Best TV theme song?

I'm going to date myself totally, but here are some really old school contributions to the list:

1. Route 66: Nelson Riddle's orchestra evokes the open road.
2. Leave it to Beaver: Always will be the soundtrack to an 8-year-old kid's life.
3. Bonanza: The first strings of the guitar and the huge branding iron on the screen.
4. Peter Gunn: The coolest theme song.
5. Dragnet: The first four notes are appropriate whenever someone's ass is going to wind up in a sling.
6. All in the Family: Wouldn't be the same without Edith being off-key.
7. 77 Sunset Strip: Cookie, Cookie, lend me your comb.
8. Original Superman TV series: "Faster than a speeding bullet ..." Also explained everything in 20 seconds.
9. F Troop: Funny, funny song.
10. Hawaiian Eye: Hey, Steve McGarrett wasn't the first TV cop from Hawaii.

 

For those of you who don't get the joke, courtesy of Wikipedia:

The closing theme, "WKRP In Cincinnati End Credits", was a hard rock number composed and performed by Jim Ellis, an Atlanta musician who recorded some of the incidental music for the show. According to people who attended the recording sessions, Ellis didn't yet have lyrics for the closing theme, so he sang nonsense words to give an idea of how it would sound. Wilson decided it would be funny to use lyrics that were deliberately gibberish, as a satire on the incomprehensibility of many rock songs.[6] Also, since CBS always had an announcer talking over the closing credits, Wilson knew that no one would actually hear the closing theme lyrics anyway.

 

She was also Robin, Screech's gold-digging girlfriend in Saved By The Bell, and had a starring role on Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, during the later seasons. And she had a breast reduction a lot of years back.

 

A local UHF station recently had a "nostalgia marathon." Among the shows: Peter Gunn. The theme song ruled, but the show . . . well, a little dated would cover it.

 

It's a guilty pleasure of mine, but the theme from The O.C. is one of my faves. (Don't watch that show anymore, but I did when it came out my senior year).

 

Another vote here for MASH. I will never forget the first time I saw the movie on cable and hear the lyrics.

- Cold Case. I never really liked the show, but I love the opening theme. I know it's not original to the show, but I still enjoy that one.

- I think it was Piotr who brought up the theme from the original Battlestar Galactica. Great call, though I also like the theme on the new show.

 

Party of Five --- "Closer to Free" by The Bodeans

 

closer to cancelled.

 

Ha! It's a miracle the show lasted as long as it did. It was always in the ratings toilet but it was the closest thing to a quality drama on Fox, so they kept renewing it so they could say they were committed to quality programming and not just 90210 and terrible reality shows.

then in the last year it TURNED into 90210 and it was unwatchable.

 

but did you see the younger sister from party of five with JLH on ghost whisperer a few months back? jesus christ. i was hoping neve would show up and the three of them would throw down, for no apparent reason, in a massive contest of carpet cleaning.

 

Ah, the annual TV theme thread. My top ones:
--The Munsters: Great guitar line and nutty-sounding horns. Over time, it's been overshadowed by The Addams Family. Pity.
--China Beach: Reflections, the best Supremes song ever, and reflected the era perfectly.
--Barney Miller: Totally cool opening baseline makes up for a pedestrian rest of the song.
--NBA and NHL sports themes on CBS in the 1970s.
--Cold Case: Sets the sense of being a hurry to save a life perfectly.

 

Is it too early to declare the "Line of the Year" contest for 2008 closed?!?

;D