The theme for Big Little Lies made my tummy go all funny and the start of every episode. The titles of moms driving their kids to school along Big Sur probably added to the feeling of recognition as I was seeing similar scenery on the daily school run.
Succession's title sequence, both music and visuals, was the best thing about the show, especially as it droned into its increasingly tedious final seasons (it wasn't a bad show, but it was grotesquely overrated, and really should've ended after the second season at the latest) . But I always feel compelled to point out: the visual component of that title sequence was shamelessly ripped off from David Fincher's 1997 move The Game, in which the lead character's memories of his rich father's suicide were presented in EXACTLY the same sort of juddery home movie vignettes that the Succession intro used.
I've always been fascinated with Intro's to shows (and films). The only reason to watch James Bond was to see the epic intro they always made. I love this to the extent that one of my (yes I have written more than one) b.a. essays was on the topic of how media works together in intros. So when I look at this topic I can't focus solely on the music. You are missing the True Detective season 1 intro which is absolutely haunting visually and musically if you ask me. I do agree with you on Dr. Who (for some reason that song is just captivating!) and Richter of course. Another one I really like is the theme to M*A*S*H. The song in the theme isn't great but calls into memory the whole song and with the heaviness of the show it just kills me... I could go on and on! ;)
Not going to argue about Succession being the best theme tune of all time, but:
1) You fucking forgot THE SOPRANOS!
2) Certain themes definitely speak more to our personal nostalgia than anything. BRIDESHEAD REVISITED does nothing for me, for instance, whereas I suspect that the themes from AIRWOLF, KNIGHTRIDER, and THE A-TEAM don't do anything for you - but they make me teary-eyed in an instant. The DAWSON'S CREEK and TWIN PEAKS themes give me literal chills, and I never actually watched either show!
3) I don't know about best, but I'm just going to throw in themes that I never, ever skipped, because of how very rare that is for me: Balthazar's 'The Man Who Owns The Place" from LA TREVE, Barns Courtney's "Glitter & Gold" from HARLAN COBEN'S SAFE, Handsome Family's "Far From Any Home" from TRUE DETECTIVE Season 1, Apparat's "Goodbye" from DARK, and the theme from TALES FROM THE LOOP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uShwmBH_UZQ
Apr 19·edited Apr 19Liked by Michael Marshall Smith
The late seventies and eighties were a great time for absolute bangers on otherwise meh TV shows. From when I was a kid, when you'd remember an ad jingle or a TV theme that lasted thirty seconds for the rest of your life, I have a real soft spot for Bill Conti's Cagney & Lacey theme - not the original, the bigger, brassier one that debuted with season 2, just like I do with the creeping weirdness of Stu Phillips' Knight Rider or the electronic triumphalism of Sylvester Levay's Airwolf theme. Street Hawk might just be a direct rip off of both of those shows and only lasted 14 episodes, but the theme is by Tangerine Dream and it's fucking great. Joe Harnell's 'Lonely Man' theme for The Incredible Hulk, alongside Bill Bixby's soulful performance actually helped define the mood of the entire show. But my favourite out of all the eighties TV themes is still Mike Post/Pete Carpenter's cracking, propulsive Magnum PI theme (they also did the brilliant Rockford Files theme, and Mike Post gave us The A-Team, Hill Street Blues, and Quantum Leap, amongst others. Also produced Van Halen III, so I suppose they can't all be winners).
With the original Battlestar Galactica's theme tune, Stu Phillips (him again, so underrated) managed to out-Star Wars Star Wars. Ron Grainer's theme for The Prisoner remains a gloriously off-kilter sixties classic, and Lalo Schifrin's original Mission Impossible is an all-timer for a reason.
What about Barry Pheloung's incredible Inspector Morse theme, with that string counterpoint created by the morse code for the word MORSE? Or Denis King's unforgettable theme for Black Beauty? Or Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, where Dennis McCarthy manages to beat TOS to the title of best ever Trek theme? That's even if you decide to exclude any TV shows that use a song, which you didn't, so I won't - Cheers and Minder are two obvious killers.
Some great suggestions on here that I've forgotten or was going to put forward.
Definitely agree with Airwolf, Twin Peaks and Michael Kiwanuka singing Cold Little Heart for the Big Little Lies series standing out.
I've never seen Succession or Brideshead Revisited but the other three are pretty good😋
I'll put forward The Great Egg Race theme song, The Devil in Ohio series theme song Lessons of the Fire by Bishop Briggs, Westworld theme by Ramon Djawadi and Bilgewater by Brown Bird for Resident Alien.
Brown Bird I've mentioned to you before and they are worth checking out!
Ooohhh! I've just remembered The Krypton Factor! Was it an Art of Noise tune or rip off of some kind?
As you said: we don't all have to like the same things. So other peoples' lists of this kind will definitely not resemble yours.
I've always been a fan of the Mannix
theme song by Lalo Schifrin. https://youtu.be/H7TdnvEpgl0?si=AhJWgJral_LeAf5r
The Persuaders. Classic John Barry theme. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vafSPUXMXXU
The theme for Big Little Lies made my tummy go all funny and the start of every episode. The titles of moms driving their kids to school along Big Sur probably added to the feeling of recognition as I was seeing similar scenery on the daily school run.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=UqMPhGL1VhY&si=YkDUnWiTtAWqRnJN
Counterpoint: the Due South soundtrack, S1 and 2. Remains one of my favourite shows and TV themes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwIVJXVmAxU&ab_channel=TheRapSheet
Monkey and the theme Monkey Magic.
Six Million Dollar Man
Starsky and Hutch (called Gotcha I think)
The Persuaders
Airwolf
Im a child at heart and of a certain era.
I'd have to add Tony Christie's 'Avenues and Alleyways', from The Protectors
https://youtu.be/7Z-4IGSk9k0?si=uRU9mLn1GtnIJ5g2
and – above all else – Angelo Badalamenti's theme to the best TV show of all time, Twin Peaks.
Succession's title sequence, both music and visuals, was the best thing about the show, especially as it droned into its increasingly tedious final seasons (it wasn't a bad show, but it was grotesquely overrated, and really should've ended after the second season at the latest) . But I always feel compelled to point out: the visual component of that title sequence was shamelessly ripped off from David Fincher's 1997 move The Game, in which the lead character's memories of his rich father's suicide were presented in EXACTLY the same sort of juddery home movie vignettes that the Succession intro used.
I like the theme to MASH -- but the movie version with the lyrics. SUICIDE IS PAINLESS by the Mike Curb Congregation. https://youtu.be/FgcGOWaTPdU?si=2i4l8MRqHEhZUsXi
I've always been fascinated with Intro's to shows (and films). The only reason to watch James Bond was to see the epic intro they always made. I love this to the extent that one of my (yes I have written more than one) b.a. essays was on the topic of how media works together in intros. So when I look at this topic I can't focus solely on the music. You are missing the True Detective season 1 intro which is absolutely haunting visually and musically if you ask me. I do agree with you on Dr. Who (for some reason that song is just captivating!) and Richter of course. Another one I really like is the theme to M*A*S*H. The song in the theme isn't great but calls into memory the whole song and with the heaviness of the show it just kills me... I could go on and on! ;)
The Affair had a creative theme song by Fiona Apple. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6muh9kTlr88
For better or worse, I may be back with more. You started something.
Not going to argue about Succession being the best theme tune of all time, but:
1) You fucking forgot THE SOPRANOS!
2) Certain themes definitely speak more to our personal nostalgia than anything. BRIDESHEAD REVISITED does nothing for me, for instance, whereas I suspect that the themes from AIRWOLF, KNIGHTRIDER, and THE A-TEAM don't do anything for you - but they make me teary-eyed in an instant. The DAWSON'S CREEK and TWIN PEAKS themes give me literal chills, and I never actually watched either show!
3) I don't know about best, but I'm just going to throw in themes that I never, ever skipped, because of how very rare that is for me: Balthazar's 'The Man Who Owns The Place" from LA TREVE, Barns Courtney's "Glitter & Gold" from HARLAN COBEN'S SAFE, Handsome Family's "Far From Any Home" from TRUE DETECTIVE Season 1, Apparat's "Goodbye" from DARK, and the theme from TALES FROM THE LOOP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uShwmBH_UZQ
The late seventies and eighties were a great time for absolute bangers on otherwise meh TV shows. From when I was a kid, when you'd remember an ad jingle or a TV theme that lasted thirty seconds for the rest of your life, I have a real soft spot for Bill Conti's Cagney & Lacey theme - not the original, the bigger, brassier one that debuted with season 2, just like I do with the creeping weirdness of Stu Phillips' Knight Rider or the electronic triumphalism of Sylvester Levay's Airwolf theme. Street Hawk might just be a direct rip off of both of those shows and only lasted 14 episodes, but the theme is by Tangerine Dream and it's fucking great. Joe Harnell's 'Lonely Man' theme for The Incredible Hulk, alongside Bill Bixby's soulful performance actually helped define the mood of the entire show. But my favourite out of all the eighties TV themes is still Mike Post/Pete Carpenter's cracking, propulsive Magnum PI theme (they also did the brilliant Rockford Files theme, and Mike Post gave us The A-Team, Hill Street Blues, and Quantum Leap, amongst others. Also produced Van Halen III, so I suppose they can't all be winners).
With the original Battlestar Galactica's theme tune, Stu Phillips (him again, so underrated) managed to out-Star Wars Star Wars. Ron Grainer's theme for The Prisoner remains a gloriously off-kilter sixties classic, and Lalo Schifrin's original Mission Impossible is an all-timer for a reason.
What about Barry Pheloung's incredible Inspector Morse theme, with that string counterpoint created by the morse code for the word MORSE? Or Denis King's unforgettable theme for Black Beauty? Or Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, where Dennis McCarthy manages to beat TOS to the title of best ever Trek theme? That's even if you decide to exclude any TV shows that use a song, which you didn't, so I won't - Cheers and Minder are two obvious killers.
Onedin Line
Star Trek
Murder She Wrote
Juliet Bravo
The Professionals
And....
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Some great suggestions on here that I've forgotten or was going to put forward.
Definitely agree with Airwolf, Twin Peaks and Michael Kiwanuka singing Cold Little Heart for the Big Little Lies series standing out.
I've never seen Succession or Brideshead Revisited but the other three are pretty good😋
I'll put forward The Great Egg Race theme song, The Devil in Ohio series theme song Lessons of the Fire by Bishop Briggs, Westworld theme by Ramon Djawadi and Bilgewater by Brown Bird for Resident Alien.
Brown Bird I've mentioned to you before and they are worth checking out!
Ooohhh! I've just remembered The Krypton Factor! Was it an Art of Noise tune or rip off of some kind?
You know what, I'm going to throw in Hawaii-Five-O and The Benny Hill Show too. Because iconic 😉