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20 to 1: All Time Favourite TV Themes

What will make the list when Bert counts down a list of the 20 top television theme songs.

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Now here’s an episode of 20 to 1 that might be worth a look: All Time Favourite TV Themes.

From comedies to cop shows, these theme songs are so catchy you can sing them in your sleep. But what is the Number 1 TV theme?

Well Sherwood Schwartz would have to configure highly in this. As well as creating both The Brady Bunch and Gilligan’s Island, he composed the theme tunes, both of which perfectly delivered the premise to the show in a catchy, succinct way. If you had never seen an episode before, these theme tunes made sure you knew what the show was within minutes.

Hill Street Blues is another iconic theme, this time instrumental, from Mike Post.

Before I get carried away and rattle off too many more, let’s hear some other suggestions?

This airs at 9:40pm Tuesday March 30th on Nine (which means no double Survivor that week).

57 Responses

  1. I Dream of Jeanie had a catchy theme. Bewitched and The Partrige Family were good too. I think the Brady Bunch was top of the 20 to 1 top 20 tv families. It could be number one in this as well. Yes Gilligan, Hawaii FiveO and Lost in Space should all be up there. Only newer show from this century whoe’s theme I would nominate would be CSI.

  2. You’d think The Simpsons, Bewitched, I Dream Of Jeannie would have to be there. From an Australian point of view there would be Neighbours, Home and Away, A Country Practice, Hey Dad, even Hey Hey It’s Saturday.

  3. without question the greatest ever Australian theme song has to be Blue Heelers. the original (before they tried to make it ‘funky’ after the bomb) was so good it stuck in your head for days. while on the local front both Neighbours and Home & Away need to get props, then there is the theme tune every Australian grew up on Play School! but no one quite does theme tunes like the Americans. staying on the kids tv theme Sesame Street is brilliant. shows like Law & Order, Mission Impossible, The Twilight Zone, Sex and the City, Survivor and all the CSI’s are great (could help that i’m a massive Who fan!), but it is sitcoms where they get it right. early shows like Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie have unforgettable themes right up there with the Sherwood Schwartz shows. moving into the 80s im convinced all sitcoms of the time were written simply for the theme music (perfectly parodied on Family Guy with ‘My Black Son’) The Golden Girls has to be my favourite though. in the 90s there were classics like Mad About You and Friends. these days theme music seems to be disappearing but the shows that do have good themes are definitely The Big Bang Theory and, as much as it pains me to say it, 2.5 Men.

    or maybe i’m just obsessed with TV themes!

  5. cant belive no one has mentioned Prisoner that must be there but then again it is 9 isnt it my other choices are

    a country practice
    the sullivans
    neighbours
    home and away (the original)

  12. Yes this is one of those 20-1s that is worth watching.

    Either The Brady Bunch or Gilligan’s Island would be worthy #1s.

    Others..Star Trek,Family Ties,X Files,Cheers will all figure somewhere you’d think.

  18. Oh wow, what a great episode that will be!

    It’s hard to beat the 80’s sitcom themes, Perfect Strangers, Growing Pains, Greatest American Hero and Full House are all great.

  20. I think the Doctor Who theme is pretty iconic, and the original version is certainly…uh…original.Plus it was composed by an Australian :).

    Mike Post-wise, I’d also nominate his Law & Order theme, which has fronted (in various forms) no less than five different programmes.

  21. Mike Post is a legend. I wouldn’t be surprised if Law & Order managed to squeeze in there. Would be cool to see Survivor there too but I wouldn’t count on it; there probably will be a focus on older shows.

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