Pretty tough to cut it down to five. After much thought, in chronological order:
1. The Andy Griffith Show. I don't have much to say about this one, it's just perfect.
2. Emergency! A loud, brash big band theme from Nelson Riddle. It is all action, from the days when themes were meant to be big and bold. It also has instrumental siren and EKG-type sounds thrown in.
3. The Rockford Files. Somehow, the harmonica and synth combination perfectly captures the laid-back private eye in bustling L.A. The best version is after season three, with the hot Larry Carlton guitar solo. The first TV show theme I remember hearing on the radio.
4. Taxi. A simple, bittersweet flute melody leading into a mellow, jazzy electric piano theme. It established a real heart for a hilarious comedy.
5. Hill Street Blues. Another Mike Post classic. A halting and wistful piano intro makes the whole thing. An evocative, melancholy theme that set the tone for a show that was serious and sometimes sad but never a downer.
Runners up:
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. I always used to hear how much money Paul Anka made from this, and he deserved it. When you heard that big brass section blasting out the theme song, you knew you were going to get some big entertainment and it was worth staying up late.
Hawaii Five-O. Another iconic theme, you can't hear those big drums without thinking of the breaking wave, that huge zoom-in to Jack Lord, and those guys paddling that outrigger canoe at the end.
Perry Mason. The tense strings and stings at the beginning used to be a little scary to me as a kid, but are a nice set-up for the requisite murder, then the theme rolls on catchily and confidently, as Perry inevitably rolls through the court case.
--Justin
