Greatest TV Themes

Bruce · **Posted:** Thu Aug 30, 2012 2:29 am

I have an idea for a new list. I don't think it's ever even been done in the forum. The 100 Greatest TV Show themes. They will be rated only on the edited version used on the TV show.

Here's some candidates

Johnny's Theme - Tonight Show Orchestra
Quentin's Theme - Charles Randolph Greane Sound
Dragnet - Ray Anthony
The Simpsons
Theme from Taxi
I Love Lucy - Desi Arnez Orchestra?
Alfred Hitchcock Presents - ?
Woke Up This Morning - A3 (Sopranos Theme)
Munsters Theme
Addams Family Theme
Green Acres - Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor
Those Were The Days - Archie & Edith
Park Avenue Beat - Fred Steiner (Perry Mason Theme)
Rockford Files - Mike Post
Hawaii 5-0 - Ventures (this might be #1)
Peter Gunn - Henry Mancini (Top 5 probably)
Bonanza - David Rose
77 Sunset Strip - Don Ralke
Twilight Zone
Get Smart
Hogan's Heroes
Patty Duke Show
Theme From Magnum - Mike Post
Who Are You - The Who
Baba O'Riley - The Who
Happy Days - Pratt & McClain
Odd Couple
My Three Sons
The Flintstones
The Jetsons
Mr. Ed - Jay Livingston
Bugs Bunny Overture - Mel Blanc
Top Cat
Petticoat Junction - Curt Massey
F Troop
Gilligan's Island
Dallas
I Dream Of Jeannie
Wild Wild West
Mission Impossible - Lalo Schifrin (top 5 for sure)
Sesame Street
WKRP in Cincinnat
The Love Boat - Jack Jones
Sanford And Son - Quincy Jones
M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless)
Where Everybody Knows Your Name - Gary Portnoy (top ten)
Andy Griffith Show - Earl Hagen (top ten)
The Jeffersons (Movin' On Up)
Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air
The Ballad Of Jed Clampett - Flatt & Scruggs
Doctor Who
Rawhide - Frankie Laine?
Hill Street Blues - Mike Post
Barney Miller
Frazier
Night Court
Making Our Dreams Come True (Lavern and Shirley)
Three's Company
The Brady Bunch
The Partridge Family (Havin' A Ball)
Theme From The Monkees
The Greatest American Hero
Welcome Back - John Sebastian
Best Friend - Nilsson
The Dukes Of Hazzard - Waylon Jennings
Good Times
The Big Bang Theory - The Big Bang Theory Theme - Barenaked Ladies
Friends - I'll Be There for You - The Rembrandts
The Drew Carey Show - Cleveland Rocks - The Presidents of the United States of America
How I Met Your Mother - Hey, Beautiful - The Solids[
Twin Peaks Theme - Angelo Badalamenti

Right now I'm thinking....

1 - Hawaii 5-0 - Ventures
2 - Mission Impossible - Lalo Schifrin
3 - Peter Gunn - Henry Mancini
4 - Andy Griffith Theme (The Fishin' Hole) - Earl Hagen
5 - Theme From The Monkees - Monkees
6 - Ballad Of Jed Clampett - Flatt & Scruggs
7 - Welcome Back - John Sebastian

Should "Rock Around The Clock" be eligible? It was the Happy Days theme for the first season.

I'm sure the younger guys here can help with some of the more modern shows.

boo boo · **Joined:** Mon Oct 11, 2010 7:36 pm **Posts:** 10850

Where in the fuck is All in the Family?

I like the idea of this list, too bad you're the one making it.

Bruce · **Posted:** Thu Aug 30, 2012 2:42 am

I'm thinking a criteria of:

How well the theme fits the show
Popularity
Acclaim / Awards
Cultural Impact
Transcending the show

In the first part of the criteria a theme that was written specifically for the show will trump a song that already existed and was just picked as a theme, like the Who songs on CSI and the Sopranos theme.

Bruce · **Posted:** Thu Aug 30, 2012 2:43 am

boo boo wrote:

Where in the fuck is All in the Family?

It's there, it's called "Those Were The days."

boo boo wrote:

I like the idea of this list, too bad you're the one making it.

Fuck you, asshole. Do you want to contribute here, or do you just want to trade insults?

rockvirtuoso · **Joined:** Mon Oct 11, 2010 5:36 pm **Posts:** 2375

Bruce wrote:

Perry Mason Theme

love that theme

Bruce · **Posted:** Thu Aug 30, 2012 2:53 am

rockvirtuoso wrote:

Bruce wrote:

Perry Mason Theme

love that theme

It's called "Park Avenue Beat", by Fred Steiner

rockvirtuoso · **Joined:** Mon Oct 11, 2010 5:36 pm **Posts:** 2375

good to know. thanks mate

Bruce · **Posted:** Thu Aug 30, 2012 3:15 am

Andy Griffith did a vocal version of his theme:

Machine Head · **Posted:** Thu Aug 30, 2012 4:40 am

The Simpsons? Maybe?

lew · **Posted:** Thu Aug 30, 2012 5:55 am

Maybe have the show name first.

6. The Beverly Hillbillies - Ballad Of Jed Clampett - Flatt & Scruggs
or
6. Ballad Of Jed Clampett - Flatt & Scruggs (The Beverly Hillbillies)

Some more:

The Big Bang Theory - The Big Bang Theory Theme - Barenaked Ladies
Friends - I'll Be There for You - The Rembrandts
The Drew Carey Show - Cleveland Rocks - The Presidents of the United States of America
How I Met Your Mother - Hey, Beautiful - The Solids

Negative Creep · **Joined:** Tue Oct 12, 2010 5:21 pm **Posts:** 11802

I'd say MASH and Twilight Zone should be way up there. Pretty much everyone knows them and they have transcended their respective generations.

Also, what about the theme from 'Taxi'?

Bruce · **Posted:** Thu Aug 30, 2012 10:24 am

lew wrote:

Maybe have the show name first.

6. The Beverly Hillbillies - Ballad Of Jed Clampett - Flatt & Scruggs
or
6. Ballad Of Jed Clampett - Flatt & Scruggs (The Beverly Hillbillies)

Yes, I was planning on one of these two formats. I think I like the second one better, with the show name at the end. The list will only have one line per entry, 100 lines.

Zach · **Posted:** Thu Aug 30, 2012 11:06 am

The Twin Peaks theme by Angelo Badalamenti is actually quite acclaimed.

Zach · **Posted:** Thu Aug 30, 2012 11:09 am

Oh yeah, and The Addams Family is a good one.

Negative Creep · **Joined:** Tue Oct 12, 2010 5:21 pm **Posts:** 11802

Machine Head wrote:

The Simpsons? Maybe?

Hell YES.

The Night Court theme could be quite high too.
Legendary shit.

And Bruce, no opinions on Taxi? What about Mary Tyler Moore? That was another one that eventually became ingrained into the culture.

Greatest TV Themes

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