicuously missing epic answers to this question by the time I got this far down in the thread, and I appreciate that bottom reply box more all the time.
I guess there are some 80s children here after all, but there's still a few left to find. MacGuyver, The Dukes of Hazzard, National Geographic, and Ripley's Believe It Or Not complete the set. :)
It saddens me that the current generation will never get to experience our epic vehicle-centered TV shows.
Knight Rider and Magnum P.I. were my favorites
If I had to choose one, I'd probably go for the opening theme to Great Pretender. In fact, all the music on that show is fantastic. And the show itself is pretty awesome too.
Runners up might be the theme to Twin Peaks, the theme to Gravity Falls, and the original opening theme to Attack on Titan.
Angelo Badalamenti’s entire score for Twin Peaks was fantastic
And his main theme for Mulholland Drive.
Gravity Falls is a jam.
Did a family Halloween costume set a couple years back and put the 10 hour loop from YouTube on a bluetooth speaker I carried around while trick or treating... still like it even after a full evening of hearing it, so it's got some merit.
Edited to add Detectorists. I cannot believe I left that off.
Look at what’s happened to me-e, I can’t believe it myself!
Greatest American Hero was such a great theme.
Thank you! I thought I was going insane with no one mentioning Psych! It’s just such an awesome upbeat intro that perfectly sets up the premise of the show and the type of energy or mood that the show has.
Plus, I believe it was written and performed by band that one of the creators of the show was in. (I may be misremembering though)
Same, I was like, there is only one theme song that gets stuck in my head EVERY TIME I think of it, and I Know You Know what it is.
Plus all the times they did different versions for different episodes were great!
Yep, the song "The Best Man Lies" was written by creator Steve Franks and sung by his band "The Friendly Indians". My favorite show and theme song!
I understand this question is inherently subjective, and there are no right or wrong answers, but it's interesting to me that most of the top answers are all for classic, popular, or critically-acclaimed shows. A part of me wonders if the intro songs are actually good, or if we just remember them fondly because we like the shows they are from. It would be a lot more convincing if there was a theme song you really liked but where you didn't actually like the show it's from.
That being said, my favorite intro song is and will always be Futurama. I fully recognize the hypocrisy of that choice, since Futurama is one of the best shows ever and has pretty universal praise, but that intro music is so unique that I've never really heard anything like it anywhere else. If anyone knows where to find some futuristic-upbeat-gong music please let me know.
I also really like the Game of Thrones intro and The Mandalorian intro songs. Both set up the tense-yet-exciting settings and storylines of their shows quite nicely. But again, are they actually any good or do I just like them because I like those shows?
Sorry to say this, but it's actually a shameless rip-off of Psyche Rock by Pierre Henry.
You might also enjoy a little Jean-Jacques Perrey
Edit: fixed 2nd link, which was a dup
Will check em out, thanks!
It's kind of impossible to divorce them. What if the openings are just so good you get in the perfect mood to watch the show?
I've got three anime I think have a fantastic, fitting opening but I hate the show itself, though - AnoHana, Guilty Crown, and Haruhi season 2.
In the 60's and 70's, some of the TV music intros were done by top shelf talent. This wasn't really the case decades earlier or later, for the most part. Having e.g. Quincy Jones do your show's intro (for Sanford and Son) was pretty damn impressive in retrospect. So, I think it's not too subjective and just based on popular shows. Frequently during that period a larger chunk of budget went to great theme music, because budgets overall were low and marketing had good ideas on how to get bang-for-the-buck out of some bits, and those decades had TONS of great musical thought going on, from sort of big band jazz groups, funk, early rock etc.
I think spending a bunch of money for some top session musicians and song writers to create the theme song for the monkeys was a huge reason the Monkey's records literally outsold THE BEATLES during the Monkey's first season, even though the Monkeys were a silly Beatles knock-off TV show.
If you have a positive emotional association with the show, then it makes sense that the theme song would evoke those feelings. That said, it stands to reason that a show with high quality production would extend that quality to the opening theme as well. I don't work in the industry so this is just guessing, but since the theme sets the expectations for the show I'd imagine a fair bit of thought goes into getting it right.
The Simpsons and Friends are probably some of the most recognised theme tunes of all time.
Came here to mention Cowboy Bebop. That crescendo is insane! Some serious chops on whoever played that.
I'm amazed I had to come this far down. I just assumed it was the internet's default top intro song.
In a similar vein, the opening to Baccano is also a banger. The anime itself it just ok tho imo.
Lots of great answers, but here's one that nobody's mentioned yet: Tail Spin
I'm really surprised nobody mentioned DuckTales either, haven't seen the show for 30 years but that tune will be forever stuck in my head.
No love for M*A*S*H here?
Learning the song had lyrics and what they were was a bit of a punch in the gut, though
Edit: formatting
M*A*S*H has gotta be number one for me.
(Drop a backslash in front of each asterisk to prevent them from being interpreted as formatting code. :)
Aha, thanks!
markdown is the best way to spot a M*A*S*H fan who chit chats about it online. No shame to the A crowd. :)
I have the Manics cover in my playlist lmao
Those lyrics were written by a fourteen year old too, which is even more surprising
The Star Trek Voyager Theme
I love it to pieces. It's such a perfect match for the show. Not a single word in it, but it puts off such a beautiful feeling hope and exploration Not many shows can pull off an almost 2 minute purely orchestral introduction, but I love Voyager's so much that I rarely skip it.
DS9 has always held a special place in my heart, the show is so gritty and dark at times but the opening always has that grand orchestral flair that really matches the scope the series aspires to.
Especially how it evolves through the seasons. YES.
Easily my favorite ST theme, and I was raised on TNG
If you are putting together a legit top 10 list of most recognizable TV show themes I would say in no particular order:
Honorary mentions for:
Happy to see Golden Girls made the list. Also a fan of Doctor Who, and although I didn't like Game of Thrones as a series, the intro was fantastic - both the music and the visuals.
I would add a few lesser known ones: there was a cartoon in the 90s called Nighthood - a French series that followed the adventures of Arsene Lupin - the intro was so dramatic!
If you'll accept closing themes as well as intros - there's a Canadian cartoon from the 80s called The Raccoons and the closing credits song is indeed a bop.
More modern ones I like: Only Murders in the Building; Good Omens; anything with an eerie or ominous cheerfulness actually... There's something about the simplicity of the Stranger Things theme song that I really enjoy, it's very understated but creates a whole mood. I used it as my ringtone back before I put my phone on mute/vibrate forever.
Other intros that I used as phone ringtones back when that was a thing:
Second Jeeves and Wooster! Good Omens too.
I like the 'Jeeves & Wooster' theme music so much that I tracked down a copy on iTunes, bought it, and edited it down to use as my ringtone/notification suite on my phone.
I've previously done this with other pieces of music, such as the theme from 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' and a disco version of 'Rhapsody in Blue' that I was introduced to right here on Tildes (and it remains one of my all-time favourite pieces of music). But, for the past year or two, my ringtones & notifications have been from the 'Jeeves & Wooster' theme. They're distinctive and fun.
The disco Rhapsody in Blue is so dorky, I love it!! I used to use the OG arrangement as a morning alarm but hadn't heard this one before, thank you for sharing!
Great series~!
Pitch perfect...
Lots of good ones mentioned here, including some of my favorites. I didn't see the Firefly theme though. That's one I'll never forget.
You just reminded me that Firefly existed (for an all-too-brief period)... and now I'm sad.
In 1968, ABC adopted a snippet of "The Tar Sequence" from Cool Hand Luke as the melody for their TV news programs. Many, many channels still use some evolution of its staccato strings in theirs today.
Eyewitness News (Lalo Schiffrin, The Tar Sequence)
Lalo also composed the Mission Impossible theme, which I'm shocked hasnt turned up here yet!
I forgot it was originally a TV theme! One of the greats for sure. Looks like it even made it onto the Billboard charts in 1967.
Fringe! It just captures the feel of the show so well, like X-files.
Kudos to Trailer Park Boys, too.
*and The Addams Family, how could I forget
The theme song for Taxi is nice. It's wistful and hopeful at the same time. Very much matches the tone of the show itself, I think!
'Angela' by Bob James -- the best!
Black Sails is one of my favorites!!
Off the top of my head...
Sometimes I'm not sure RZA has still got it, but goddamn if that Wu-Tang intro wasn't perfect.
I think the thing with RZA is that he's always trying to do something new... when this sort of stuff is the stuff that slaps. Its a shame... but at least we have the killer stuff.
True Blood is always the first one that jumps to mind for me, with the creepy fast-forwarded cicada hatching and all the rest. Bad things....
Also Babylon 5, but I'm just a huge fan of B5 and that might be show bias. But the monologue and the Shadow scream are great alongside Christopher Franke's instrumentals.
I think it's hard to pick one favorite so here are the first few that popped in my head:
Garth Marenghi's Dark Place
Cowboy Bebop
Twin Peaks
Sailor Moon
Mad Men
Sailor Moon's original theme is absolutely incredible! The 5th season intro is good and all, but Moonlight Densetsu is just amazing.
I admit my heresy in adoring Moon Pride, but it can't hold a candle.
One of my all time favourite shows growing up. Love it and the original Dragon Ball series to bits. Sailor Moon always had the best music though.
I don't think I have a top ten, but I have a favorite, and that's Batman Beyond. It just fits the show aesthetic so well.
The UK theme music for Law & Order: Criminal Intent on channel Five is up there.
That’s “There’s only me” by Rob Dougan! (The instrumental track)
I wanna be the very best. Like no one ever was
No lyrics, just an awesome symphony: Batman the Animated Series
Metalocalypse
Some of these have already been mentioned, but:
Oh no, I hated that series and you forced that evil theme song back in my head.
I actually started playing that theme before even reading the comments.
For British classics I'll do you one better Ski Sunday I don't even like skiing but I managed to get that played at a rave ~15 years ago and everyone went crazy hahahahaha.
The Expanse. The whole intro was beautiful every season.
The Simpsons, Spongebob, Fairly Odd Parents, Doctor Who, X Files immediately come to mind.
The ones that come to mind for me are, in no particular order:
Edit to add: Laverne and Shirley and Green Acres
While greatest is subjective, I suggest that the theme songs written by Sherwood Schwartz for the shows he produced -Gilligan's Island, The Brady Bunch and Its About Time - need to be mentioned. They are all catchy, describe the premise of the show, and at least two of them have become cultural icons.
I'm so glad you mentioned Gilligan's Island. I really do find it compelling!
Hard-hitting, hyped-up and beautiful:
As far as being iconic, memorable, a good fit or tone-set:
Kids shows that went hard and deserve a mention:
The theme of Bojack Horseman is excellent. By Patrick Carney (of Black Keys fame) featuring Ralph Carney
Full song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkhHY7U3LwU
Nobody has mentioned Buffy: The Vampire Slayer yet?
I'll also second the Star Trek Voyager theme.
I even played it at my wedding :D
Jack of All Trades is a personal favourite of mine and the theme was also nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Main Title Theme Music category.
I've never seen the show. The opening makes it look hilarious. Now I'm tempted to. What do you think of the show?
I love the show and anything with Bruce Campbell since I grew up watching the Evil Dead series. Though I have to admit it's very corny, both in plotlines and acting so temper your expectations if you're thinking it may be something deeper. But if you're familiar with Bruce's work then you probably have a good idea of what you're going to get out of it.
The only warning I have to give is that when it originally aired it didn't pull the ratings needed to keep the show alive and unfortunately was abruptly cancelled midway through the second season so there's no closure in the series. The ending was bittersweet for me as it was never a show I wanted to see a conclusion for but still left me wanting much more. It's something still I go back to often when I want a lighthearted nostalgia kick and has definitely earned the status of cult classic.
I'm not the person who posted it, but I really enjoyed it. I'll watch pretty much anything with Bruce Campbell, though. You might go back and watch "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.", too.
Not really an intro song but the Seinfeld riff is pretty amazing imo
This was my #1 played song for 2022 per Apple Music. I would play it every time I was pulling into the parking garage at work. :D
My favourite is the Doctor Who theme. I love all the versions but my favourite one is the series 1-3 theme.
No real order or reason; these are just iconic tunes imo:
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (which, btw, what a product of its time. Does anyone auto tune the news anymore?)
White Lotus (season 2)
The X-Files
X-Men animated series
Batman animated series
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Surprised no one has mentioned Narcos or Dexter
My two votes are Psych and Peacemaker.
They are the two shows I actually watch the opening credits.
Plus with psych. Around season 4 I start a game where I try and guess if it's gonna be the long intro or short.
Outside of the classics and 80s listed I think Peacemaker is one of the more recent shows. It was so unexpected and un-skippable.
Peacemaker | Opening Credits
Pokemon: Johto Journeys
Gundam Build Fighters Tri
Fairy Tail Zero
Gundam 00
Malcom in the middle had a great song
Lot of good ones here, gotta chime in! In no particular order:
Big ups for Danny Phantom.
S-Tier animated kids show intro
Didn't grow up in the US, so here's some of mine:
Also, this one is from the US, but I haven't found someone to link this: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
How has no one mentioned Samurai Jacks intro yet. Absolute banger and written by Will-I-Am.
The best theme song, hands down, is from Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors
Gummy bears yo!
And DuckTales.
This might sound very normie of me, but I think Tokyo Ghoul Opening 1 or Attack on Titan Opening 1 should be here
The Office (US), Parks and Rec, Seinfeld
Grandstand has to be my favourite.
Sherlock (BBC)
Just strings and drums playing mysteriously, ominously. It sets a kind of serious tone for a kind of serious show. Lovely tune.
The opening to Furikuri (FLCL)—Ride on Shooting Star, by the pillows—was one I remember turning up the volume on when I watched it on Adult Swim back in the early aughts.
Rescue Me and Charmed!
Facts of Life
the closing jam on SNL is also pretty sweet.
I think Hill Street Blues deserves a mention here.
Many great ones here already but I didn’t see:
Fringe
Fringe (1985)
This show was so great and they tied their intro in with changes in the show too.
I checked, and noone here has mentioned the theme from the 'Wonder Woman' television show, which disappoints me. This is one of my favourite television theme songs. There's even a dance remix!
Wild, Wild World of Animals intro
https://youtu.be/kPAF9pdkWSE
Wild, Wild... ending theme
https://youtu.be/1a5zl96448k1
Taxi
Welcome Back, Kotter
Air Wolf
Knight Rider
Voltron
Thundercats
Swat Kats
He-Man
She-Ra
Darkwing Duck
Original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (first 3 seasons in particular for the original Mighty Morphin theme though more then a few were bangers too) Including. Power Rangers Zeo, Power Rangers in Space, Power Rangers Time Force, Power Rangers Dino Charge, Power Rangers Dino Thunder and a few more.
Sailor Moon
Red Dwarf
Macguyver!
Others I cannot recall.
MacGyver is probably my favorite out of everything listed here
It had a really fun theme.
I don't think anyone's mentioned Green Acres? I don't remember anything about the show, but the theme song still gets stuck in my head.
In random order:
Star Trek the Next Generation
The A-team
Band of Brothers
Game of Thrones
Many of my favorites have been mentioned - Batman TAS, Cowboy Bebop, The Sopranos, Wonder Years.
But there's only one correct answer to this question: Maybe Tomorrow, from The Littlest Hobo. I cannot understand why, but I have to fight tears whenever I hear it.
Dads Army Who do you think you are kidding Mr Hitler I grew up watching it in the 90's despite it being well before my time. An iconic classic.
*edit
Oh and how could this thread neglect the glory that is Danger Mouse
I'll probably get a lot of opposition as I've already heard most people didn't like much but my all time favorite is the theme song to the Star Trek Enterprise series. "Where My Heart Will Take Me", as sung by Russell Watson, alongside instrumental compositions by Dennis McCarthy.
I want to add some lighthearted favorites that were reruns when I was young. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwzaxUF0k18 Beverly Hillbillies,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfSLuEj99d0 Gilligans Island,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GAbc5uQXJo Mr Ed,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6QzbvH-ZNo The Adams Family
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq7noaMwLfg Flintstones
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK4H-LkrQjQ Batman
The 80s we're where it was at.
Family Ties
Who's the Boss
Growing Pains
The Facts of Life
Family Guy
The Nanny
Dallas
one i havent seen mentioned
How i met your mother. Idk if its because i like the show, but i find the simplicity of the opening plus the polaroids of the gang to be very nostalgic. Short and sweet, i never skip it.