Tuesday, April 20, 2010

WAY DOWN IN THE HOLE: That the Emmys are eliminating the "best theme music" category comes as no surprise--themes have been becoming less common for several years, and even shows that start off with theme music (Grey's Anatomy, Community) dropping it to make way for more story time, or shows that go with just a very brief (5-10 second) musical sting (NCIS: LA, V, Lost, Modern Family, The Good Wife). But even aside from HBO's magnificent main titles (The Wire, Six Feet Under, Treme), there are still good ones out there--Friday Night Lights, Parks & Recreation (and Jabba the Hutt!), Parenthood--and even a short theme can be very effective (Lost, HIMYM). I hope we're not losing it entirely.

10 comments:

  1. Paul Tabachneck3:21 PM

    Robin and I once had an epic YouTube debate on LiveJournal about whether theme songs should stick around, using specific examples as pro/cons.  It broke down when we both presented 90210's cast-high-fiving-in-front-of-a-backdrop credits -- I felt it was a con, she felt it was a pro.  We never did find a resolution.

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  2. Tosy and Cosh3:34 PM

    While Treme has litle to offer 6-year olds, the theme music does make excellent dancing-in-the-living-room accompaniment.

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  3. I was fond of the American Dreams theme.

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  4. Wait, so I'm not the only person who watched that show?! I really liked the theme song, too.

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  5. Watts5:09 PM

    I love the opening credits for Human Target.  That show has really great production values, so much so that you feel like you're watching a movie.  The credits reinforce that feeling. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIAfec105Sk

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  6. Jenn.6:08 PM

    I love the theme to Chuck.

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  7. calliekl8:47 PM

    I'm a big fan of the theme to Mad Men.

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  8. Nancy8:51 PM

    Chuck has a great theme- and I love Big Bang Theory too.

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  9. Lurker David9:03 PM

    I like it too, but I liked it before it was Chuck's theme song.  It's just a good song, and doesn't have anything to do with Chuck and/or spies.

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  10. christy in nyc11:10 PM

    I really, really love the Modern Family brief musical sting.

    The Community one reminds me of the United States of Tara one, both the music and the animation.

    I literally got up and danced during the ending credits of this week's Treme. I do not have a six-year-old. Just me.

    The new Big Love theme sequence grew on me as the season itself got more and more ridiculous for some reason.

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