100 Greatest TV Theme Songs

images from TV shows Hawaii Five-O and The Andy Griffith Show

Criteria: These TV Theme Songs were chosen and ranked based on a number of factors.
(See Criteria Below List)

Edited By: Bruce

Last Updated: 2020-05-05

Newly added names are in Red

List of Greatest TV Theme Songs

1. Hawaii Five-O
Morton Stevens & The CBS Orchestra (Hawaii Five-O)

2. Mission Impossible
Lalo Schifrin (Mission Impossible)

3. Peter Gunn
Henry Mancini (Peter Gunn)

4. The Fishin' Hole
Earle Hagen (The Andy Griffith Show)

5. Song From M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless)
The Mash (M.A.S.H.)

6. Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Gary Portnoy (Cheers)

7. TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)
MFSB featuring the Three Degrees (Soul Train)

8. Batman Theme
Neal Hefti (Batman)

9. Theme From The Monkees
Monkees (The Monkees)

10. Love Is All Around
Sonny Curtis (The Mary Tyler Moore Show)

11. Johnny's Theme
Tonight Show Orchestra (The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson)

12. Movin' On Up
Ja'net Dubois (The Jeffersons)

13. Ballad Of Jed Clampett
Flatt & Scruggs (The Beverly Hillbillies)

14. The Addams Family Main Theme
Vic Mizzy (The Addams Family)

15. Dragnet Main Title
Walter Schumann (Dragnet)

16. Those Were The Days
Archie & Edith (Carroll O'Connor & Jean Stapleton) (All In The Family)

17. Welcome Back
John Sebastian (Welcome Back, Kotter)

18. Secret Agent Man
Johnny Rivers (Secret Agent)

19. Bonanza
David Rose (Bonanza)

20. Thank You For Being A Friend
Cynthia Fee (The Golden Girls)

21. I'll Be There For You
The Rembrandts (Friends)

22. The Streetbeater
Quincy Jones (Sanford And Son)

23. The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle
Wellingtons / Eligibles (Gilligan's Island)

24. Meet The Flintstones
Hoyt Curtin (The Flintstones)

25. Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street
Jean "Toots" Thielemans (Sesame Street)

26. William Tell Overture
Gioachino Rossini (The Lone Ranger)

27. Theme of Law & Order
Mike Post (Law & Order)

28. Route 66 Theme
Nelson Riddle (Route 66)

29. Theme From Star Trek
Alexander Courage (Star Trek)

30. Bandstand Boogie
Les Elgart / Barry Manilow (American Bandstand)

31. Fresh Prince of Bel Air Theme Song
Will Smith (Fresh Prince of Bel Air)

32. The Simpsons Main Title Theme
Danny Elfman (The Simpsons)

33. Miami Vice Theme
Jan Hammer (Miami Vice)

34. The Rockford Files
Mike Post (The Rockford Files)

35. Mr. Ed
Jay Livingston (Mister Ed)

36. This Is It
Polly Cutter (One Day At A Time)

37. Dramatic Twilight
Marius Constant (The Twilight Zone)

38. The Theme From Hill Street Blues
Mike Post (Hill Street Blues)

39. Woke Up This Morning
A3 (The Sopranos)

40. Believe It Or Not
Joey Scarbury (The Greatest American Hero)

41. The Ballad Of Davy Crockett
Fess Parker (Disneyland - Davy Crockett Indian Fighter)

42. A Different World
Phoebe Snow / Aretha Franklin / Boyz II Men (A Different World)

43. Love And Marriage
Frank Sinatra (Married With Children)

44. Park Avenue Beat
Fred Steiner (Perry Mason)

45. The Brady Bunch
Frank De Vol (The Brady Bunch)

46. Who Are You
The Who (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation)

47. The Mickey Mouse March
Jimmie Dodd & The Mouseketeers (The Mickey Mouse Club)

48. Theme From Magnum P.I.
Mike Post (Magnum P.I.)

49. Rawhide
Frankie Laine (Rawhide)

50. Patty Duke Show Theme
Sid Ramin / Bob Wells (The Patty Duke Show)

51. Angela
Bob James (Taxi)

52. Odd Couple Theme
Neal Hefti (The Odd Couple)

53. Theme From Dallas
Jerrold Immel (Dallas)

54. Love, American Style
Cowsills / Ron Hicklin Singers (Love, American Style)

55. When We're Singin' / C'mon Get Happy
Partridge Family (The Partridge Family)

56. Doctor Who Theme
Delia Derbyshire (Doctor Who)

57. The Munsters Theme
Jack Marshall (The Munsters)

58. Moonlighting (Theme)
Al Jarreau (Moonlighting)

59. Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow
Sammy Davis Jr. (Baretta)

60. Spider-man Theme Song
Paul Francis Webster (Spider-man)

61. Funeral March of a Marionette
Charles Gounod (Alfred Hitchcock Presents)

62. Theme From S.W.A.T.
Rhythm Heritage (S.W.A.T.)

63. Night Court Opening Theme
Jack Elliot / Ernie Watts (Night Court)

64. Barney Miller Theme
Jim Hughart (Barney Miller)

65. Good Ol' Boys
Waylon Jennings (Dukes Of Hazzard)

66. Petticoat Junction Theme
Curt Massey (Petticoat Junction)

67. Happy Days
Pratt & McClain (Happy Days)

68. WKRP in Cincinnati (Main Theme)
Steve Carlisle (WKRP in Cincinnati)

69. It's Howdy Doody Time
Buffalo Bob Smith (Howdy Doody)

70. Won't You Be My Neighbor
Fred Rogers (Mister Rogers' Neighborhood)

71. Daniel Boone Theme
Vera Matson & Lionel Newman (Daniel Boone)

72. Shine On Me
Vanessa Bell Armstrong (Amen)

73. Theme from L.A. Law
Mike Post (L.A. Law)

74. The Treme Song
John Boutte (Treme)

75. Beverly Hills 90210 Theme
John E. Davis (Beverly Hills 90210)

76. How Do You Talk To An Angel
The Heights (The Heights)

77. Harlem Nocturne
Earle Hagen (Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer)

78. Tossed Salads And Scrambled Eggs
Kelsey Grammer (Frasier)

79. Cleveland Rocks
The Presidents of the United States of America (The Drew Carey Show)

80. With A Little Help From My Friends
Joe Cocker (The Wonder Years)

81. Dick Van Dyke Show Theme
Earle Hagen (The Dick Van Dyke Show)

82. I Love Lucy
Eliot Daniel (I Love Lucy)

83. The Little House
David Rose (Little House On The Prairie)

84. Bugs Bunny Overture
Mel Blanc (The Bugs Bunny Show)

85. The Love Boat
Jack Jones (The Love Boat)

86. The Jetsons Theme
Hoyt Curtin (The Jetsons)

87. Theme From My Three Sons
Frank De Vol (My Three Sons)

88. 77 Sunset Strip
Mack David (77 Sunset Strip)

89. The Facts Of Life
Al Burton (The Facts Of Life)

90. Best Friend
Nilsson (The Courtship Of Eddie's Father)

91. Green Acres Opening Theme
Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor (Green Acres)

92. Making Our Dreams Come True
Cyndi Grecco (Laverne & Shirley)

93. Runaway
Del Shannon (Crime Story)

94. F Troop Theme
William Lava (F Troop)

95. Get Smart Theme
Irving Szathmary (Get Smart)

96. Mr. Lucky
Henry Mancini (Mr. Lucky)

97. Hogan's Heroes March
Jerry Fielding (Hogan's Heroes)

98. Hey Beautiful
Solids (How I Met Your Mother)

99. Bad Boys
Inner Circle (Cops)

100. Frolic
Luciano Michelini (Curb Your Enthusiasm)

More Lists

Hawaii Five-O
Mission Impossible television show cast photo

Mission Impossible
Peter Gunn television show ad photo

Peter Gunn
The Andy Griffith Show television show cast photo

The Andy Griffith Show
M.A.S.H. television show cast photo

M.A.S.H.

Cheers

DigitalDreamDoor playlists on Spotify link button

Spotify TV Theme Songs playlist link image

56 More Worth Mentioning

101. In The Street
Todd Griffin (That 70s Show)

102. The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)
Banana Splits (The Banana Splits)

103. Three's Company, Too
Ray Charles & Julia Rinker (Three's Company)

104. Good Times
Jim Gilstrap & Blinky Williams (Good Times)

105. The Big Bang Theory Theme
Barenaked Ladies (The Big Bang Theory)

106. Won't Get Fooled Again
The Who (CSI: Miami)

107. Baba O'Riley
The Who (CSI: New York)

108. Theme from Ironside
Quincy Jones (Ironside)

109. Jeannie
Hugo Montenegro (I Dream of Jeannie)

110. Mannix Theme
Lalo Schifrin (Mannix)

111. Falling
Angelo Badalamenti (Twin Peaks)

112. We've Got a Gorilla for Sale
Hoyt Curtin (The Magilla Gorilla Show)

113. Theme From The Men
Isaac Hayes (The Men)

114. The A-Team Theme
Mike Post (The A-Team)

115. Car 54, Where Are You?
Nat Hiken (Car 54, Where Are You?)

116. My So Called Life Theme
W.G. Snuffy Walden (My So Called Life)

117. Bewitched
Howard Greenfield (Bewitched)

118. The Shake
Laurie Johnson (The Avengers)

119. The Outer Limits Theme
Harry Lubins (The Outer Limits)

120. Wild Wild West Main Title
Richard Markowitz (The Wild Wild West)

121. In Living Color
Heavy D and Eddie F (In Living Color)

122. Everything's Archie
The Archies (The Archie Show)

123. There's A New Girl In Town
Linda Lavin (Alice)

124. Zorro
The Mellomen (Zorro)

125. Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans
Louis Armstrong (Frank's Place)

126. Everywhere You Look
Jesse Frederick (Full House)

127. As Days Go By
Jesse Frederick (Family Matters)

128. Theme from Lost In Space
John Williams (Lost In Space)

129. Family Affair Theme
Frank De Vol (Family Affair)

130. Top Cat Theme
Hoyt Curtin (Top Cat)

131. Theme from The Fugitive
Pete Rugolo (The Fugitive)

132. Kiss Me
Bobby McFerrin / Oregon Symphony / Craig Handy / Lester Bowie (The Cosby Show)

133. The Best Of Both Worlds
Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana)

134. Straight Up and Down
The Brian Jonestown Massacre (Boardwalk Empire)

135. Like Curious George
Dr. John (Curious George)

136. Maverick Theme
David Buttolph & Paul Francis Webster (Maverick)

137. Go Speed Racer, Go
Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass (Speed Racer)

138. Animaniacs Theme
Richard Stone (Animaniacs)

139. Seinfeld Theme
Jonathan Wolff (Seinfeld)

140. Scooby-Doo Where Are You!
David Mook/Austin Roberts (Scooby-Doo Where Are You!)

141. The X Files
Mark Snow (The X Files)

142. Theme From St. Elsewhere
Dave Grusin (St. Elsewhere)

143. As Long As We've Got Each Other
BJ Thomas / Jennifer Warnes / Dusty Springfield (Growing Pains)

144. Without Us
Dennis Tufano & Mindy Sterling/Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams (Family Ties)

145. Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?
Rockapella (Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?)

146. Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now
David Pomeranz (Perfect Strangers)

147. Go Go Power Rangers
Aaron Waters - The Mighty RAW (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers)

148. Liberty Bell
John Philip Sousa (Monty Python's Flying Circus)

149. You're My Greatest Love
Ray Bloch Orchestra (The Honeymooners)

150. The Rebel - Johnny Yuma
Johnny Cash (The Rebel)

151. Ballad of Paladin
Johnny Western (Have Gun - Will Travel)

152. The Persuaders! Titles and Synthesiser theme
John Barry (The Persuaders!)

153. White Shadow Main Theme
Mike Post feat. Larry Carlton (The White Shadow)

154. Greenback Boogie
Ima Robot (Suits)

155. Theme From Oz
Steve Rosen

156. It's A Jungle Out There
Randy Newman (Monk)

Criteria:
1 - How well the theme fits the show - Does the theme invoke visions of what you see during the show, or is it just good music that does not really quite fit what the show is about. If the song used was an already existing recording that was not written for the show, this is a big negative unless it somehow really fits the show.

2 - Popularity - How popular did the song become as a result of being the theme song for the show? Popularity that already existed before the song was used as the theme does not count here.

3 - Acclaim / Awards - Emmy and Grammy nominations and awards as well as critical acclaim and other accolades, but only those that came after the song became the show's theme song.

4 - Cultural Impact - How iconic has the theme become as an essential part of the show? Does it rise to the level of where you'd be upset if you turned the TV on a minute too late and you missed the opening theme song?

5 - Transcending the show - Has the theme been used outside the show, in spoofs, or to invoke a feeling that might or might not have to do with the show? Did the song take on a life of its own outside the show?

6 - Influence - Has the song influenced other TV show theme songs?