Great show...Lousy theme song (or vice versa)

[Jim K, Bat fan]

I thought I'd toss out a topic that I hope might elicit some fun responses. Is there a show that you just love but think the theme song is kind of dumb? Or a show with a great theme song that is kind of dumb.

I have to admit, Batman falls in the first category. Even though I love many classic tv show, Batman is my favorite show...but I am not a fan of the theme. Just...meh.

As for a great theme, is there a more memorable one than Gilligan's Island? But the show...I guess it's a guilty pleasure, but it's just so silly.

I look forward to your thoughts.

[dell]

I like the theme song. It's not descriptive where it told a very brief idea about the show like many theme songs of the era were, Gilligan's Island, Green Acres, the Addams Family or the Beverly Hillbillies. It was more of an instrumental like Mission Impossible, Hogan's Heroes and Hawaii Five-O.

If you don't like it, just skip it when you play the DVD.

[BiffPow]

Sherwood Schwartz‘s Gilligan’s-Island-time-travel show “It’s About Time” had a great theme song but was terribly repetitive and lame (but I still enjoyed it).

“My Mother the Car” had a catchy theme song and yet it was considered one of the worst TV shows of all time (however, in my humble opinion the show isn’t as bad as it’s been made out to be, although I did not think that Jerry Van Dyke and his TV wife had much chemistry).

[BiffPow]

Sherwood Schwartz‘s Gilligan’s-Island-out-west “Dusty’s Trail” will also fall into that category of catchy theme but weak show.

[AndyFish]

Great question Jim!

The 60s had the best era of TV Shows-- I love Gilligan's Island, Lost in Space, Star Trek, Mission Impossible, Green Hornet, Green Acres, Beverly Hillbillies, Andy Griffith, Get Smart -- of all of my favorite shows the one that jumped the shark hardest was Batman-- the first Season and a half had some great episodes, the Second season still had some good ones, but quite a few duds, and Season Three? Well, there might be four episodes out of that season that I like.

Batman's Theme Song? I don't think it's lame or dumb-- it's classic like Star Trek is-- sort of a strange "are those people or instruments?" kind of song.

[BiffPow]

Andy, totally agree on the 1960s TV shows - and you have named many of our favorites. I would throw in “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” “The Avengers” (with Diana Rigg as Emma Peel), “Honey West,” “The Wild, Wild West,” “I Dream of Jeannie,” “Bewitched (the Dick York years),” “Hogan’s Heroes,” “T.H.E. Cat,” “The Munsters,” “The Addams Family” …

… OK, I get why you didn’t list them all. So many great TV shows that it’s almost too numerous to name. I can think of a dozen not included in the list already just off the top of my head, and more pouring in as I write this. Some of them were not long lasting shows, but they made an impression.

I have long wished for someone with enough money to buy up the rights to some of those great old shows, like Batman, and make all new episodes and set in the same time period. I would watch that network all the time. I think it would be a huge financial success. Those old shows were just more fun.

Also agree (where is that button?) with your comment on the Batman theme song. I liked it. We sang it during playtime more than any other theme song, whether out loud or in our heads.

[AndyFish]

All great picks, Biff--you're right I had to cut off my list or I would have filled the boards. I give honorary mention to THE HONEYMOONERS (50s) and KOLCHAK THE NIGHT STALKER (70s) as favorites of mine that I'd put on that channel. I'm happy with reruns, I'm too picky for new versions.

[rsaffle]

Man, I love the Batman theme and would never skip it. I get a huge grin everytime that spinning sound happens and Batman and Robin come running out.

I'm not much of a fan of the Wild, Wild West theme but like the show. Love the Jeffersons theme, but not the show.

Mission Impossible theme was one of the best but as a kid the show didn't keep my interest. Probably should go back and give that a watch again.

[BiffPow]

Kolchak! I was hooked on the TV movies, so the series was a huge favorite, as was “the sixth sense,“ if anyone remembers that.

Randy, have to agree. The Mission Impossible series was a bit too serious for me at the time, but was better on reruns.
I still remember one episode where they slid a photograph in front of a security camera to make it look like no one was in the hallway. That bit has been used many times in movies since (although now someone “hacks in” and replaces the live feed with a still digital image).

[A. Pennyworth]

Fifty-nine years later and that theme is still being used mainstream, a classic for it's time and it still is, nothing wrong with it!

[epaddon]

I can think of a lot of lame TV shows in the 70s that had great themes written by top notch composers. "Flying High" was a cheap attempt to rip off "Love Boat" by doing stories in the air and focusing on the stewardesses (Connie Sellecca's first TV show). It had a good jaunty theme by David Shire.

But today, TV shows have no theme songs at all so to speak because there's no time to give 60 seconds to an opening title with theme sequence.

[gerryd54]

I can think of a lot of lame TV shows in the 70s that had great themes written by top notch composers. "Flying High" was a cheap attempt to rip off "Love Boat" by doing stories in the air and focusing on the stewardesses (Connie Sellecca's first TV show). It had a good jaunty theme by David Shire.

But today, TV shows have no theme songs at all so to speak because there's no time to give 60 seconds to an opening title with theme sequence.

I agree about the streaming shows ; it's like somebody tossed a bunch of instruments down the stairs, just awful

[BiffPow]

I agree about the streaming shows ; it's like somebody tossed a bunch of instruments down the stairs, just awful

[BATWINGED HORNET]

I thought I'd toss out a topic that I hope might elicit some fun responses. Is there a show that you just love but think the theme song is kind of dumb? Or a show with a great theme song that is kind of dumb.

The Lucy Show (1962 - 1968) falls into the second category; it had a very memorable main and closing theme from Wilbur Hatch, but the series was stale-to-awful.

Lost in Space's 1st season (1965-66) had a great John Williams theme, but that show made some Hanna-Barbera cartoons seem creative & entertaining, In other words, it was not good.

Wonder Woman's theme was ok, but the series always left much to be desired, with its only saving grace being the 1st season set during WW2.

I have to admit, Batman falls in the first category. Even though I love many classic tv show, Batman is my favorite show...but I am not a fan of the theme. Just...meh.

What kind of theme do you think would've worked better than Hefti's?