Netflix might have that "skip intro" button now, but there are some TV show theme songs you just don't want to miss. There are even cases of what I'll call TV theme inception—a famous TV theme song being sung on a show that has its own famous theme. Just wait. You'll see what I mean. Below, check out 21 of the most iconic TV theme songs of all time, from classic shows, to current hit series, to one very popular aardvark. The upbeat Office theme was composed by Jay Ferguson. Fun fact: He also plays a member of Kevin's band , Scrantonicity. We all do.
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Ghostbusters (1984)
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Yes, 'Cheers' made the cut
But it was basically mood music, kind of like the screeching techno that leads off Silicon Valley now. On the other hand, the advent of a forward-thinking streaming series, like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflx, and b great shows suddenly appearing on formerly anonymous networks Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on The CW has opened the floodgates to anyone who wants to nail a theme song and set their show apart. Which old-school classics hold up best? Better than the intro to Wide World of Sports. Fun fact: the famous big-band rave-up was not the theme song for the first two-plus seasons.
How do you determine the greatest TV show theme songs of all time? We begin with Part 1: Theme songs for live-action shows. This Dandy Warhols track was both bracingly of-the-moment and completely appropriate for the Kristen Bell-led teen detective show. Veronica Mars ran three seasons, had a film continuation released in , and will return for a multi-episode run on Hulu this year.
