Nice theme tune, shame about the show

[3 Colours Red]

Knight Rider wins this, surely?

Although honourable mentions go to those interminable over-saturated cheaply imported cartoon serials that the BBC festooned upon the Broom Cupboard during the arse-end of the 80s - Ulysses 31, Willy Fogg, Mysterious Cities of Gold etc.

[G-Man]

Knight Rider was OK, for its type of show.

Diff'rent Strokes is a contender for this thread.

I rather like Lazlo Bane's "Superman" but hated Scrubs after a couple of seasons, but I'm prepared to accept that others might feel the reverse.

[Toby Gymshorts]

Knight Rider was great, you madman. See also: Street Hawk and Airwolf.

[Patrick Thistle]

honourable mentions go to those interminable over-saturated cheaply imported cartoon serials that the BBC festooned upon the Broom Cupboard during the arse-end of the 80s - Ulysses 31, Willy Fogg, Mysterious Cities of Gold etc.

You forgot Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds.

I read somewhere that there were only a handful of Cities of Gold episodes but the BBC showed them on a loop which is why they always seemed like a repeat.

Best cartoon theme ever was Battle of the Planets. Can't really remember the show, but the theme tune was amazing.

[multipleman78]

Doctor Who
Cagney and Lacey
Dallas

[Benjm]

Cagney and Lacey

You're nuts; Cagney And Lacey was/is great.

Hawaii Five-0 (the remake of Hawaii Five-O)

The music is great, because it's pretty much a note for note recording of the original. The series, after a passable start, rapidly became horrendous, militaristic guff.

[Gerontophile]

The Hawaii Five-0 reboot included a cast crossover with NCIS which tells you all you need to know.

[Gerontophile]

Now that I am thoroughly sick of it, The Big Bang Theory theme is pretty good.

[Hot Pepsi]

Malcom in the Middle. Never got the appeal of the show. Asshole kids and a a mom driven around the bend.

[Snake Plissken]

I read somewhere that there were only a handful of Cities of Gold episodes but the BBC showed them on a loop which is why they always seemed like a repeat

All 39 episodes were broadcast in the original run from September 1986 to June 1987. It just was a massively long series that had a lot of filler. The flying golden eagle in the opening credits didn't show up for six months.

[Patrick Thistle]

Now that I am thoroughly sick of it, The Big Bang Theory theme is pretty good.

Last couple of times I've seen Barenaked Ladies play the Big Bang theme has been in the setlist.

[WOM]

The Hawaii Five-0 reboot included a cast crossover with NCIS which tells you all you need to know.

I have a soft spot (my head....I know) for both those shows. If they put on a reboot of Rockford Files and Columbo, I'd watch those too.

[Benjm]

I quite enjoyed the first couple of series of new 5-0, and the theme was enough to put me in a good mood for the hour anyway, but the relentless and clunky soldier love did for me eventually.

Saw a repeat of a quite bizarre mid-90s Murder, She Wrote the other day. The episode happened on the set of "Buds", a very closely observed take-off of Friends.

[ian.64]

Strange to realise that however popular Columbo remains, the series never had a recognisable theme tune to accompany it. Most other detective series did - to varying degrees of distinctiveness - but the dishevelled one never had his own signature melody. In hindsight, perhaps he never needed one.

[WOM]

Strange to realise that however popular Columbo remains, the series never had a recognisable theme tune to accompany it. Most other detective series did - to varying degrees of distinctiveness - but the dishevelled one never had his own signature melody. In hindsight, perhaps he never needed one.

<spits tea all over laptop>

WHAT? It only had the most marvellous and distinctive theme song ever; the Henry Mancini theme to the NBC Sunday Mystery Movie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbCg5ZFxgDM

[Cal Alamein]

As a kid I remember Columbo, McCloud, Banacek and others under the NBC Mystery Movie banner.

Here's the theme song - a not-so-bad Henry Mancini number.

And from watching it we can add McMillan and Wife and Hec Ramsey to the stable.

EDIT: Tintin beats me by two minutes!

[ian.64]

Yes, but Mancini's theme was an 'umbrella' tune not necessarily written for Columbo, was it? It was a theme to introduce a series of dramas. Columbo started off in different ways, with either some mood-setting score or no music at all. There were hints in one or two episodes in giving him a musical identity, but they didn't really work out.

On the subject thread title, I'd nominate Sorry, the Ronnie Corbett sitcom. A pleasingly amiable theme to a show I couldn't stand.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Johnny Staccato had a great theme (by Elmer Bernstein) and titles. I can't really remember too much about the show though. It wasn't on very long, in the UK at least.

77 Sunset Strip I do remember, and it was a lot lamer than it ought to have been. The theme deserved better.

[Eggchaser]

Ski Sunday.

[Beatle Simon]

The Money Programme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBsqrvsOrGY

[San Bernardhinault]

I assume this is specifically written theme music, rather than real songs purloined by television? Otherwise Top Gear, and Formula 1 on the BBC in the 80s, would clearly be in the game.

[Snake Plissken]

I assume this is specifically written theme music, rather than real songs purloined by television? Otherwise Top Gear, and Formula 1 on the BBC in the 80s, would clearly be in the game.

And Cover Up.

[3 Colours Red]

How could I have forgotten Tutti Al Mondo? Because I only need to say "World Cup on ITV", don't I?

[Satchmo Distel]

Black Beauty is a cracking tune.

[Gerontophile]

As an "adult", I can now say Bod and Friends.