TV Guide's The 60 Greatest Title Songs of All Time - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

JamesG · 04-16-2013, 05:16 PM

Supreme Themes: The 60 Greatest Title Songs of All Time
Apr 16, 2013
by Elizabeth Wagmeister
 (Additional reporting by Kevin Schlittenhardt)

For years TV Guide Magazine has told you what's worth watching, but what about what's worth hearing — over and over again? In the best TV theme songs, lyrics can summarize the backstory or comment on characters, while instrumentals can sell the mood or set the scene.

Just try reading this list of shows without getting a few of their songs stuck in your head.

Top 10:

Cheers
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Hawaii Five-0 (original)
M*A*S*H
Friends
The Beverly Hillbillies
Route 66
The Jeffersons
Sesame Street
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

The Other 50 (Alphabetically):

The Addams Family
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
The Andy Griffith Show
All in the Family
Ally McBeal

Batman
Bewitched
The Big Bang Theory
The Brady Bunch

Car 54, Where Are You?
The Cosby Show
Curb Your Enthusiasm

Dallas (original)
Dawson's Creek

The Facts of Life
Family Guy
The Flintstones

Get Smart
Gilligan's Island
The Golden Girls
Good Times
The Greatest American Hero
Green Acres

Happy Days
Hill Street Blues

I Love Lucy
Laverne & Shirley
Law & Order

Malcolm in the Middle
Maude
Miami Vice
The Mickey Mouse Club (original)
Mission: Impossible
Mister Ed
The Monkees
The Muppet Show

The Odd Couple

The Patty Duke Show
Peter Gunn

The Rockford Files

Scooby-Doo
The Simpsons
The Sopranos
SpongeBob SquarePants
Star Trek (original)

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Three's Company

Weeds
Welcome Back, Kotter

The X-Files

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Greatest...0-1064098.aspx

bmasters9 · 04-19-2013, 11:05 AM

Friends might be one of the best in the eyes of TV Guide, but to me, it is one of the absolute worst. OTOH, Dallas will always be a favorite of mine.

Zoneboy · 04-19-2013, 01:38 PM

Another useless, waste-of-time list from TV Guide.

D-Dey · 04-24-2013, 12:20 AM

REMINDER: Dawson's Creek and The Golden Girls weren't originally theme songs.

I kind of wish "You're Standing On My Neck" (The theme from "Daria") wasn't overlooked.

Retro4Life · 04-24-2013, 12:28 AM

Well, they won't have to worry about adding any new ones, because there AREN'T any anymore.

TV Knowledge Fan · 04-26-2013, 10:55 PM

....those 5 and 10 second opening titles "themes" {i.e. "Ba-da-bump-bump...barr-ummmp!!"}.

Mr. Television · 04-26-2013, 11:14 PM

Can't have theme songs anymore...must make more time for commercials.

Skywalker · 04-27-2013, 02:16 PM

Friends and Fresh Prince in the top 10? Where's Newhart, Wings, Barney Miller, WKRP, Family Ties and Night Court? I love the Big Bang Theory, but that theme song wouldn't even be in the top 100.

It's hard to take this list seriously.

MacLeaper · 04-30-2013, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Can't have theme songs anymore...must make more time for commercials.

If they wanted to be completely commercial, they could write a new theme song for each episode [perhaps using the same music] to pitch a sponsor product for the show with each airing. That'd probably be really lame, but it'd be about what NASCAR seems like to me with the drivers wearing a ton of ads all over their racing outfits.

04-16-2013, 05:16 PM	#1
JamesG Freakshow Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 01, 2008 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 57,118	TV Guide's The 60 Greatest Title Songs of All Time Supreme Themes: The 60 Greatest Title Songs of All Time Apr 16, 2013 by Elizabeth Wagmeister  (Additional reporting by Kevin Schlittenhardt) For years TV Guide Magazine has told you what's worth watching, but what about what's worth hearing — over and over again? In the best TV theme songs, lyrics can summarize the backstory or comment on characters, while instrumentals can sell the mood or set the scene. Just try reading this list of shows without getting a few of their songs stuck in your head. Top 10: Cheers The Mary Tyler Moore Show Hawaii Five-0 (original) MASH* Friends The Beverly Hillbillies Route 66 The Jeffersons Sesame Street The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air The Other 50 (Alphabetically): The Addams Family Alfred Hitchcock Presents The Andy Griffith Show All in the Family Ally McBeal Batman Bewitched The Big Bang Theory The Brady Bunch Car 54, Where Are You? The Cosby Show Curb Your Enthusiasm Dallas (original) Dawson's Creek The Facts of Life Family Guy The Flintstones Get Smart Gilligan's Island The Golden Girls Good Times The Greatest American Hero Green Acres Happy Days Hill Street Blues I Love Lucy Laverne & Shirley Law & Order Malcolm in the Middle Maude Miami Vice The Mickey Mouse Club (original) Mission: Impossible Mister Ed The Monkees The Muppet Show The Odd Couple The Patty Duke Show Peter Gunn The Rockford Files Scooby-Doo The Simpsons The Sopranos SpongeBob SquarePants Star Trek (original) The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Three's Company Weeds Welcome Back, Kotter The X-Files http://www.tvguide.com/News/Greatest...0-1064098.aspx

04-19-2013, 11:05 AM	#2
bmasters9 Member Senior Member Join Date: Jan 06, 2007 Posts: 2,550	Friends might be one of the best in the eyes of TV Guide, but to me, it is one of the absolute worst. OTOH, Dallas will always be a favorite of mine.
	__________________ "CBS Sports presents...The Prudential College Football Report, sponsored by The Prudential, offering a full range of insurance and other financial services. The Prudential: the Rock...it's strong, it's on the move, it's bigger than life." (Don Robertson's spiel for The Prudential College Football Report in the 1986 season; modified from what it was in 1985)

04-19-2013, 01:38 PM	#3
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,381	Another useless, waste-of-time list from TV Guide.
	__________________ 'Twas The Night Before Christmas And All Through The Full House Not A Creature Was Stirring, Not Even Mighty Mouse. All My Children We're Nestled All Snug In Their Beds While Visions Of Sugarbakers Danced In Their Heads.

04-24-2013, 12:20 AM	#4
D-Dey Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 11, 2000 Location: Long Island, New York, USA Posts: 5,519	REMINDER: Dawson's Creek and The Golden Girls weren't originally theme songs. I kind of wish "You're Standing On My Neck" (The theme from "Daria") wasn't overlooked.
	__________________ Funny song parodies here: http://www.amiright.com/parody/60s/thebeatles11.shtml http://www.amiright.com/parody/2000s...nstoner0.shtml http://www.amiright.com/parody/2000s/weezer56.shtml http://www.amiright.com/parody/2000s/thedonnas4.shtml Petition the United States Postal Service for a stamp honoring Minoru Yamasaki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoru_Yamasaki http://about.usps.com/who-we-are/lea...-committee.htm

04-24-2013, 12:28 AM	#5
Retro4Life Accept No Substitutes Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 04, 2009 Location: IL Posts: 6,708	Well, they won't have to worry about adding any new ones, because there AREN'T any anymore.
	__________________ Alex Reiger :[Trying to convince Louie not to antagonize Bobby] "It's not hard to make people feel bad about their lives. What's hard is making people feel good about their lives."

04-26-2013, 10:55 PM	#6
TV Knowledge Fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 29, 2006 Location: Long Branch, N.J. Posts: 2,577	Not if you call.... ....those 5 and 10 second opening titles "themes" {i.e. "Ba-da-bump-bump...barr-ummmp!!"}.

04-26-2013, 11:14 PM	#7
Mr. Television 23 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,133	Can't have theme songs anymore...must make more time for commercials.
	__________________ Sonny

04-27-2013, 02:16 PM	#8
Skywalker Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Apr 04, 2003 Posts: 14,204	Friends and Fresh Prince in the top 10? Where's Newhart, Wings, Barney Miller, WKRP, Family Ties and Night Court? I love the Big Bang Theory, but that theme song wouldn't even be in the top 100. It's hard to take this list seriously.