#19
Big Bang Theory
Title: “The History of Everything”
Written: Ed Robertson
Composed: Barenaked Ladies
Performed: Barenaked Ladies
Bazinga!
CBS’s long-running show had this frenetic theme song that followed every cold open of the show (except the finale, which had an accustic version recorded).
#20
Gilligan’s Island
The Professor and Mary Ann get their credit in this version. They are no longer just “AND THE REST.”
We enter the Top 20 of the Top 100 with one of the most famous sitcoms of all time.
Title: “The Ballad of Gilligan’s Island”
Written: Sherwood Schwartz and George Wyle
Performed: The Wellingtons (season one); The Eligibles (season two and on)
Fact: The original theme that was replaced was a calypso version composed by EYG Hall of Famer John Williams.
Fact: Bob Denver (Gilligan) went to the studio and requested that “..the Professor and Mary Ann” was added to the theme song, and that Denver was willing to move his own credit to the end in order to accomplish this.
#21
Cheers
Title: “Where Everybody Knows Your Name”
Written: Judy Hart-Angelo and Gary Portnoy
Performed: Gary Portnoy
The theme song from Cheers is one of those that everybody knows. It is welcoming and familiar and has that lovely “come on in” vibe.
This show lasted from 1982-1993, and this theme was basically the same the entire time.
#22
X-Men ’97
Originally composed: Haim Saban and Shuki Levy (with work by Ron Wasserman)
New version composed by : The Newton Brothers
Guitar by: Nili Brosh
Originally releasd inthe 90s, this updated version of the theme was something that had to br any part of a return.
The Disney + series was highly regarded by fans of the original as well as new fans. The theme song is one of those that you NEVER SKIP. I always laugh at the “SKIP THEME” button when it comes up on Disney +.
It is so iconic of a theme, the Disney + series used a bit of the theme when they revealed that Kamala Khan was a mutant.
#23
Laverne & Shirley
Title: “Making Our Dreams Come True”
Composed: Charles Fox
Lyrics: Norman Gimbel
Performed: Cyndi Grecco
Backup: The Ron Hicklin Singers.
“Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!”
Laverne & Shirley was one of my favorite shows in the early 1980s and it kicked off every week with those Yiddish words. Of course, I had no idea what they meant… or what the words were. I would just sing along making it as close to the sounds as I could.
#24
Monk
Title: “It’s a Jungle Out There”
Written: Randy Newman
Performed: Randy Newman
Fact: Won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music
This song by Randy Newman was quirky and odd, much like our title character, Adrian Monk. This theme replaced an instrumental theme from season and ran for seasons 2-8.
Season one theme:
#25
The Addams Family
*snap, snap*
Composed: Vic Mizzy
Written: Vic Mizzy
Performed: Vic Mizzy
Additional voice: Ted Cassidy (Lurch)
The Addmas Family theme is known by everybody, even if you are not a longtime viewer of the series. The iconic snapping fingers is a whimiscal addition to the harpsicord-driven theme.
#26
Twin Peaks
Title: “Twin Peaks Theme” also associated with “Falling”
Composed: Angelo Badalamenti.
“Falling” Lyrics: David Lynch
Instruments: piano, synthesizer, and saxophone
The eerie, moody theme fits Twin Peaks’s mysterious tone to a tee. “Falling,” which is the version of the theme song with lyrics, was performed by Julee Cruise.
#27
Green Acres
Composed: Vic Mizzy
Performed: Eddie Albert & Eva Gabor
Instrumentation: harpsichord, fuzz guitar, and bass harmonica
I used to love watching the reruns of this show when I was younger, and the theme song was one of the reasons I loved it. I could sing this one at any time.
Green Acres is the first of the shows appearing on the TV Theme Songs banner to find its place in the Top 100.
#28
The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
Title: “Yo Home to Bel-Air”
Written: Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff
Performed: Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff
Fun fact: This theme song replaced a theme that had been originally composed by Quincy Jones.
The Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song has become iconic and it not only represented the show perfectly, but became an anthem for the 1990s.
#29
Mr. Belvedere
Title: “According to Our New Arrival”
Composed: Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart-Angelo
Performed: Leon Redbone
One of the lesser known shows on the Top 100 Theme Song list, Mr. Belvedere was a sitcom on ABC for several years. It featured Christopher Hewett and Bob Uecker as leads.
The theme song by ragtime singer Leon Redbone is full of jazz and lyrics of change.
#30
The Brady Bunch
Composed: Sherwood Schwartz and Frank De Vol
Performed (Season 1): The first season featured studio session singers (Paul Parrish, John Beland, and Lois Fletcher) with the musical track from the Peppermint Trolley Company.
Perfromed (Season 2-): The Brady cast members (kids)
There are few theme songs in the Top 100 countdown more iconic than the theme from The Brady Bunch. It is known worldwide and parodied by many, including the prince of parodies himself, “Weird Al” Yankovic.
The opening credits are fun and set the tone for the offbeat series featuring two blended families.
#31
Alice
Title: “There’s a New Girl in Town”
Written: David Shire
Lyrics: Alan and Marilyn Bergman
Performed: Linda Lavin
Alice was a solid show in the late 70s/early 80s that was based on martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The waitreses at Mel’s Diner was the standout reason for this show’s success, led by Linda Lavin, Polly Holiday and Beth Howard.
#32
Spectacular Spider-Man
Composed: Chuck Gil, Joey Medina, Ric Moon, and Steven Mungarro
Performed: The Tender Box
“Living on the edge / Fighting crime, spinning webs / Swinging from the highest ledge / He can leap above our heads”.
This theme song captured the energy and power of Peter Parker’s hectic life.
This is the third and final Spider-Man animated theme song to appear in the Top 100 TV Show Theme Songs and it is the highest ranked one. The others included #72 (Spider-Man 1967) and #60 (Spider-Man: The Animated Series).
Full theme:
#33
Beverly Hillbillies
“Oil, that is…“
Title: “The Ballad of Jed Clampett”
Composed: Paul Henning
Performed: Jerry Scroggins
Music: Lester Flatt (guitar) and Earl Scruggs (banjo)
One of the most standout theme songs of any show during the sixties, “The Ballad of Jed Clampett” brought the musical style of bluegrass to the forefront of American pop culture.
