[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] Jersey Joe’s Top 100 TV Themes (51-60)

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Posted by :Jersey Joe On : July 3, 2014

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Category: Archive, Been, Columns, Kickin' Back with Jersey Joe, Topics, Travel

Tags:Ashton Kutcher, cartoon, CBS, cops, CSI, CSI:NY, Empty Nest, Fame, Family Ties, Gary Sinise, Hill Street Blues, I Love Lucy, Lucillie Ball, NBC, Saturday morning, Saturday morning cartoon, sit-com, Smurfs, The Golden Girls, TV, Two and a Half Men, vintage TV

We’re coming up on the half way point of my top 100 TV Themes summer count down. I’ve never done a countdown show before, maybe we should do this more often! So far, we’ve focused mostly on oldies, now we’re going to start moving up towards the 21^st century.

Sadly, as TV progressed into the 21^st century, the new style was for shows to shorten or drop their theme songs all together to slam in more ad time. The standard sitcom now runs only 19 minutes without commercials!

Anyhow, I’ve got a few police show themes on my list this week… so let’s take a look!

#60 THE SMURFS

Airdates: 1981-1989 (NBC)

It’s a bunch of little blue people with giant white hats that live in a mushroom village. These little blue guys skyrocketed into popularity when they first aired on NBC Saturday mornings. Originally from a comic strip in Belgium, the show grew so popular that the Peacock Network expanded it to 90 minutes!

The cartoon regularly featured magic potions and stories set more in the medieval times, that’s until the last season when they started to add more time travel stories in an attempt to boost ratings.

In the end, it wasn’t low ratings that killed this show, it was The Today Show. NBC had plans to create a Saturday morning version of Today, however that didn’t happen for two more seasons after they pulled the plug on Papa Smurf.

Now, fans of the show can enjoy the two live action blockbuster movies, with a third planned to hit theatres next year.

#59 COPS

Airdates: 1989-2013 (FOX) 2013-present (Spike TV)

COPS was another of those early shows that helped put FOX on the map. What a simple and cheap concept to put on TV. It was essentially, TV’s first reality show. A camera crew rode around with police officers as they went on patrol and then edited the best action of the night down to 30 minute episodes.

This show was a staple of FOX Saturday night until last year, when new episodes moved to Spike TV. This series made it to air thanks to the 1988 Writer’s Guild of America strike. FOX needed new programming for their developing network and this reality show was it.

The theme song changed very little over the years with only the voice over slightly rewritten starting with season 3 to add “all suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.” As with most shows, FOX cut down the theme in the later years, dropping the entire second verse. Here’s the intro to one of the last FOX aired episodes with the revised voice over:

http://youtu.be/FLvH-2d6ruY

#58 CRIME STORY

Airdates: 1986-1988 (NBC)

When Miami Vice became an instant hit for NBC, they wanted another big blockbuster show to follow in the footsteps and the execs came up with Crime Story.

Crime Story followed the a big time crime boss from Chicago, who escapes to Las Vegas, and takes over organized crime there. This show was unique in that it changed cities from Chicago to Vegas in the first season. Season 2 takes place almost entirely in Vegas, except for the very end, where our crime boss escapes to Mexico, had there been a season 3.

Here’s a look at the awesome season 2 Las Vegas intro.

The show did a great job of turning 1980’s Chicago and Vegas into their 1950’s counterparts. If this series were on the air today, it would be all computer animation and green screens. That couldn’t be done back then, so they brought in vintage cars, changed street signs, and shot in older parts of the cities that could easily represent their old school theme.

The series featured 50’s music, cool 50’s cars, and lots of guns and violence. The show was one of the more violent on TV at the time. One scene used the nuclear testing in the Nevada desert as a plot to knock off a bunch of gangsters.

This series did great in the first season, but was killed in the ratings by CBS’s Dallas and Falcon Crest on Friday nights.

#57 HILL STREET BLUES

Airdates: 1981-1987 (NBC)

http://youtu.be/bABk47MVyug

Another of NBC’s gritty 80’s cop shows, Hill Street Blues opening credits put you right in the middle of the action. I love the dirty, raw shots of the city interspersed with the awesome piano theme. You know exactly what kind of cop show you’re getting into with this.

And when is the last time you saw an actor smoking in the opening credits?

#56 FAME

Airdates: 1982-1983 (NBC) 1983-1987 (Syndicated)

As you can see with the last few themes, NBC was the powerhouse of television in the 1980’s and they tried for another hit idea with this series dealing with high school kids in a performing arts school. However, a tough Sunday night time slot killed it on the network. When the show was sold into syndication for local stations – it became a hit.

Fame showed the lives to high school kids in a New York City performing arts school as they tried to make big names for themselves in show business. Looking back on these credits now, I don’t think many of them actually did!

#55 CSI: NY

Airdates: 2004-2013 (CBS)

Gary Sinise was the prefect choice to star in the third CSI spinoff, CSI:NY. I work in Manhattan and wish my office was as cool as the lab CSI was!

Over the years, the series survived a number of cast changes, including the departure of the show’s second star Melinda Kanakaredes. When CBS moved this show to Friday nights, I knew the end was near, but somehow it still managed to survive for several more seasons.

I actually like this series better than the original CSI or the first spin-off CSI: Miami. The streets of New York gave this series more drama and mystery as our detectives tried to piece together the weekly list of murders. Sadly, the show wasn’t always shot in the Big Apple and at times it was obvious to see when Los Angeles streets were being used, instead.

Baba O’Reilly really rocks here, though. Don’t you think?

Here’s a look at one of the final show opens and the cast changes are obvious.

#54 I LOVE LUCY

Airdates: 1951-1957 (CBS)

It was TV’s first mega-hit and it probably the most well known TV theme of them all. Everybody tuned in each week for Lucy’s next sit-com misadventure. The show made Lucy and Desi millionaires and has been on the air in reruns, ever since the original broadcast.

#53 FAMILY TIES

Airdates: 1982-1989 (NBC)

Another of NBC’s powerful 80’s sitcoms, Family Ties dealt with two 1960’s hippies that went on to raise a family, while tackling politics and liberal/conservative government debate on a weekly basis.

I always thought the second version of the opening credits with an artist painting a family portrait was cooler. No other show that I can think of has ever tried this style of credits, since.

As the kids grew up over the years, producers added another kid, as most do when they try to keep a show relevant in the later years.

Besides the sha-la-la-la at the end of the credits, most will remember the production company’s title card after the end credits that featured the famous dog, Ubu.

http://youtu.be/b21JjtknZ-Q

#52 EMPTY NEST

Airdates: 1988-1995 (NBC)

A spin-off of The Golden Girls and aired immediately after on Saturday night’s, Empty Nest told the story of Harry Weston, a pediatrician that lived across the street with his giant dog, Dreyfus. The characters from both shows crossed over so much that in the final seasons after The Golden Girls was cancelled, Sophia was brought in as a main cast member.

This show was freaking hilarious and was a great companion to The Golden Girls and it showed with big ratings! Remember when people watched TV on Saturday nights? NBC had such strong Saturday shows, people would tune in starting at 8pm and stay on through the local 11pm news.

In the earlier seasons, Harry worked in a Miami hospital as a pediatrician, but in later years, he was reassigned to a local clinic. The first concept was better, as it allowed him to interact with more kids, which added to the comedy.

In the later seasons, a more upbeat version of the main theme was introduced, which in my opinion was a great upgrade!

http://youtu.be/tazTm3e98ew

#51 TWO & A HALF MEN

Airdates: 2003-present (CBS)

I never really watched this show and I didn’t care for the premise or (worse) Ashton Kutcher, but for all the trouble behind the scenes, this show has a great theme.

While the credits really don’t introduce anything about the show, the barber shop singing theme is unique. It’s a popular show and I know I’m missing the bus on this one, somehow.

http://youtu.be/65_W6vezUx4

THE 411

What: TV Theme Songs

Use: themes used to open a TV series or cartoon

Purpose: introduce main cast and introduce audience to the theme of the series

Numbers reviewed: 51 – 60

JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:

We’re nearly half way done with the summer count down. I hope you’re enjoying this trip down TV memory lane as much as I am!

Check back next week when we take a look at numbers 41-50. Next week we’re going back to the 60’s, the most awesome car ever, and the scariest show I’ve ever watched on network TV!

I don’t own any of the rights to these, nor did I upload them to YouTube. This blog is presented for educational and informational purposes.

Image credit – Draconiansleet

[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] Jersey Joe’s Top 100 TV Themes (61-70)

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Posted by :Jersey Joe On : June 26, 2014

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I hope you’re enjoying counting down my top 100 TV themes! For the past three weeks, we’ve been having a blast! Now, it’s time to continue our summer countdown with numbers 61 – 70!

#70 MR. ED

Airdates: 1961 (Syndication) 1961-1966 (CBS)

A talking horse? That was the premise for this 60’s sitcom that was later be re-run over and over on Nick at Nite in the 80’s, giving a whole new generation a look at a real talking horse.

The show was first tried out on local stations for 8 months, before being picked up by CBS.

Ed was taken care of by clumsy architect Wilbur and would only speak to him. That added to the comedy as Wilbur would often be seen as psycho for talking to his horse. What’s wrong with that? I used to talk to my cat all the time and she’d usually meow to answer…

There were a few different theories on how they made the horse talk, including having Ed lick peanut butter, but it was revealed by the never credited off screen voice of Ed, that the horse was trained to lip read when a trainer would touch his hoof.

An Ohio preacher once claimed that Mr. Ed’s theme contains Satanic messages if played backward. Uh, huh…

#69 MARRIED WITH CHILDREN

Airdates: 1987-1997 (FOX)

You know you’re going to make a top 100 list, when Frank Sinatra sings your theme song!

The first sit-com that showed America the trashy side of life, this show was panned by critics for being too sleazy, but it put the FOX network on the map.

The opening credits changed a bit over the seasons, first because Ted McGinley joined the cast and secondly, because the kids grew up, so new shots were recorded each season.

The fun part of the intro is where Al Bundy give all his money away. First to the kids, then to the wife, and what’s left goes to the dog!

Here’s a bonus, would you like to see what Married with Children looked like in Brazil? Here’s their intro… notice the similarities?

#68 MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS

Airdates: 1993-1995 (FOX Kids)

Go! Go! Power Rangers! Every kid in the 90’s was singing this. The show was so bad, it was good!

It was a group of average teenagers, who had expert martial arts skills that transferred into a tight spandex costume to fought alien invaders. That’s what happened when you were a teen, right?

The series was loved for its use of over the top alien model footage from some other Japanese kids show.

The three seasons were rerun over and over about a zillion times and spawned a number of spin-offs. I just learned that several of the cast members walked off the set during season 2 and several episodes were completed using existing footage and stock shots. After a few episodes, three new teens were brought into replace them. This started the series tradition of introducing a new cast each season.

Here are the revamped credits from season 2:

Same song, but we get completely different cast shots for season 3. This time, it looks like they simply wheeled the camera out to the parking lot.

After three seasons in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers format, the show shifted gears to become Power Rangers Zeo. This version of the credits only used a portion of the original theme. And for some reason, the Rangers themselves changed colors.

Sadly, we lose the theme completely for Power Rangers Turbo. The show shift gears and themes each and every season from this point. Here’s a look at a few different openings and themes, none are as good as the original.

#67 WKRP IN CINCINNATI

Airdates: 1978-1982 (CBS) 1991-1993 (Syndication)

Fast forward to 2:54 for the season 2 opening credits.

WKRP was the show that made being a radio DJ cool. Back in the 70s, DJ’s made big bucks and you could call them up a make a request. Now, most of the radio stations are automated, but this series gave you a glimpse into their rock star lives.

One cool note was that the lyrics on the closing credits are completely made up. They were initially ad-libbed as a placeholder to be written later, but the producers loved the melody, so they went with it as is. Meaning, the lyrics that make absolutely no sense were used through the entire series run. Take a listen; see if you can figure out what’s being said.

This is one of the rare shows that were successfully brought back from the dead. Almost a decade after being canceled by CBS, it was brought back into syndication with new episodes for local stations to air. Many of the original cast returned, the theme was given an update and was known as The New WKRP in Cincinnati.

By the way, there is no real radio station known as WKRP.

#66 TINY TOON ADVENTURES

Airdates: 1990 (CBS, pilot only) 1990-1992 (Syndicated) 1992-1994 (FOX Kids)

We’ve already talked a little about Tiny Toon Adventures as being a spin-off from the popular Looney Tunes cartoon shorts. (see #85 Animaniacs). The original pilot aired as a one time only special on CBS, before heading to syndication. FOX Kids picked up the last two seasons for a total of 100 episodes.

This was another series that spawned a ton of spin-offs, but this was the first, and the best! Another Warner Bros. series where many of the jokes were aimed more at adults. FOX even aired several episodes and specials in prime time!

I really wish they would have never gone to the spin-offs and kept this series on the air. It could have lasted as long as the original Looney Tunes. There was a large cast of characters, so the story development was nearly endless. WB should take another look and bring this series back.

#65 MIAMI VICE

Airdates: 1984-1989 (NBC)

http://youtu.be/itU19NopUJY

Miami Vice was everybody’s must see TV – even on a Friday night! It showed the cool side of being a tough detective in the hot streets of Miami. Every week, the detectives took on drug traffickers and prostitutes. It also featured luxury cars, fast boats, and lots of gun fire!

This show started an 80’s fashion craze, where everyone was wearing sport coats and rolling up their sleeves. And don’t you love that strategically placed bouncing boob shot in the first few seconds of the open?

The original working title of the series was Gold Coast. I think they made the right choice!

#64 THE KING OF QUEENS

Airdates: 1998-2007 (CBS)

http://youtu.be/Oq5acVuQUo8

Thanks Kevin James, but I’ve been stuck in traffic on the Queensboro Bridge (now Ed Koch Bridge) too!

This sit-com was freaking hilarious and I once read online that many of the zany plot points came from the writer’s room, who were absolutely stoned out of their mind on drugs and drunk on scotch. That’s according to co-star Patton Oswalt. Who knows if that’s true or not, but some of the more funnier moments is Doug beating up a fast food drive thru order box, his best friend falling in love with a giant ice cream cone mascot, and Doug’s father getting taken for walks by a dog walker on a daily basis.

I don’t know how Doug kept his sanity, to be honest. If he wasn’t fighting with his wife, he was arguing with this father, or just ticking off his boss. Doug made it funny to be a fat, blue collar worker that most of us can relate to.

The first and second versions of the credits, showed a shot of the original World Trade Center that was edited out with a shot of the elevated 7 train after 9-11.

Later seasons used a condensed version of the theme and some shows only had a quick 5 second title card open.

Here’s a fun bonus – a short version of the opening credits from Croatia!

#63 ST. ELSEWHERE

Airdates: 1982-1988 (NBC)

It’s the show that brought Howie Mandel to television! No, it’s not really known for that, but the series was one of the bigger medical dramas to ever air. One of the more zany plots included a man that got pregnant! There was no medical matter off limits! It was basically, House for the 80’s… a decaying teaching hospital, where doctors always pull off some zany diagnosis in the closing minutes of the episode. Each episode took on a serious subject and injected moments of dark comedy.

Howie Mandel is not the only big name you’ll recognize from the credits!

#62 THE FLINTSTONES

Airdates: 1960-1966 (ABC)

Let’s all sing along together, now!

It’s The King of Queens in the form of a 1960’s cartoon! Each week, Fred and Barney would end up on another wacky adventure, whether it was battling the boss, looking for a get rich quick scheme, or just trying to escape the wives at The Loyal Order of Water Buffalos.

This show was only on the air 6 seasons, but the reruns are still on today. It also spawned 2 live action movies and even a cereal and vitamin line for kids. Everybody knows who Fred Flintstone is and he just had to make my list!

In the early days of the show, commercials were made with Fred and Barney selling Winston cigarettes. No wonder everybody smoked back then…

…and beer!

#61 FULL HOUSE

Airdates: 1987-1995 (ABC)

When you think of a family sit-com, Full House is it! You had everything, a widowed dad, his two best friends as room mates, and three girls that they’re helping him to raise.

Each week, we got a life lesson, a lot of laughs, and so many cutesy – cutesy moments.

As the series went on, the opening credits would get shorter and shorter, even though the cast would get larger. By the time we got to season 8, Michelle was not the cute little girl anymore and only got in the way of the shows plots, so Uncle Jessie got married and had two more kids of his own, adding at least three more names to the intro.

In an earlier blog, I looked at the original pilot open without Bob Saget in his now legendary role. Take a look… same song, same shots, different guy!

THE 411

What: TV Theme Songs

Use: themes used to open a TV series or cartoon

Purpose: introduce main cast and introduce audience to the theme of the series

Numbers reviewed: 61 – 70

JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:

Another great set of good old shows we got to review this week, but a few more recent series have now made it into the countdown. I’m still shocked at how they used the Flintstones to sell cigarettes and alcohol. Parents would throw a fit seeing SpongeBob selling those products!

Check back next week when we take a look at numbers 51-60. Next week we’ve got cops, cops, and more cops!

I don’t own any of the rights to these, nor did I upload them to YouTube. This blog is presented for educational and informational purposes.

Image credit – Adrian Patino

[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] Jersey Joe’s Top 100 TV Themes (71-80)

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Posted by :Jersey Joe On : June 19, 2014

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For the past two weeks, we’ve counted down the bottom 20 of my 100 top TV themes of all time. This week, we’re in the 70’s!

Anyhow, let’s take a look at the next group of ten.

#80 THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES

Airdates: 1962-1971 (CBS)

http://youtu.be/QtvTE3m5jpM

A poor, backwoods family finds oil and moves to Beverly Hills? It happened in this sitcom that was on for so long; it started off in black and white and ended in full blown color.

I guess for the original opening, they weren’t able to take the cast for a real drive down Rodeo Drive, so they used some really bad rear projection. You can see how the scene bumps up and down as the camera car hits a pot hole, but the cast shot stays steady.

However, when the show transitioned to color, they got it right and reshot part of the opening credits, including a real live shot driving down Rodeo Drive! When the show becomes a hit – the budget increases!

Just about everybody who was born up until the early 1980’s knew this theme song by heart. I think it was even played on the radio at one point.

The show was remade as a movie in the early 90’s with Jim Varney that was surprisingly pretty good. Most TV shows remade into movies these days just don’t work.

#79 227

Airdates: 1985-1990 (NBC)

It was the apartment building where everybody knew your name and loved to hang out. The show made Jackee Harry a TV icon with her Sandra character. However, by the time season 4 started, tension between her and star Marla Gibbs grew to such a point on the set, that executives gave Harry her own spin-off. Sadly, after the pilot aired the show was not picked up and Harry was off the air.

The show continued on, but Harry’s loss was a blow the series never recovered from. For season 5, they brought in a whole new slew of characters, but they couldn’t save the falling ratings. Producers brought Harry back for the last 7 episodes of the season, but it was too late and NBC canceled the show.

#78 AMEN

Airdates: 1986-1991 (NBC)

Another staple on NBC’s powerful Saturday night sit-com lineup, this usually aired at 8pm right before 227. Remember when Saturday night actually had half descent original programming?

Set in a Philadelphia church, this sit-com dealt with the antics of the less than holy Deacon Frye. The opening credits were recently parodied by Cleveland on Family Guy this season. This show was absolutely hilarious and I love the old Pennsylvania license plate on his giant car!

And check out the bonus end credits that were attached to the video. Did you happen to catch Cuba Gooding, Jr. as a guest star? That had to be early in his career.

For the show’s entire run, these credits never changed, outside of the addition of new cast members names on screen.

#77 DOOGIE HOWSER, MD

Airdates: 1989-1993 (ABC)

A simple keyboard theme is all you needed for this one.

A super genius kid becomes a practicing doctor, before he’s even a teen! That can really happen, right? Not if the insurance companies have anything to say about it! But, of course it can – thanks to the magic of television.

At the end of every episode, Doogie would turn on his computer, which at the time was really only a word processor (his life would have been so different had the internet existed then), and type about what he had learned that day. It always had some witty line and always had a cut away of Doogie as he pondered what he had learned. I wonder how many kids ended up doing journals thanks to this show?

This was another series where the credits changed very little over the years, just new shots of Neil Patrick Harris as he grew up.

#76 MR. BELVEDERE

Airdates: 1985-1990 (ABC)

I love the creative use of photographs, not only of Mr. Belvedere’s adventures, but also the multi shots of the cast.

Just by listening to the song, you know you’ve got a legendary butler that moves in with a family from Pittsburgh. What more do you need?

Here’s a look at the opening credits from the first two seasons. The slide show like opening from the pilot makes me sick. Glad they only used it once!

#75 THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JOHNNY CARSON

Airdates: 1962-1992 (NBC)

While the current incarnation of the show is hosted by Jimmy Fallon, Carson has long been considered the king of late night. Only David Letterman has recently passed this show on number of episodes and number of seasons.

Carson was not the first host of The Tonight Show. That was actually Steve Allen and it went on the air way back in 1954.

When Carson first took over as host, the show aired from 11:15pm – 1:00am. That’s 105 minutes! As more local stations began broadcasting 11pm news, Carson’s opening monologue was going unseen by the vast majority of the US. NBC then decided to move the show to 11:30 and trimming it to 90 minutes. In the 70’s, Carson grew tired of the 90 minute format and again trimmed the show to an hour. It was finally moved to the current 11:35 time slot in 1991, to allow affiliates more commercial time in their late news.

The opening credits have undergone massive changes over the years. Sadly, almost all of the pre-1971 shows have been lost. Videotape was expensive then and NBC would simply tape over the air checks with another show. There are years of great interviews and skits that will never again see the light of day.

#74 PICTURE PAGES

Airdates: in various forms 1974-1990 (CBS, Syndicated, and Nickelodeon)

I was so mad that I couldn’t have a pen that played music as you write. I’d still like to have one now to drive my co-workers nuts!

Bill Cosby would teach kids reading, writing, and arithmetic using a series of puzzles that you can send away for and play along.

The show actually started in Pittsburgh in 1974 when a local grocery store gave away the books. The segments went national in 1978 as part of the Captain Kangaroo program on CBS. Later, kids cable network Nickelodeon picked up the rights and aired it as a half hour show. Here’s a look at the seriously lame song on the Nick version:

#73 DUCKTALES

Airdates: 1987-1990 (Syndicated)

Scrooge McDuck and his three nephews were always going on an adventure to score more money. As a kid, I always thought it would be awesome to jump into Scrooge’s money pit vault. Now that I’m older, I realize that jumping face first into a deep vault of a zillion coins probably would really hurt. Also, money is quite filthy… who wants to swim in filth?

I actually won tickets to the spin-off movie DuckTales: Treasure of the Lost Lamp from a local TV station. The same station I ended up working at a decade later!

Thanks to the success of this show, Disney launched a whole afternoon of other cartoons including Tale Spin, The Gummi Bears, Chip ‘n Dale’s Rescue Rangers, Darkwing Duck, and a few more that I forget. DuckTales was always the first and the best, though.

This show only lasted 100 episodes, but it seemed to go on forever! DuckTales Woo-ooh!

#72 BONANZA

Airdates: 1959-1973 (NBC)

http://youtu.be/NP8qKiTltj0

A fictional ranch in Nevada back in the wild west days was the setting for this long lasting series. Another show that started out in black and white and made the switch to color.

It is the second longest television western in history behind Gunsmoke. It will probably stay that way, because people don’t seem to want TV westerns anymore.

I’ve seen a handful of episodes, but the cool part of the credits is how they set the map on fire and luma key to the first shot of video underneath. Pretty great idea that was ahead of it’s time.

And holy moley Jeanne Cooper does not look comfortable posing for her guest star credit show!

#71 SIMON & SIMON

Airdates: 1981-1989 (CBS)

http://youtu.be/osYdKFhzzlc

They were two complete opposites, but they ran a successful private detective agency together. It was basically, The Odd Couple of private eyes! It was one of the many action drama/comedy shows of the 80’s.

I remember watching the show from time to time and reruns still turn up occasionally, but it was the awesome guitar sax combo of the theme song they used starting with season three that made this one memorable. The shot of Gerald McRaney getting cold cocked through an open door is pretty priceless as well! (He went on to star in the Army sit-com Major Dad, right after this!)

Take a look at how the opening credits were for the first couple of seasons and you’ll agree that the classic guitar sax combo was a hit!

THE 411

What: TV Theme Songs

Use: themes used to open a TV series or cartoon

Purpose: introduce main cast and introduce audience to the theme of the series

Numbers reviewed: 71 – 80

JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:

I hope you enjoyed the look at the next group of themes. A few kids ones made it into the group this time. I still want a singing pen, Bill Cosby!

Check back next week when we take a look at numbers 61-70. We’ve got Zordon, a fat delivery guy that loves the Mets, and a talking horse!

I don’t own any of the rights to these, nor did I upload them to YouTube. This blog is presented for educational and informational purposes.

Image credit – James Vaughan

[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] Jersey Joe’s Top 100 TV Themes (81-90)

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Posted by :Jersey Joe On : June 12, 2014

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Last week, we kicked off the summer by checking out the bottom ten of my 100 favorite TV show themes of all time. This week, we’re looking at 81 – 90.

This is more than just a top 100 countdown list. Each show theme has been judged by theme song, style of video presented, and effectiveness at introducing what the series is all about.

Without further adieu… Here’s the next ten:

#90 BAYWATCH

Airdates: 1989-1990 (NBC) & 1991-2001 (Syndicated)

http://youtu.be/qPdeDV8zCWk

Oh, Baywatch! How I used to rush home from high school to watch your reruns everyday at 4pm on WJAC! What a perfect time for this show, right before the 5pm news!

The real beauty of this show was the slow motion running shots. But, most people don’t remember this actually started on NBC in 1989. The ratings from the first season weren’t that great and the show was cancelled by the peacock network. It was David Hasselhoff himself and the producers that kept the show alive when they pooled together their own money and took the show into syndication, where it was a hit!

Over the 12 seasons, the main cast of the show changed quite a bit.

With ratings dropping, the producers decided to move the show. They first tried to move it to Australia, but after from protests at the local town where they wanted to shoot, they settled on Hawaii for season 11.

By this time, the show was suffering from series writers block and ratings continued to sag. Hasselhoff left the show after a season into this format, and without the main star, it was canceled after the second Hawaii season. Here’s the last and final series intro with a completely different song:

One of the strangest things this series ever did was the dark, detective spin-off Baywatch Nights. The show ran for 2 seasons and had Hasselhoff battling murders and aliens! While it’s technically a different show, I had to make a note of it! Here’s a look at the opening credits with the song After the Sun Goes Down.

Season 1 was more of a murder/detective theme. But, it really went sci-fi for season 2. You now had Mitch the lifeguard battling ghosts and aliens. It didn’t work and the series was canned.

#89 THAT ‘70S SHOW

Airdates: 1998-2006 (FOX)

I generally hated this sit-com, but I must be in the minority because it was a ratings hit for a long time. I remember seeing the original FOX upfront presentation where the working show title was Hanging Around. By the time it hit the air, it was under the name we all came to know, That ‘70s Show.

They even did a special Christmas intro for a holiday special!

For me, it was one of those shows where the kids seemed to be too old to be – kids.

As the years went on, the stars made bigger names for themselves. For the last season Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher left to become movie stars. The show just wasn’t the same and could only last one more season. It’s hard to keep a show on the air when you lose two of the main cast members. Here’s a look at the opening from the final season:

http://youtu.be/acaixw3ckYQ

The show was supposed to start in the 70s and end in the 80s, but the FOX programming bosses decided to create a spin-off That 80’s Show. It was awful and lasted less than a season. Remember this? (the show open was as bad as the series and it doesn’t count for our top 100 list… just mentioning it here for the sake of bringing it up.)

http://youtu.be/vcX8GULcYDc

#88 MACGUYVER

Airdates: 1985-1992 (ABC)

This guy could get out of any situation with a pocket knife and duct tape! It was amazing to see what invention MacGyver would come up with to get of a life threatening situation week after week.

http://youtu.be/Y6_1bNYpMmM

Whether it was a big explosion, government corruption, or a murder spree – it was great to see MacGyver figure his way out and beat the bad guy. Too bad he never came up with a how to book!

#87 THE PEOPLE’S COURT

Airdates: 1981 – 1993 & 1997 – present (Syndicated)

What you are about to witness is real. These are not actors; they are actual litigants with a case pending in Civil Court. Both parties have agreed to drop their claims and have their cases settled here, in our forum, The People’s Court.

The People’s Court is television’s first ever dive into bringing court cases to the airwaves. While a similar show aired briefly in the 1960’s, the latest version helped spawn all the court show wannabe’s the dot daytime TV.

The original series was hosted by Judge Wapner and taped in Los Angeles. The latest series was first overseen by Judge Ed Koch, who passed away last year. The second judge was Judge Judy’s husband, Judge Jerry Sheindlin. He was too busy trying to copy the angry attitude of his wife and was replaced by the current judge, Judge Milian.

The latest version was taped in New York City, but last year production moved to Stamford, Connecticut.

http://youtu.be/DEvm4gN26pE

Even over all these years, that da-da-dah three note theme is one of the best. You know it’s time for court when you hear that music and the bongos kick in! It’s also great that the set has remained basically the same for over 30 years! Why mess with a winning formula?

#86 OUT OF THIS WORLD

Airdates: 1987-1991 (Syndicated)

How would you like to freeze time by just pressing your two index fingers together? Who wouldn’t, right?

This show was one of a package of sit-coms that were available for local stations to air, usually on the weekends in the late 80’s. This series dealt with a woman, who unknowingly marries a space alien and has a daughter who inherits her father’s alien powers. She is also able to talk to him, once per episode, by a diamond shaped device voiced by Burt Reynolds. The sit-com dealt with her growing up without a father and maturing into a woman, all while trying to hide her special powers to fit-in their California neighborhood.

#85 ANIMANIACS

Airdates: 1993-1995 (FOX) 1996-1998 (WB)

They just don’t make cartoons like this, anymore. The Animaniacs were both for kids and parents, alike. Many of the jokes were either topical, political, or classic TV satire that was way over some kid’s heads!

This series was basically a spin-off of Warner Bros.’ Looney Tunes and Tiny Toon Adventures. These three characters had been created decades ago; then locked up in the studio water tower for being so hilariously out of control. Although, we’re still not sure if they are cats, dogs, or just weird.

Most of the episodes where three short stories, just like the old Looney Tunes did. This may be the funniest cartoon show ever created! My favorite was their running gag that mocked William Shatner. That was pure gold!

One of their greatest bits was when Wakko sang every nation of the world! Pure genius!

This show should have run for a long, long time. But instead, the network wanted to take two of the genius mice characters, Pinky & the Brain and give them their own show.

#84 IT’S GARRY SHANDLING’S SHOW

Airdates: 1986-1990 (SHOWTIME)

If I ever had an intro to my own TV show – I would want a song like this!

The premise of this series was great. Garry was the host of a late night talk show. This series gave viewers a behind the scenes look at this home life and setting up for the show. He would also frequently break TV’s fourth wall by talking directly to the audience.

#83 EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND

Airdates: 1996-2005 (CBS)

The simple piano theme really didn’t fit in with the show’s material, but somehow it did work.

The early seasons of the show would have some kind of set up intro like this, but sadly as the seasons went on, they would drop any opening songs and roll the credits during the first few minutes of the show. It was another victim of shows ditching their opening credits for more ad time. I don’t know, maybe I’m a sucker for that soft jazz piano?

#82 FALCON CREST

Airdates: 1981-1990 (CBS)

I have to admit… I never watched this show. I remember the opening credits from when my grandmother would watch this every Friday night. It came on right after Dallas and we only had a couple of channels to choose from. (Who remembers having to turn the antenna and actually tune in a station?)

The show dealt with a rich family that owned a California winery. It was part of CBS’s Friday night soap operas full of money, crime, and power. Even after all these years, that powerful orchestral opening still stands out to me.

#81 BEVERLY HILLS 90210

Airdates: 1990-2000 (FOX)

Here’s another show that I never really watched, but everyone recognizes that opening theme!

A show about a bunch of rich kids in California ended up as a ratings blockbuster for FOX and just about every teen in the country was watching. As the series went on there were a few cast changes, but they always kept the theme generally the same. Every season they would do a new shoot with the cast laughing and carrying on in front of a white cyc. We all do that with our friends, too… Right?

In later seasons, the parents would be dropped from the series and from the opening credits.

THE 411

What: TV Theme Songs

Use: themes used to open a TV series or cartoon

Purpose: introduce main cast and introduce audience to the theme of the series

Numbers reviewed: 81 – 90

JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:

I hope you enjoyed the look at these second nine themes. Sorry that I wasn’t a fan of all the shows, but I am a fan of all the themes!

Check back next week when we take a look at numbers 71-89. We’ve got a talking horse, a pen that sings, and the king of late night!

I don’t own any of the rights to these, nor did I upload them to YouTube. This blog is presented for educational and informational purposes.

[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] Jersey Joe’s Top 100 TV Themes (91-100)

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Posted by :Jersey Joe On : June 5, 2014

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Category: Been, Columns, Kickin' Back with Jersey Joe, Topics, Travel

Tags:American Gladiators, CBS, drama, FOX, Hogan Family, Home Improvement, Mama's Family, Maude, NBC, New Girl, Punky Brewster, Seaquest DSV, series, sitcom, syndicated television, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, television, The OC, TV, TV theme

Quentin Tarantino once said in an interview that opening credits in movies are the only mood time a film really gives itself. That can also be said for the opening credits to TV series. Along with the actors’ names, you also get a feel for the show thanks to the visuals and the theme song. Sadly, as TV continues to look for more ways to jam in more ad time, TV themes have mostly gone by the wayside. I long for the days, when you would watch a show and after many weeks, you would have that theme song stuck in your head.

This summer, I’ve decided to list my top 100 favorite TV themes. This started off as a great idea, but turned out to be a much harder task. In fact, I had more than 100 on the list. There were lots that I had to leave behind.

To make my top 100, the show opens had to meet several factors. First, the theme song: if it’s not a catchy tune, then it’s no good. It doesn’t necessarily something you sing along to, but it has to be something that sets the mood of the series. Second, it would have to be the visuals. There’s no sense having an awesome song if you’re going to play it over a black background. I need to know what the show is about and the theme is the perfect fit. Lastly, the theme has to accurately reflect the show. If the show is a comedy, then it needs to have a light and happy theme.

Hopefully, you will enjoy this look back at some of your favorite shows and a few that you’ve probably forgotten about. Along with the showing you the show open, I’ll discuss why I liked the theme, and offer my own insights into the show. In some cases, I will also present alternate versions as well. For better or worse, some shows would change up their themes during the series run.

So, like Casey Casem’s old radio show, here are my top 100 themes. This week, we’re counting down numbers 100 to 91.

#100 MAMA’S FAMILY

Airdates: 1983-1984 (NBC) & 1986-1990 (Syndicated)

That was a look at the season 1 opening when the show aired on NBC. When the series was canceled, a year later in entered syndication, where some of the best episodes took place. When the brought the show back, they dropped the two kids and introduced Bubba, Thelma’s juvenile delinquent grandson.

I had no idea this is a thing, but apparently there’s a Mama’s Family challenge that was going on YouTube. The object is to stare directly at the screen while the Mama’s Family theme played and try not to smile. I don’t know – did this guy succeed?

#99 MAUDE

Airdates: 1972-1978 (CBS)

A spin off of All in the Family, Maude gave America our first look at Bea Arthur. Her priceless facial reactions made her the perfect choice to lead her next, more successful show The Golden Girls less than a decade later.

I love how this open give you a look at a 1970’s New York City. You get to see the now demolished West Side Highway, which I am ever so thankful that I never had to drive on!

One of the craziest things I’ve ever done was to memorize this song after my friend Mike’s 30^th birthday party. It seemed like a good idea at the time and I stayed up for hours doing so… in full disclosure, I got talked into it after a few too many libations in a Hoboken bar. Hey, I blew his mind when I came to work the following Monday and sang it word for word! Still, that story’s not as funny as what The Family Guy did to the Maude credits…

http://youtu.be/fjWhDLbr3MA

#98 THE HOGAN FAMILY

Airdates: 1986-1990 (NBC) 1990-1991 (CBS)

http://youtu.be/kjtGXztRJuc

It’s the show that had three different titles and the main star walk off the show.

When it first aired on NBC, the series was known as Valerie starring Valerie Harper. Yes, Rhoda from Mary Tyler Moore. She got into a dispute with the producers and walked off the show at the end of season two. She obviously ticked off the NBC executives as well, so they killed her off!

For season three, they brought in Sandy Duncan to take care of her mourning family and re-titled the show first as Valerie’s Family: The Hogans and then simply to The Hogan Family.

The expression on Sandy Duncan’s face after she catches that ball in the second shot drives me nuts. What would she have looked like if it had bounced off of her head?

Here’s a look at the same show open during the first season Valerie Harper year. Enjoy the bonus commercial for Chic jeans!

#97 AMERICAN GLADIATORS

Airdates: 1989-1996 (Syndicated)

How about those original American Gladiators? I would have given anything to sit in the audience of this show back in the day. I’m sure I would have died running around in those giant spheres or the final Eliminator, but it would have been fun to shoot Nerf balls at the Gladiator for points.

NBC tried to bring this show back in 2008 during the WGA Writer’s Strike, because there’s no script to write. That version, with Hulk Hogan, had very little resemblance of this fun original and flat out stunk. It was only on the air for a few disappointing episodes.

At one point, they tried to bring this as a live show to the Las Vegas Strip, but it got tied up in legal matters. There was a dinner show, similar to Medieval Times, featuring many of the original Gladiators that ran for less than a year in Orlando, Florida during 1996.

#96 HOME IMPROVEMENT

Airdates: 1991-1999 (ABC)

This was a look at the season two and three opening credits for Home Improvement. This was the longest version, before they started cutting back as well to shove more ad time in.

The open changed several times over the years as the kids got older, but generally kept the same basic theme.

Remember when Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson got her start at Tim’s first assistant on Tool Time? No wonder he grunted!

#95 SEAQUEST DSV

Airdates: 1993-1996 (NBC)

It was Star Trek under the sea and NBC was looking to cash in. This show had a ton of potential, but sadly was a victim of constant network tinkering. Like why did they blow up the ship at the end of the first season?

For the third and final season, they picked the whole ship up and put it on an alien planet to add even more sci-fi adventure that just didn’t work. The show got so bad, that the captain Roy Scheider quit after season 2.

#94 NEW GIRL

Airdates: 2011-present (FOX)

This second version of the New Girl theme is 100% better than the first. While the song is still sung by Zooey Deschanel, the original opening had the cast sitting on a coach over a white cyc, while Zooey just kind of danced around.

This is one of the few sit-coms on TV right now that still has a show open. Occasionally, they will cut it short or not use it at all, when an episode runs a little long.

The original working title for the show was Chicks & Dicks. I can see why that didn’t clear the FOX censors.

#93 THE OC

Airdates: 2003-2007 (FOX)

While I was not a regular viewer of this show, I really liked the opening credits. The show used a great deal of indie rock songs and did the same for the opening. Phantom Planet’s California, still gets an occasional play on the radio and at sporting events regarding California teams.

The graphics, cast shots, and b-roll almost make you feel as though you are sitting on a West Coast beach!

The credits changed only very slightly throughout the four seasons.

#92 PUNKY BREWESTER

Airdates: 1984-1986 (NBC) 1986-1987 (Syndication)

As a kid, a remember watching this show, and thinking how cool Punky was with all of her adventures. Now, as an adult, I realize some of the episodes have some very dark tones such as the fight over adoption, drug use, and even sex!

I haven’t seen an episode of this series in decades, but that theme song is still stuck in my head. At least this song does the trick. By the time you get to the end, you completely understand that an old single guy adopts a rag tag orphan girl. That’s a sure recipe for 80’s sitcom success!

#91 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

Airdates: 1987 (pilot only, Syndication) 1998-1993 (Syndication) 1990-1996 (CBS)

Heroes in a half shell – turtle power!

They were actually singing this theme one night last year on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and it instantly brought back memories. As a kid, this show was on weekday afternoons and also Saturday mornings! That’s a lot of turtle power!

Another great theme song with another great show open. You knew exactly what you were getting into seeing the start of this show.

I always wanted to dress up as one of the turtles for Halloween, but sadly never have.

I did learn in doing research for this blog that when the show aired in Europe, it had to be retitled Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles due to controversy over some of the weapons used on the show. Check out the altered open and really bad editing.

http://youtu.be/iaNc-fLwXhQ

But, with all of their fighting skills, why couldn’t they ever defeat Shredder?

A new version of this series showed up on FOX, CW, and Nickelodeon a decade later and was only vaguely related to this series.

THE 411

What: TV Theme Songs

Use: themes used to open a TV series or cartoon

Purpose: introduce main cast and introduce audience to the theme of the series

Numbers reviewed: 91 – 100

JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:

I hope you enjoyed the look at these first nine themes. I had to disqualify one of my original picks, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. It seems copies of this open have been taken down from YouTube over a copyright issue with the composer. I’ve found many episodes uploaded to the site, but without the opening credits.

Kick back again with me next week when we take a look at numbers 81-99. We’ll have girls in bikinis, a guy who can do anything with duct tape, and the theme song for a judge!

I don’t own any of the rights to these, nor did I upload them to YouTube. This blog is presented for educational and informational purposes.

Image credit – James Vaughn