It should come as no surprise that in the current landscape that defines television as a visual medium, the optional kernel known as the "TV theme" is nearly obsolete.
While not on life support, the days of commercial jingles, memorable musical intros, and catchy singalongs exist mostly in the minds of a certain generation that grew up knowing that a familiar few notes signaled the beginning of sit-down comfort. And with any luck, those notes might land on vinyl, guaranteeing a trip to the record store for purchase.
From a cursory listen of the top show intros on YouTube, it's not the downbeat instrumentals of yesteryear that are missing (think M*A*S*H) against Squid Game or Severance. It's not the upbeat quirkiness of "Everywhere You Look" for Full House versus Shrinking's opening theme "Frightening Fishes," courtesy of Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard. In reality, today's viewers are only given a teaspoon of a theme song — 13 seconds for ABC's Shifting Gears — that sets the tone for a show, which can also conveniently be passed over with the push of the skip button.
Visuals aren't exempt from that tendency towards abbreviation either, despite being the dominant pull into most television and movies over the past 20 years. It's not hard to see both entities fighting for dominance: a two-minute trailer full of slam cuts, dialogue voiceover, and jump scares with an accompanying soundtrack is now more effective than a 1977 60-minute primetime special The Magic of ABC, hosted by, say, illusionist David Copperfield and cross-section of that network's stars.
The question then becomes, are we losing out as an audience by not having a memorable song catch us as viewers (Pratt & McClain's "Happy Days") and attain chart success (Number 5 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1976), or are we doing well enough with über-hot production studios like Elastic focusing on mind-blowing visuals for Game of Thrones, The Crown, and Shōgun?
In a bygone era, TV theme songs were a gateway to an expanded horizon for a songwriter beyond the faceless introduction of a composition. Thankfully, the ubiquitous nature of YouTube allows us a dive into a treasure trove of music that, for many, became the soundtrack of life.
"Appointment TV" began in the late 1940s, buoyed by children's shows, but took off with the advent of the Texaco Star Theatre and its host "Mr. Television," Milton Berle, who had the benefit of a sponsor that appointed a quartet to sing at the show's opening. As the medium evolved, so too did the cues that set series apart. Think the trumpeting brass and bombastic kettle drums of "Gunsmoke," the galloping guitars in "Bonanza," or the Jerry Scoggins-sung "The Ballad of Jed Clampett," one of the first bluegrass hit singles on the Billboard charts, courtesy of The Beverly Hillbillies.
As the theme song moved through the '60s and '70s, its dominance as a vehicle to help sell a show in every genre was staggering. The song structuring got hipper (Get Smart), the storytelling got deeper (Gilligan's Island), and as soon as The Monkees burst on the screen, the justification of chart acceptance was unquestionable.
Established artists like Quincy Jones (Sanford and Son), José Feliciano (Chico and the Man), and John Sebastian (Welcome Back, Kotter) could have their music in front of millions on a weekly basis. In the '80s, Family Ties gave us Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams, Moonlighting redefined Al Jarreau, while Miami Vice defined Jan Hammer. We had everyman-singalongs (WKRP in Cincinnati, Cheers) and were blessed with the juggernaut that was composer Mike Post who gave us among others, the themes for The Rockford Files, The Greatest American Hero, and Hill Street Blues — all three charting singles.
The most obvious questions today are, do we need a TV theme song anymore, and are there any worth noting? The internet certainly reminds us of how much is forgotten. Do you even know the theme song for Ally McBeal? (It's Vonda Shepard's "Searchin' My Soul")
That said, today's television theme song is neither a convenient tool for defining a show nor one absolutely guaranteed to light up the charts. Keeping in mind the aesthetic evolution of opening credits, the truncation of theme songs, and the even introduction of the "skip intro" button, here are some of today's TV show tunes that exemplify the current state of the TV theme. Henceforth...
1. Eddie Vedder, "Save It For Later"
Repurposing an '80s tune, but take The English Beat's danceable ska melody and bring it way down to sub-basement level, matching the dark tone and everyday worker timbre of FX Network's The Bear. Bonus points that it's used to its full-value time of three minutes.
2. Main Title Theme, Bridgerton
Whichever way you're pressed to call this memorable, it fits in as a tribute to countless period piece dramas. But judging from the hundreds of comments on YouTube (just a minute long is "too short!" to it bringing on "tears of joy," with reminders of "spring & flowers" and "that was the greatest opening theme I ever heard in my life!") it is a stark reminder that originality has many shades of grey.
3. Chris Avantgarde, feat. Red Rosamonde, "Inside"
Truncated to a mere 0:48 for use in the intro for the British Netflix thriller Fool Me Once, its previous use in several different media points to the larger issue befalling theme songs: there is no longer a proprietary piece in place to define "theme," except the availability of independent artists that operate outside the box in hopes their music gets discovered.
4. Harry Escott, feat. Rina Mushonga, "Glittergirl"
A dance vibe that befits its theme for the UK ITV/US CW series Joan, it points to another apparent trend: the synthwave, MTV style as a set piece for a true-life story from the mid-'80s. Surprisingly, it works and would not be out of place next to era-defining accurate intros for Airwolf and Knight Rider.
5. Steve Martin, "Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?"
Admittedly, this is not a TV theme song. However, as an Emmy-winning piece of music from an outstanding series, this (almost) full-blown number from Only Murders in the Building absolutely looks backward to a period of word-worthy performances. Allowing that it's not entirely hummable, it's one of the most earworm-worthy pieces in a dry landscape that has sadly moved on from the harmonious days of a gas station quartet.
Which of today's TV theme songs are a can't-skip in your household? Let us know on Bluesky.
