Aside from Firefly, which has been mentioned a bunch already, and Mystery Science Theater 3000 (same), the only shows I've watched that had themes with really memorable lyrics were Animaniacs and its related shows. All pretty good, but the best might have been the one for the only show in the lot that wasn't any good, "Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain", which used the lyrics to take a number of shots at the suits' interference in what had previously been an entertaining series ("It's what the network wants, why bother to complain?" "I deeply resent this!")
Yeah. I know. It bugged me a little too. But to be frank even Happy Days had started to saw "screw it" to maintaining accurate 60's fashions and hairstyles by the time it entered the eighties. After Richie(Ron Howard)left the show in 1980 it seems the producers took more of a "who cares, just give the show to the Fonz and let it ride" attitude.
Well at least Laverne and Shirley acknowledged that they were in the 1960's, once they and all their friends and family, moved to California.
I liked these ones too: Angie [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNVcCX0mc8c[/yt] It's A Living [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqjraGlU8ME[/yt] Just The Ten Of Us [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udTBr7HFswY[/yt] All my friends knew everything about the older girls on this show. A guilty pleasure theme song is: Blossom [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4l0BS3RPvc[/yt]
I loved the first three. Angie is a memory from around first grade while the next two were a part of my adolescence. Blossom not so much.
Good Times The Jeffersons (performed by Ja'net Dubois from Good Times) Chico and the Man (performed by Jose Feliciano) The Facts of Life (written by Alan Thicke) Baretta (performed by Sammy Davis, Jr. while drinking Manischewitz from a brown bag) Just missed: WKRP, The Wire I know they don't qualify for your list, but: The Six Million Dollar Man, Barney Miller and Hill Street Blues themes were just great music.
Blossom was a guilty pleasure. I take little pride in it, except that she actually does hold a doctorate and is great as Amy Farrah Fowler.
At first I thought that this would be hard to name five, but after skimming through the thread I can barely keep it to five. Cheers - Where Everybody Knows Your Name Friends - I'll Be There For You Scrubs - I'm No Superman The Golden Girls - Thank You For Being A Friend The Big Bang Theory - Big Bang Theory Theme (real imaginative name there) Can we count closing songs? Throw in Red Dwarf and Frasier to replace the bottom two. I don't know why all my songs are for sitcoms either, as I have plenty of songs I liked for dramas too.
All excellent choices. Oh well let's not forget this gem: (this one's for you, cardinal biggles!) [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okDJ2iGSgLo[/yt]
I'd also put The Golden Girls, The Beverly Hillbillies and The Fall Guy in my Top 20 somewhere after Kotter. The theme song to Happy Days was amazing for the first 10 seasons then went straight into the crapper for the final year of the show (1983-84) when they dramatically altered the arrangement and changed the singer: [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3YEt0fViC0&feature=related[/yt]
Wow, I'd never seen that one before. Yikes. I'd also forgotten that Ron Howard was gone before it ended. How weird is it that Happy Days and That '70s Show would have so much in common?
Yeesh, I had forgotten that version. It sucks. The best, though, was "Rock Around the Clock" for the first two seasons. Justin
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9jDcZk4o-k[/yt] I can't get enough of this one and it's been in my Top Five for years now. The show itself never did much for me aside from Schneider and Barbara(Valerie Bertinelli) but the theme owns almost anything currently on the air right now. I found out not too long ago that Bonnie Franklin is coping with pancreatic cancer. I hope she manages to somehow beat the odds and pull through.
Right I'm cheating, here's five more themes from drama series: The Wire - Way Down In The Hole (season one) The Sopranos - Woke Up This Morning Battlestar Galactica (2004) [technically] Firefly - Ballad Of Serenity Gilmore Girls - Where You Lead And now five themes from kids' shows: Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers Captain Scarlet - closing theme Animaniacs Pinky and the Brain Maid Marion and Her Merry Men - closing theme (?) EDIT - I've still forgotten to mention The Muppet Show anywhere.
Here's my top 5 favorite 'kids series' themes: 1. Digimon: Digital Monsters (Season 1, 2, & 3) 2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987) 3. Phineas and Ferb 4. Silverhawks 5. Scooby-Doo, Where are You?
This is another one I love Perfect Strangers' theme: [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vbnLYROCj8[/yt]
I didn't know we could include kid shows! I HAVE to list Tiny Toons, I love that freakin' song. Now it will be stuck in my head all day.
Don't forget the classic Bugs Bunny Roadrunner Hour [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqKf7j43i_k[/yt]