TV show themes are designed to set a mood for what’s to follow, and to be memorable, i.e. to remind people of the show when they hear it in the elevator.
Leaving aside themes from moronic game shows and comedies (no links because brain damage), it’s more interesting to consider those of TV dramas.
In some poll that nobody’s interested in, Brits were asked which was their favorite TV theme tune, and their #1 was from Inspector Morse. Nice, but not my choice.
I think that the theme from The Persuaders was far more exciting (plus John Barry composed it, ’nuff said).
Then there was Jonathan Creek, which is excellent (albeit a total ripoff of Camille Saint-Saëns’s Danse Macabre).
Actually, the Brits do better with their comedy shows — Fawlty Towers and Waiting For God come to mind. Much better than Happy Days etc.
Over on this side of The Pond, I think we’ve had better dramatic themes. In my opinion, the theme from Hill Street Blues was just about the best ever…
…until Twin Peaks came along, that is.
Feel free to add (with links) your own favorites.
