(Up-front note: I edited the list slightly to correct the problems which Nat pointed out in his comment... Thanks, Nat!)
I tend to separate these according to those with lyrics vs. instrumentals. In some cases the theme may have varied season to season, but I make no attempt to distinguish between variations. And obviously there are many shows I just plain never saw, so I can't possibly include them. I'm sure I must be forgetting some biggies too. Other shows may have had great themes, but it's been too long for me to remember them clearly now (e.g. The Courtship of Eddie's Father or F-Troop).
The following are just randomly listed, not explicitly ranked, although I try to group the upper tier first:
LYRICAL
The Beverly Hillbillies (both opening and closing themes)
Cheers
The Dukes of Hazzard (tuned in for theme, then tuned out)
Gilligan’s Island (both opening and closing themes)
The Jeffersons
Mary Tyler Moore
The Nanny
Veronica Mars
Welcome Back, Kotter (again, tuned in for theme only)
WKRP in Cincinnati
Firefly
Friends
The Greatest American Hero
Happy Days (The "Sunday, Monday..." one, not Bill Haley)
The Monkees
The Partridge Family
INSTRUMENTAL
The Andy Griffith Show
The Bob Newhart Show
Doctor Who
Hawaii Five-0
Hill Street Blues
Hogan's Heroes
The Odd Couple
Mission: Impossible
Sanford and Son
Angel (note: NOT Buffy)
Barney Miller
Desperate Housewives
M*A*S*H
Northern Exposure
The Practice
Remington Steele
St. Elsewhere
Taxi
(Honorable mention—The All in the Family closing theme)
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I'm sure a lot of boomers probably remember the theme from The Brady Bunch fondly, but I was never crazy about the show OR the theme.
2 days ago
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3 comments:
Major Oops!---Didn't realize I'd accidentally put Kotter on the instrumental list. It was one I'd edited in when I remembered it later after the original post. Thanks. I'll move it shortly.
For Happy Days I'm referring to the "Sunday, Monday, Happy Days..." theme, not Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock." I think the Bill Haley one was only for a season or two, wasn't it? Figured the other one is the more well known one.
And frankly my memory just isn't good enough to be able to distinguish between season to season versions of themes.
I have the M*A*S*H movie soundtrack on CD just so I could have the "wordy" version which I like a lot.
I agree about Veronica since, as you say, it was a pre-existing Dandy Warhols song, but I'd never heard it before I started watching the show and I just like it that much as a theme.
Major Oops!---Didn't realize I'd accidentally put Kotter on the instrumental list. It was one I'd edited in when I remembered it later after the original post. Thanks. I'll move it shortly.
For Happy Days I'm referring to the "Sunday, Monday, Happy Days..." theme, not Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock." I think the Bill Haley one was only for a season or two, wasn't it? Figured the other one is the more well known one.
And frankly my memory just isn't good enough to be able to distinguish between season to season versions of themes.
I have the M*A*S*H movie soundtrack on CD just so I could have the "wordy" version which I like a lot.
I agree about Veronica since, as you say, it was a pre-existing Dandy Warhols song, but I'd never heard it before I started watching the show and I just like it that much as a theme.
I see commenting can get a bit tricky since I accidentally double commented myself.
I've now turned on comment moderation in an effort to head off such problems, but comments already posted are exempt so the accidental "double" has to stay. Oh well.
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