View Full Version : Shows that kept the same theme song for the entire run


FuriosityShell
03-23-2014, 10:45 AM
My mind is very blank at the moment so I can't think of many.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is the only one I can think of.

BigManMike
03-23-2014, 11:10 AM
I Love Lucy, Maude, Good Times, The Jeffersons, Sanford and Son all had only one version of the theme that stayed the same for their entire runs.

yankeesrj12
03-23-2014, 12:28 PM
It hasn't completed its run yet, but The Big Bang Theory has aired the full version for all seven seasons, if I'm not mistaken.

bmasters9
03-23-2014, 01:45 PM
L.A. Law had the same title track for all of its run, but the black-screen part of it (the first few seconds) was changed depending upon the type of storyline. Many of the episodes had light-hearted, humorous storylines, but many more had more serious ones. The light-hearted ones had the sax on the black screen, but the serious ones had a few seconds of a haunting synthesizer (the same theme was played in both instances, though).

TV_on_the_Porch
03-23-2014, 04:11 PM
I Love Lucy had myriad different versions of the theme for the opening and closing. Though most were heard in rotation throughout the six seasons, I wouldn't say it qualifies.

Paul Henning shows, however, were notable for the durability of their themes. Green Acres is the champ, having virtually zero variations in the openng and closing themes over the course of six seasons. Beverly Hillbillies is a close second, but even though it lasted nine years the final season intro deleted the Ozarks-to-Beverly Hills montage portion. Early seasons also appended a verse to both opening and closing themes to transform them into a sponsor's jingle. Not to mention the refilmed visuals for color in 1965. Petticoat Junction, of course, had to alter its opening theme after the death of Bea Benaderet, but the closing was the same recording for seven seasons, albeit with additional bits tacked to the beginning and end early on.

yankeesrj12
03-24-2014, 04:14 PM
Does Law and Order count? They changed the cast (and their pictures), but it was essentially the same from start to finish.

comedyfreak
03-24-2014, 05:33 PM
The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Petticoat Junction.

cleverfun3000
03-24-2014, 07:23 PM
This is an easy one. I defy anyone to tell me that "The Nanny" did not keep the same theme song for it's ENTIRE run.

treky
03-24-2014, 11:24 PM
BARNEY MILLER, WKRP IN CINCINATTI, BEWITCHED, CHEERS, MASH, GUNSMOKE (they had different versions, though) THE RIFLEMAN (same thing)

jmann
03-25-2014, 03:40 AM
Newhart, Phyliss, The Tony Randall Show, and Night Court.

treky
03-25-2014, 03:45 AM
THE BOB NEWHART SHOW, THE ODD COUPLE, GET SMART, THE JACK BENNY SHOW

Penny Lane
03-25-2014, 10:16 AM
Welcome Back Kotter
The Rockford Files
Kate & Allie
Mama's Family

UMFaninMD
03-25-2014, 11:13 AM
The Golden Girls
Murder, She Wrote, Matlock and Punky Brewster kept the same theme even though there were some subtle changes in later years.

MacLeaper
03-25-2014, 12:04 PM
The Muppet Show, for the most part. There were some lyrical changes in later seasons.

Fraggle Rock stayed the same, I do believe. And Sesame Street has more or less had the same theme song through the years (though it's varied some on the musical renditions- in the early '90s it had a somewhat reggae vibe for a while...)

Other than the addition in animation for Batgirl in Season 3, I think the Batman (1966 live action show) theme song stayed the same.

Automan and Manimal and Starman pretty much stayed the same, though the Starman theme song did feature different dialogue later in the series run.

MacGyver's theme song stayed the same tune, but there were variations on the musical performances and lengths.

MrCleveland
03-25-2014, 01:21 PM
(I Think) "Friends" and "Full House" kept the same theme song throughout their series.

megamanj2004
03-25-2014, 06:21 PM
Chico and the Man (although for the first season, the theme was slightly shorter than from Season 2 onward) but the closing theme (which was much different than the opening theme but also performed by Jose Feliciano) remained relatively the same.

MacLeaper
03-26-2014, 03:01 PM
(I Think) "Friends" and "Full House" kept the same theme song throughout their series.


Yes, but for both series, the theme song got shortened in later seasons (in the case of "Full House", the entire opening verse was taken out and it jumped straight in at the chorus for Season 8.)

Vahan
03-26-2014, 03:40 PM
Full House's theme originally had a synth rock arrangement, and was half-pitch higher. Beginning with season 2, it was given a new arrangement, and pitched half-down.

Ohio8
03-29-2014, 01:15 AM
Happy Days: the final season was the same, but played by different singers and musicians.
Facts of Life: same basic music, but turned into rock later on. The same goes for Diff'rent Strokes.

Lorimar Television
03-29-2014, 10:47 PM
Full House's theme originally had a synth rock arrangement, and was half-pitch higher. Beginning with season 2, it was given a new arrangement, and pitched half-down.
True, season one sounds very different from the other seasons. Jesse Frederick's voice is noticeably different as well. Season two re did the vocals and music to a lower pitch, and also added more guitar riffs and louder drum beats. The song is actually two seconds longer as well with the slower pace and additional music, 1:27 compared to season one's 1:25. The background music and guitars were also alot louder in season two's version. Season three- eight used the same song with the toned down guitar, but it also had different variations of length. Season three had the original 1:27 version in only six episodes, the other 18 used a shortened 1:00 version. Seasons four and five used the full 1:27 version in every episode. Season six used the shorter 1:00 version in every episode, while season 7 used the 1:00 version in 22 of the episodes. Two other episodes used the shorter 37 second version used in syndication. Season eight used a 42 second version also used in syndication in every episode.

megamanj2004
03-30-2014, 04:46 PM
Punky Brewster - other than the 3-part pilot episode (which the arrangement was slightly different and slower and a tad bit bad sadder-sounding in the beginning of the theme and a slightly longer theme song), the theme song was relatively the same for its entire run.

megamanj2004
03-30-2014, 04:47 PM
Mr. Belvedere

Sal
04-01-2014, 10:25 PM
The Andy Griffith Show --- The classic example of 'If it ain't broke...". It remained unchanged from the first episode to the last one.


Others that I can think of:

The Beverly Hillbillies
Bewitched
Green Acres
Family Affair
My Three Sons
Hogan's Heroes
All In The Family

megamanj2004
04-02-2014, 10:46 PM
Perfect Strangers - For the most part the lyrics and tune were relatively the same, the theme tune for S1-S2 was slightly different and had less strings and violins and slightly less harmonica sounds and a few more synth leads in some spots and the lyrics were less dragged out than the S3-S8 variants. Plus the S1-S2 had the verse "Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now" repeat itself a second and maybe a third time at the end as well.

bmasters9
04-03-2014, 07:23 AM
I think that Murder, She Wrote had the same title track for the whole run too.

SitcomsOffline
04-03-2014, 08:23 AM
Laverne and Shirley
Frasier (kept the same ending theme)
What's Happening
Amen
Kenan & Kel
Drake & Josh
iCarly
Victorious
The Cleveland Show
Valerie/The Hogan Family
Growing Pains
Gilligan's Island
The Addams Family
WKRP in Cincinnati

Shows that kept the same theme, but it was shortened/remixed at some point:

Cheers
The Simpsons
King of the Hill
Futurama
Home Improvement
Married With Children
Family Ties
The Brady Bunch
The Jetsons
Living Single

Mace Dolex
04-03-2014, 05:26 PM
Three's A Crowd, it was short lived but the theme stayed the same throughout although I think the syndicated version was slightly shortened.

megamanj2004
04-13-2014, 04:14 PM
Soap
Benson
The Golden Girls - although when CBS scooped it and renamed it The Golden Palace, the theme was a remixed version of "Thank You For Being a Friend."

treky
04-14-2014, 01:17 AM
Happy Days: the final season was the same, but played by different singers and musicians.
Facts of Life: same basic music, but turned into rock later on. The same goes for Diff'rent Strokes.
you're wrong about HAPPY DAYS-the first seasons theme was the song ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK by Bill Haley and the comets.

Vahan
04-14-2014, 11:29 AM
you're wrong about HAPPY DAYS-the first seasons theme was the song ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK by Bill Haley and the comets.

The first two seasons, actually.