If you don’t have a favorite TV series theme song, are you even a fan of television? Television theme songs set the tone for the shows, and some have even preceded their show’s reputation. Even though we can skip them when streaming, some, like the ones on this list, are still worth listening to.
The Office
Light, punchy, and oh-so-happy, the theme song to The Office brings about as much joy as the series itself. Despite not having lyrics like many other sitcom theme song favorites, it’s memorable and perfect for the show.
Succession
If you’ve spent even 10 minutes on TikTok this year, you’ve likely heard the Succession theme song. A bona fide banger, this piano ballad has served as the background for some incredible memes. Though the vast majority of us don’t actually live like the Roys, it’s easy to pretend we do when the theme song plays. It’s that powerful.
The White Lotus
The White Lotus’s theme song is eerie and bizarre, yet strangely addictive, just like the show. Though the theme was altered a bit from Season 1 to Season 2, the hypnotic harmonies, progressive beat, and overall tone remained the same, making for some of the best opening credits in modern television history. We’ll be just as excited to hear the Season 3 version of the theme song as we will be to watch the new episodes.
Full House
Moving into theme-songs-with-lyrics territory, one of the best ever came from Full House. It was a little bit rock and roll, and it made viewers excited to watch the show. You’re lying if you say you can’t remember the lyrics.
The Nanny
The Nanny’s theme song is jaunty and upbeat. It feels more like a jingle than a television opening, but in the best way. Fran Fine will always be “the lady in red when everybody else is wearing tan.”
SpongeBob SquarePants
Not many children’s theme songs even have the power to ascend to best-of-all-time status, but SpongeBob SquarePants’s theme is as recognizable as any on this list. It’s an earworm by design, and it’s indelibly burned into the brain of every American who’s watched television in the past 20 years.
Gilmore Girls
If you love a theme song, there’s nothing more disappointing than when the abridged version is used, and that feeling was most poignant when the Gilmore Girls theme was cut short. Just as the show is the television equivalent, the theme song to Gilmore Girls is the musical equivalent of a perfect fall day, and it deserves to be heard in its entirety every time.
Friends
The Friends theme song is so iconic, you know exactly what you’re listening to within the first second. And have you ever watched an episode of Friends and not clapped four times during the opening credits? It’s nearly impossible not to. A legendary theme song for a legendary show.
Cheers
Never has a television show become so synonymous with a line from its theme song. Cheers is the bar where everybody knows your name, and the rest of the lyrics heard during the opening credits perfectly encapsulate why Cheers is so beloved even to this day.
Happy Days
If there is one theme song on this list that you’ve heard without ever having seen the show, it’s the theme song from Happy Days. The best theme songs of all time can’t be discussed without mentioning Happy Days. It’s a cultural touchstone.
The Brady Bunch
Theme songs just aren’t made like they were in the ‘60s and ‘70s. The Brady Bunch’s theme song is iconic for multiple reasons, one of which being it told viewers exactly what to expect from the series. Whether you’d been watching since Season 1 or were jumping in on the last few episodes of the series, you knew the exact premise thanks to the opening credits.
