15.The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Showtheme song is a 1997 cover done byThe Presidents of the United States of America. The original was released in 1979 by Ian Hunter. The song, namedCleveland Rocks, is seen as a de facto anthem in Cleveland, Ohio. Its a really good tune, I can see why the city latched on to it.
14.Firefly
The theme song forFireflywas written for the series by director Joss Whedon. It’s a perfect fit for the show both musically and lyrically. If you haven’t seenFireflyyet, you owe it to yourself! It’s not just one of the best sci-fi TV shows ever, but one of the best one-season TV shows ever made.
13.Afro Samurai
TheAfro Samuraitheme is yet another fantastic piece of soundtrack work from The Rza aka Robert Diggs.
He’s no stranger to producing music for projects involving Japanese martial arts, having scored movies like Jim Jarmusch’sGhost Dog: Way of the Samuraiand Quentin Tarantino’sKill Bill: Volume 1.
It’s a good sign when The Rza’s name is attached to something, as he seems to have a good instinct for recognizing quality.
12.Futurama
TheFuturamatheme song was written by Christopher Tyng and closely resembles a 1967 song calledPsyche Rockby Pierre Henry. It is played on the tubular bells and has been remixed for specific episodes multiple times.
Some of these remixes use samples from other songs, and there were even two beatbox versions performed by Billy West and John Dimaggio.
Originally there was going to be a different version of the song for each episode. The idea was scrapped when they realized that the sound did not transmit well through most people’s TV sets.
Related:The Best Geeky TV Shows on Hulu
11.True Detective(Season One)
True Detective’s first season’s theme song was, like the show itself, the best out of the three seasons. The mood and lyrics perfectly forebode the grim episodes ahead.
The song is calledFar From Any Roadand was written by the Handsome Brothers. You don’t need the really cool visuals of the shows intro to enjoy this tune. It stands solidly on its own.
Related:The Best TV Miniseries to Binge-Watch
10.Better Call Saul
The bandLittle Barriesubmitted over around 30 different riffs toBetter Call Saul’smusic supervisor for the show’s intro. The showrunners ultimately made a wise choice because this is a really cool 12-seconds of music.
9.Trailer Park Boys
TheTrailer Park Boystheme is a song by Blain Morris calledThe Breeze. It was heavily influenced by the piano from Tony Bennett’s “I Left My Heart In San Fransisco”. The ironically idyllic lilting piano notes play in perfect contrast to the impoverished, dysfunctional setting of the show.
8.The Venture Bros
The Venture Brossatirizes 60s shows likeJohnny Quest, so of course its theme song would be influenced by soundtrack music of the decade. It has the sound of a modernized version of a 60s spy-action theme.
7.BoJack Horseman
TheBoJack Horsemantheme was written by Patrick Carney (the drummer for The Black Keys) and his uncle Ralph Carney. Patrick Carney layered some tracks and sent the recordings to his uncle who added the saxophone and filled out the rest of its sound. The result speaks for itself.
6.The Simpsons
The Simpsonshas one of the most iconic intros in TV history and one of the most recognizable theme songs in existence. Danny Elfman composed the piece and has said that it was the most popular of his career.
Related:The Saddest Simpsons Moments That Were Truly Emotional
5.Batman: The Animated Series
Danny Elfman turned down scoring the opening music of this series so the job went to Shirley Walker. Elfman writes some greatBatmanmusic, but we’re lucky we got to hear what Walker had to offer.The Animated Seriesscore ranks among the bestBatmanthemes ever.
Related:The Best DC Animated TV Shows, Ranked
4.King of the Hill
TheKing of the Hillintro music is from a song calledBanditosbyThe Refreshments. This song is as Americana as the show and lets you know exactly what you’re in for.
3.The Pink Panther Show
There’s no better music for sleuthing thanThe Pink Panthertheme song. It was originally written for the 1963 film but was also used for this 1969 cartoon.
2.The X-Files
When the eerie whistle and haunting synthesizer ofThe X-Filesintro kick in, you know you have a fun hour ahead of you. This song precisely sets the tone for a show full supernatural and extraterrestrial conspiracies.
1.Mission: Impossible
TheMission: Impossibletheme has been emblematic of the spy genre for over half a century. It went on to influence countless musical themes of anything having to do with spy stuff.
