What was your all time favorite opening theme song from a television show--any genre. Mine was the theme song from "The

[debm55]

Jeffersons" What about you???

[FalloutShelter]

1. Cheers!

Where everybody knows your name.

[debm55]

2. Thank you FalloutShelter. It's where everyone knows your name.

[eppur_se_muova]

26. I think Palantir is using that now. nt

[Walleye]

11. Yep, that's mine too

[OLDMDDEM]

60. I agree.

[arkielib]

191. Mine too!

[Srkdqltr]

3. Miami Vice. They had the best music.

[murielm99]

4. Car 54 Where Are You?

I still know the words.

Toody and Muldoon!

[debm55]

5. Thank you very much murielm99

[stillcool]

6. Hawaii Five-O

I can see the waves breaking

[debm55]

8. Thank you very much, stillcool. I loved that theme song. Now i have an earworm

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

35. Great choice!

Like you posted, it is easy to remember the visual shots which were perfectly timed to the music. The dancer in the club interspersed with the ocean waves sunset shot is outstanding. And the camera rapidly zeroing in to the hotel balcony as Jack Lord turns his head for a close-up is swag at its best!

It is hard for me to give a second place nod as there have been a lot of good tv show themes through the years. And a lot of those were cop shows like Hawaii Five-0.

[MiHale]

7. Bad Sisters...

They used a Lenny Cohen song…”Who By Fire”.

[debm55]

9. Thank you very much MiHale

[Jilly_in_VA]

48. I like that one too!

[Ritabert]

10. Hawaii Five-0

[debm55]

62. Thank you very much Ritabert . Loved the opening song and the background clips. Earworm.

[MuseRider]

12. Sanford and Son was real funky!

[debm55]

15. HHAHAHAHAHHHA. Yes it was. I'm coming Elizabeth Thank you MuseRider

Last edited Sat Jun 21, 2025, 02:20 PM - Edit history (1)

[PJMcK]

33. Composed by the great Quincy Jones! (n/t)

[MuseRider]

36. WOW!

I don't know how I never knew that! Thank you.

[marble falls]

13. The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and the Avengers (not the comic book Avengers).

[debm55]

16. Thank you very much, marble falls. I love your choices. Especially the Avengers.

[MurrayDelph]

32. Although the show fell apart without Emma Peel

I liked the little flourish they added in the theme for Tara King.

[debm55]

47. Yes it did. I stopped watching after she left.

[Omnipresent]

14. WKRP in Cincinatti.

The opening soft melody and the hard rock n roll close on the closing credits.

[debm55]

18. Thank you very much Omnipresent. I agree and thank you for your choice.

[rsdsharp]

74. Written by the show's creator, simply because he learned he'd make $500 every time it aired.

[KarenS]

17. from my childhood didn't realize that

Johnny Cash sang it,,,,

[debm55]

19. Thank you very much , KarenS,

[Walleye]

20. I remember that well didn't know Johnny Cash sang it either

[Walleye]

21. I always liked the instrumental from "Hill Street Blues"

[debm55]

25. Thank you very much Walleye. I agree.

[Earl_from_PA]

22. Petter Gunn theme

https://m.

[debm55]

28. I agree with you Earl_from_PA, Loved that song. Also Manchini is from Pittsburgh. my home town.

[MuseRider]

34. YAY!

I was waiting for that one to come up. Such a jazzy, sexy theme song.

[chicoescuela]

103. Hands down the best theme song ever

So 1960 and so cool just like Pete

[Cloudhopper]

23. I think mine would have

to be the theme from L.A. Law. An instrumental.

[debm55]

29. Thank you very much Cloudhopper. I liked it to.

[eppur_se_muova]

24. Mission Impossible, by Lalo Schifrin, who I recently learned is still alive.

I'm pretty sure everyone else associated with the show has passed on.

I had probably heard "Mars" from Holst's "The Planets" by that time, so it wasn't quite my first experience with five beats to the measure -- but at the time, I didn't recognize it as such!

[PJMcK]

31. 5/4 time

Don’t forget Paul Desmond’s classic, “Take Five,” played with Dave Brubeck.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

40. The original version with the bongos accompaniment was the best one.

And the fuse burning down through the credits as we see the different stars on the show as cool!

[debm55]

44. Thank you very much eppur_se_muova. I remember the original version.and watched it.

[ProfessorGAC]

125. Schifrin's Working Title Was...

...."Burning Fuse" which makes perfect sense.

[patphil]

27. Welcome Back Kotter

[debm55]

42. Thank you very much patphil. I believe it was done by the Lovin Spoonful.

[patphil]

160. John Sebastian wrote and sang it after the breakup of the Lovin' Spoonful.

They broke up in 1968, the song was recorded in 1975.

[debm55]

173. Thank you patphil for that information.

[PJMcK]

30. Several favorites

The Mary Tyler Moore Show, “Love Is All Around.”

&list=RDZNKOt2k7Pm4&start_radio=1

ABC-TV Movie of the Week, “Nikki” by Burt Bacharach, (he wrote the song for his daughter with Angie Dickinson. Sadly, she committed suicide years later.)

“My Mother, The Car” which was the worst sit-com in history!

[debm55]

38. Thank you very much PJMcK. Your choices are fantastic.

[Linder]

37. Theme

Perry Mason

[debm55]

39. Thank you very much Linder.

[BOSSHOG]

41. CSI Miami - Won't get fooled Again - The Who

[debm55]

64. Thank you very much BOSSHOGG. Love the song. The program was not as good as the original, though

[AltairIV]

43. Three, if you will pardon my self indulgence

The Avengers with Diana Rigg
The Persuaders with Tony Curtis and Roger Moore
Men from Shiloh the final season of what was The Virginian

[debm55]

45. Excellent choices, AltairIV. thank you so much.

[Laffy Kat]

46. "Saint Elsewhere" nt

[MuseRider]

55. I really liked that too.

It did not seem very descriptive but it was very nice.

[debm55]

65. Thank you Laffy Kat , Loved the song, and program. Did not like the ending.

[Laffy Kat]

73. No one liked the ending.

That was a great series that deserved a better finale.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

49. Taxi.

I loved hearing the flute from the Taxi theme song when I was a kid, especially since it was one of my favorite TV shows at that time.

The Game of Thrones theme was well done:

The theme song for Brooklyn Nine-Nine made me chuckle, given how it so funnily captured the essence of 1970's cop-show theme songs that I heard as a youngster.

[debm55]

85. Thank you very much, Buckeye_Democrat. for sharing with us.

[Sun-Moon]

50. Laverne and Shirley

And we did it our way yes our way making our dreams come true for me and you
😁

[debm55]

71. We used to sing and dance to that in college. Thank you very much Sun-Moon.

[LastDemocratInSC]

51. Saint Elsewhere (theme music written and performed by Dave Grusin).

[debm55]

88. Thank you LastDemocratinSC, I loved song and watched the program every week . Hated the ending.

[33taw]

52. Andy Griffith show.

[debm55]

70. Thank you 33aw. I loved the whistling ,

[Brother Buzz]

107. Did you know there are lyrics to the song, sung by Andy Griffith, himself?

[debm55]

136. Thank you very much, Brother Buzz, that is very interesting. Thank you for sharing with us.

[Moostache]

53. The Monkees! (n/t)

[debm55]

69. Thank you very much Moostache. Hay, Hay were the Monkees.

[TommieMommy]

54. Addams Family, Get Smart, Munsters, Sopranos and Dexter. So many more good ones too😁

[debm55]

68. Thank you very much TommieMommy for your list.

[generalbetrayus]

56. "The Man in the High Castle".

Every time I heard that sad, depressing version of "Edelweiss" sung by a wispy female voice, I felt like slitting my wrists. Maybe "favorite" isn't the best word, but definitely the most memorable.

My girlfriend, looking over my shoulder, said, "The Dick van Dyke Show". She, obviously, is less warped than I am (but not by much).

[debm55]

67. Thank you very much generalbetrayus and your girlfriend. I liked the Dick van Dyke show theme.

[Mister Ed]

57. "And Your Bird Can Sing", on The Beatles Saturday-morning cartoon show, circa 1967.

My all-time favorite Beatles song. It was recorded during the Revolver sessions in 1966, but I've read that John Lennon absolutely hated the finished recording. That might be part of the reason it was released in odd places in the U.S., filling space on the Yesterday...And Today album of odds and ends (and infamous for its original "Baby Butcher" cover photo), and used as the opening theme for The Beatles cartoon show that next season.

A beautiful song. Fills me with a feeling of euphoria whenever I hear it. Funny that I first heard it as a kid, while watching Saturday cartoons.

?t=14

[debm55]

61. Thank you very much, Mister Ed. I agree it is a great song. Thank you for sharing the video.

[marble falls]

164. Every Saturday morning on WEWS channel five, at 10:00am. One of the few shows I've ever made a point not to miss ...

... my parents both worked and I'd sneak in and watch on their color TV in their room. I thought I was the only one to remember that show.

[boonecreek]

58. Wings.

The theme was from "Piano Sonata in A Major" by Franz Schubert.

[debm55]

59. Thank you boonecreek, That is beautiful

[DUgosh]

63. The Dick Van Dyke Show

And perfectly choreographed too

[debm55]

66. Agree. thank you DUgosh. was Dick going to fall or not over the otterman?

[LogDog75]

72. Five O'Clock World on The Drew Carey Show

The opening is a musical/dance scene to Five O'Clock World by the The Vogues.

[debm55]

84. Thank you very much LogDog75. My Uncle Chuck sang in the group The Vogues. They were from Turtle Creek, PA Their music

was played locally except for two songs--Turn Around Look at Me, and Five O'Clock World, both went national.

[area51]

75. Firefly.

Shiny.

[debm55]

82. What a beautiful song. Thank you area51 for sharing with us.

[rsdsharp]

76. The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

[debm55]

81. Thank you very much rsdsharp. I loved the theme song and the program.

[KitFox]

77. As a kid, "Route 66" probably because I had a crush on

George Maharis 😁. As an adult, “West Wing “. I loved the show so much and the theme fit it so perfectly.

[debm55]

80. Thank you very much KitFox for sharing with us.

[rso]

78. Theme song

“In the Avenues and Alleyways” from the 1970s British show “The Protectors”.

[debm55]

79. Thank you very much rso. for sharing with us.

[The Madcap]

83. H.R. Pufnstuf

&list=RDj5e9yCB-hiw&start_radio=1

[debm55]

90. HAHAHHAHAHAH. Thank you very much The Madcap for sharing with us.

[Ilsa]

153. That created a devil of an earworm for me decades ago.

Thanks alot.

[Ziggysmom]

86. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Melodrama meets Punk

[debm55]

93. Thank you very much for sharing with us.

[LoisB]

87. Law & Order, Hill Street Blues, Homicide: Life on the Streets. So many good ones.

[debm55]

91. Thank you , very much, LoisB, Those are some of my favorites too.

[Diamond_Dog]

89. Barney Miller.

[debm55]

92. Thank you very much Diamond_Dog. I loved the show and theme song. Thanks for sharing.

[ILikePie92]

184. Love BM theme

Last edited Sun Jun 22, 2025, 07:28 PM - Edit history (1)

The way the bass starts it out!

[johnp3907]

94. MASH

[debm55]

137. Thank you jonh3907, I was glad they took out the suicide line from the original movie version

[AllaN01Bear]

95. mash.

[IA8IT]

101. M*A*S*H

Un sanitized movie version

[AllaN01Bear]

119. hotlips ""

[IA8IT]

122. Sweet Loretta

Our son (just walking) at 6pm after NBC News would hear the MASH theme song and would run to the tv and put his hands on the screen until it finished.

Today he is a hospital Chaplain

[debm55]

140. Thank you very much IA8IT

[debm55]

139. ________

Rest in peace sweet woman.

[debm55]

138. Thank you very much IA8IT, My mother in law was a M.A,S,H nurse in Italy during WWII, Ahw she never talked about the

horrors she saw, but would get get teary eyed and leave the room. I would suppose the TV codes had to clean up what the war deaths and injuries were like.

[cpamomfromtexas]

96. Black Sheep Squadron and magnum PI

[debm55]

143. Thank you very much cpamomfromtexas. for sharing with us.

[Chipper Chat]

97. Perry Mason

[debm55]

144. Thank you very much, Chipper Chat.for sharing with us.

[DFW]

98. That is easy, and I think I MUST have overlooked someone else posting this first

THE ROCKFORD FILES

And from Germany, no one in the States knows this, but it was probably THE coolest German TV series EVER. It was about a small-time lawyer in West-Berlin in the 1980s. The guy had his ethics intact, but knew he was dealing with a system and colleagues that often didn't, and the more you were a stickler for rules and regulations, the less respect he had for you. He had all sorts of idiosyncrasies that made the series a fabulous hit. He smoked cigars while chilling out on his sofa with a bowl of green jello. It was written specifically for the actor who played the lawyer by one of his best friends, who was a professional script writer. It was never allowed to be released on its own by the composer, so I had to get a complete episode, and you listen to the first 40 seconds for the theme music. If you know German, you'll even get a kick out of the episode, but I don't think it was ever released with English subtitles.

[debm55]

145. I love the theme for the Rockford Files, Thank you for sharing with us.

[Wiz Imp]

99. One that I haven't seen mentioned yet - The Banana Splits

[debm55]

146. Thank you very much for sharing with us. Wiz Imp

[Wiz Imp]

100. Another one - Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

[debm55]

147. Thank you very much. for sharing with us, Wiz Imp

[Harold Shea]

102. Firefly

[debm55]

148. Thank you very much for sharing with us Harold Shea

[Ocelot II]

104. The Twilight Zone, of course.

[debm55]

150. Thank you very much Ocelot II, Now I have an earworm.

[emulatorloo]

105. Knots Landing!

Late to the party but love this theme song:

?si=UGN6k2fkFym2Z_MI

?si=Pf_UdUjZeDv7ty5o

?si=UuXhTT6FDMj5TR7o

[debm55]

151. Thank you very emulatorloo. Better late then never.Thanks for sharing.

[Kablooie]

106. Rocky and Bullwinkle Show

[debm55]

154. Thank you very much Kablooie. for sharing with us.

[Enter stage left]

108. Miami Vice.

[debm55]

155. Thank you very much, Enter stage left.

[3751]

109. Mr Ed

Mr Ed! “Willllllber”

[debm55]

157. HAHAHHAHAHAHHAAHH. Thank you very much, 3751. A horse is a horse of course of course.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

190. Welcome to DU

[Kid Berwyn]

110. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

&list=RDqimqOFEHgTk&start_radio=1

If the show were done today, they'd have discovered that the only thing lower than a whale turd is Donald J Trump.

[debm55]

166. I agree. Thank you very much Kid Berwyn

[Maninacan]

111. It's about time

It's about time only one season 1966-1967

[pfitz59]

127. I was going to use this

Silly show, but memorable.

[debm55]

174. Thank you Maninacan. I remember that song.

[Permanut]

112. "Now sit right back and you'll hear a tale..

...a tale of a fateful trip.."

[debm55]

175. Thank you Permanut.for sharing with us.

[Brother Buzz]

113. Maverick

[debm55]

176. Thank you very much, Brother Buzz

[CTyankee]

114. "Batman" just sticks in my mind. Not the show, just the opening music...

[debm55]

177. HAHAHAHAHAHHAHa. I remember that two. Thank you CTYankee.

[pandr32]

116. I enjoyed the theme music for Succession.

I also enjoyed the versions of 'Little Boxes' on Weeds. Also, the old TV series Mission Impossible had great opening theme music.

[debm55]

168. Thank you very much., pandr32 for sharing with us.

[Niagara]

117. In no certain order:

Jan Hammer's Miami Vice theme song:

It become a top 100 and winning Grammy Awards!



Bill Conti's Falcon Crest theme song:

Jerrold Immel's Dallas theme song:

Bear McCreary's The Walking Dead theme song:

Joe Cocker's With a Little Help from My Friends, The Wonder Years theme song:

[debm55]

172. Great selection, Niagara. They are great. Thank you for sharing with us.

[PufPuf23]

118. We Used to be Friends for Veronica Mars.

by The Dandy Warhols.

Usually I am a 60s, 70s or early 80s type of guy for TV and music.

[debm55]

171. Thank you very much, PufPuf23

[Zorro]

120. Mr. Lucky

May be the most sophisticated TV theme tune ever.

[debm55]

135. Thank you so very much, Zorro. It is so very relaxing. Thank you for sharing.

[SWBTATTReg]

121. Bonanza, Gilligan's Island

Two of my favs!

[debm55]

134. Thank you very much for sharing, SWBTATTReg.

[JMCKUSICK]

123. Hogans Heroes

[debm55]

124. Thank you John,

Last edited Sat Jun 21, 2025, 07:25 PM - Edit history (1)

[wcmagumba]

126. The original "Lost in Space"...loved it, and Doctor Smith, he was such a big scaredy cat wanker...

and the Robot too, "Danger, Will Robinson"....

[debm55]

129. I agree with you wcmagumba about the theme song. I didn't like Dr. Smith or the Robot

[wcmagumba]

132. I didn't actually "like" Dr. Smith but the cartoonish evil was well done (imo) and the Robot was goofy fun to me...

[Sequoia]

128. Rawhide

That voice, and herds of cattle.....when I was 5 years old.

[debm55]

133. Thank you very much Sequoia for sharing with us.

[Squeaky41]

130. Fave open

Hitchcock's "March of the Marionettes"

[debm55]

131. Thank you very much, Squeaky41 for sharing with us

[Morbius]

141. Hard to believe no one mentioned two classics.

Danger Man (song Secret Agent Man, Johnny Rivers)

&

Twin Peaks (theme by Angelo Badalamenti).

[debm55]

142. Thank you very much Morbius for sharing with us

[TomSlick]

149. Hogan's Heroes

Catch the trombone counter-melody in the second strain.

[debm55]

170. Thank you very much TomSlick for sharing with us.

[demosincebirth]

152. Mission Impossible. Best of any!

[debm55]

156. Thank you very much for sharing with us, demosincebirth.

[Ilsa]

158. My choice is more about this voice:

Ann Hampton Calloway - a voice like buttah. I believe she composed this snappy tune and lyrics to open The Nanny:

?si=0dx2_jjuVqWOWr1q

Also, Star Trek Voyager's very majestic opening:

?si=O_8KwnSTa_4GPAhN

And Star Trek Deep Space Nine, which is like a fanfare:

?si=R-i557S2V7yaCdrN

[debm55]

159. Thank you very much, lisa. for sharing with us.

[Figarosmom]

161. Peter Gunn

[debm55]

165. Thank you very much Figarosmom for sharing with us. Love that theme

[iemanja]

162. Not all time, but I'm enjoying the song from Mobland

Starburster by Fontaines DC.

https://m.

[debm55]

169. Thank you very much for sharing with us, iemanja

[OldBaldy1701E]

163. I had an album of Mike Post and his tunes.

He did so many that were great!

The A-Team
The Rockford Files - (got to number 10 on the Billboard charts)
The Greatest American Hero - (got to number 2 on the Billboard charts)
Magnum P.I.
Quantum Leap
Hill Street Blues - (got to number 10 on the Billboard charts)

The list goes on. He is perhaps the greatest television composer that has ever lived.

But, I have to say, in my personal opinion, it is the Star Trek theme. A close second is the theme to The Six Million Dollar Man.

[debm55]

167. Thank you very much OldBaldy1701E for sharing with us

[terip64]

178. The Courtship of Eddie's Father

?si=a4Trj_5zilcPXSCE]

I have always loved Harry Nilsson! Who remembers The Point? I loved that movie and the music!

[debm55]

180. I loved that show. And Harry Nilson. The television was playing in the background and one of Harry's songs was playing .

It was a car commercial

[terip64]

185. Me and My Arrow was used a lot for commercials.

He was great and I loved Bill Bixby! My Favorite Martian was another fun show!

[The Wizard]

179. Gone Fishing

[debm55]

181. Thank you very much. The Wizard. Someone posted a version of Andy singing the song.

[VMA131Marine]

182. Every Doctor Who theme

?si=TQAh7nU7HOIqedZA

[debm55]

186. Thank you very much for sharing with us. VMA131Marine.

[ILikePie92]

183. James Garner's

ROCKFORD FILES!!!

[debm55]

188. I agree. Thank you very much ILikePie92

[roscoeroscoe]

187. Three for you

Master of the Air on Apple
The Crown on Netflix
Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime

[debm55]

189. Thank you very much roscoeroscoe. Those themes were great.