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May 26, 2012

Are TV theme songs finally dead?

by Joel Keller, posted Oct 19th 2006 3:42PM

ER cast
For twelve seasons, ER used some of the most memorable and intense theme music heard during the last decade or so; it started soft, then pulsated to a climax that matched the frantic pace of a big-city emergency room and of the show itself. And the climax was usually punctuated visually, either by Eriq LaSalle's Benton punching the air after a surgery or Laura Innes' Weaver bursting through the door with her cane.

But for season thirteen? It's gone. We've got the cold open, a title card with generic music, and then a commercial. The credits are shown over the first act. It's the most glaring example of a trend that's been going on since the late '90s. Erin Carlson of the AP is the latest person to write about the death of the theme song. The article cites all the same reasons cited for years: an increase of commercials, a desire from networks and show-runners to keep people's attention, etc., etc.

I'm not sure theme songs are completely gone; The West Wing used that grand theme song during its entire run, and Boston Legal has retained that funky theme music and title sequence that integrates itself with the end of the cold open. And, just because a theme is short doesn't mean it can't be memorable; think of the fifteen-second theme sequence for Scrubs as a great example of that.

So... do you think the theme song is dead? On life support? What are your favorites right now? Let me know in the comments.

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Wayne

OH,
and WEEDS! what a great song, and kudos to the show for recognizing that and playing with it a little this season.

the WIRE and V MARS also have changed singers/moods while retaining the same lyrics.

October 24 2006 at 12:52 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Courtney

All three CSIs use theme songs--I think all by The Who. The originals 'Who Are You' is probably still the best fit to the show.

October 21 2006 at 12:20 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Erin

Veronica Mars had the best theme song on tv ("We Used to be Friends" by The Dandy Warhols) for the last two years until they ruined it with a slow-jam remix this season. The new version of the song is almost as horrible as the new credits sequence.

October 20 2006 at 5:10 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jimmy

I hate this trend and I miss ER's opening theme! Maybe I'm just a geek, but I love great TV theme songs. Who can forget classic like I Love Lucy, 77 Sunset Strip, Bonanza, or Gunsmoke? Who among us can at least hum Gilligan's Island, Bewitched, Star Trek (all of them!), Little House on the Prairie, or the Waltons? The Sci-Fi Channel tried to cut the opening themes from both Stargate series (two great modern theme songs!), but fans protested so much they are added back in the second half of the season. Boston Legal is another series with a great theme. Hell, I even liked the Rembrandts song for Friends.

October 20 2006 at 1:58 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
RSL

I just want to give a shout out to the respective writers of two of the most awesome theme tracks I've heard in a long time: the theme songs to the Venture Brothers and the theme song to Harvey Birdman. Birdman, in particular, is amazing!

October 20 2006 at 11:37 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
froggirl

I think they are on life support, as you said. I like them, as long as they are short and catchy. Like you said, the Scrubs one is a good example. My current fave is the How I Met Your Mother song.

Best Theme Song Ever award goes to the Firefly opening. I still have that as a ring tone.

BSG is good, but it is too long. Though I usually skip right over it to get to the action, so they could have changed it and I'd never know. :)

October 20 2006 at 11:04 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jordan Running

Good riddance. I never used to mind theme songs, but now I realize that there's no excuse for a jingle and a montage taking up two minutes of a 22-minute show. I think 15 seconds is ideal. 30 seconds is tolerable. Anything longer than that is just more time for me to change the channel.

October 20 2006 at 1:54 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Erica

Don't forget Prison Break's opening theme.

October 19 2006 at 10:20 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Wayne

A couple stand out
- Veronica Mars
- The Wire
- Rescue Me !!!

Those are three theme songs I do not FF through. In fact Rescue Me's theme has become one of my favorite songs.

October 19 2006 at 10:10 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Fred

Matt Roush talks about this in this Monday's Ask Matt column:

http://www.tvguide.com/News-Views/Columnists/Ask-Matt/default.aspx

Yes, it used to be that every show had a theme song with the opening credits sequence. But, then again, there used to be a lot less television.

There are plenty of shows that I think work a whole lot better without theme songs.

October 19 2006 at 9:30 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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