TV shows that changed their themes

[Guy Profumo]

Captain Scarlet

[Patrick Thistle]

Everybody Loves Raymond switched to having Beethoven as its opening theme for a couple of seasons.

I know reworkings are out, but there has been quite a bit of variety in the Doctor Who theme over the years.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Can't believe it's taken to page 2 but I'll tap it in.... Top of the Pops.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Everybody Loves Raymond switched to having Beethoven as its opening theme for a couple of seasons.

In the same "universe" (sort of) King of Queens had a short intro in the first series then got its own bespoke theme song from series 2 onwards.

[Lymeswold Snork]

Reminded by the first post: Lost In Space.

Raymond also had Jungle Love for one series, and Drunken Sailor for another.

But for self-referential brilliance, the producers of Monk dealt with criticism of a theme change by having a character complain about a change to the theme of their own favourite show (I think it might even have been a motive for murder).

[Jah Womble]

The Monkees - obviously for some while it employed the better-known Monkees Theme, but briefly the song For Pete’s Sake was used over the title sequence.

[diggedy derek]

Sports themes did indeed change somewhat more frequently than many other programmes, and one that really stands out is BBC’s Rugby Special, which used to have a fat synth prog rock jam. It was so brilliant, and then they swapped it for something utterly anonymous. Indeed it seems to have changed a few times over the years.

The track then, to give it its full billing: Holy Mackerel! by Brian Bennett

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3lOD44Oexw

[MarkF]

Blue Peter

[caja-dglh]

If we are going for tap-ins, I will take "The 9 O'Clock News".

[Sits]

C4's Tour de France coverage. They should have kept Pete Shelley.

[Janik]

The first series of the X-Files had some minimalist thing. The famous theme only came later, possibly in series 2.

Edit - or maybe it was just the pilot episode. I know I’ve seen something from the very early days and reacted to the usual music not being there.

[G-Man]

I know this only because BJ Thomas died last month, but in the first season of the familiy sitcom Growing Pains, he sang the theme song all on his lonesome. As of Season 2, he duetted with Jennifer Warnes. And then he recorded it for his album with Dusty Springfield.

[lambers]

I was going to mention Monk, but Lymeswold Snork beat me to the punch.

The House theme changed from Teardrop by Massive Attack in season one to something specific to the show. I understand that the USA kept Teardrop through the whole run.

[Simon G]

Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place (starring Ryan Reynolds and the girl from the Foo Fighters "Breakout" video) not only changed it's theme but also changed it's name to just Two Guys and a Girl after the second season.

[Kevin S]

For some reason "Monkey Dust" springs to mind (although I might just be thinking that because they couldn't get the rights to the music for the DVD) and didn't "Peep Show" change its theme music after series 1 or 2?

I think I remember Monkey Dust as being That's Not Really Funny by Eels. Did it have a different theme at all?


Game On - the first choice was From Despair To Where by the Manics but was quickly replaced by Sneaker Pimps' song Where I Find My Heaven.

[Kevin S]

Apologies, it was Gigolo Aunts, not Sneaker Pimps.

[3 Colours Red]

I think I remember Monkey Dust as being That's Not Really Funny by Eels.

It was.

Did it have a different theme at all?

Certainly not on the broadcast versions, which are the only versions of series 2 and 3 you'll find (if you don't count the very brief period you could get some of them on iTunes) as they were never released on DVD (allegedly due to the teenage jihadi characters being a tad... problematic after the 7/7 London attacks).

Series 1 - there are music substitutions on the DVD but the theme remains intact IIRC.

[My Name Is Ian]

The Big Match replaced its theme tune twice around 1971-72. The content didn’t exactly ’change’ though.

The Big Match replaced its original theme music with this, for the 1972/73 season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn_dgqN1mR8

And then to this in 1973:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFr1CjQ3Dn4

And then to this - presumably to mark the fact that it was on Saturday nights for the first time, as part of the fallout from the "Snatch of the Day" debacle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubh9oAR7Ql4

Granada's history on this sort of thing is even weirder, but I'll spare you the details other than this mind-melting thing from 1976, which they had to rein in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b11lJ0sKTdU

This probably doesn't really count, but I watched one of the pilot episodes of Blankety Blank the other night and that had different music on it, which sounded really weird because the other music is just so familiar to anyone roughly my age.

[Jah Womble]

Ah, right you are. That 'interim' theme from 1972-73 is one I don't think I've heard since the time - I just recalled that there 'was' one.

The second theme posted is of course indelibly stamped into my subconscious.

[Discordant Resonance]

Red Dwarf had a rather solemn version of the theme tune in the early seasons, before speeding up the tempo in future series. Also partially different at the end than the beginning, with the "Mango Juice" lyrics.

[Stumpy Pepys]

I watched one of the pilot episodes of Blankety Blank the other night …

Lockdown has clearly hit you hard.

[My Name Is Ian]

This is what happens when you complete Netflix and YouTube.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Hold on, "one" of the pilot episodes of Blankety Blank - how many were there? Did they prevaricate for a long time before committing?

[Jah Womble]

I think it launched in Britain early in 1979 (?) - something like seventeen years after the US version, Match Game - so maybe there was more than one pilot attempt?

[My Name Is Ian]

I have two pilot episodes , both from 1978. I've only watched one of them in full, so couldn't tell you the differences between the two in much detail, but a quick scroll through them indicates that they were recorded at the same time, as Terry Wogan is wearing the same suit, shirt and tie for them both. Different guests, mind, though the format is almost exactly as later series.