Greatest Pre-2000's TV Theme Music
by Dibyayan_Chakravorty | created - 26 Jun 2016 | updated - 08 May 2018 | PublicThese pre-2000's TV shows have some of the most famous and memorable theme music of all-time. Which of these TV shows do you think has the greatest main theme?
After voting, you may discuss the poll here.
Also vote for: Greatest Post-2000's TV Theme Music
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1. The Adventures of Tintin (1991–1992)
30 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
The adventures of the young reporter, his faithful dog and friends as they travel around the world on adventures.
Stars: Colin O'Meara, Thierry Wermuth, Christian Pelissier, Henri Labussière
Votes: 16,309
Composed by Ray Parker and Tom Szczesniak.
2. Star Trek (1966–1969)
G | 50 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.
Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols
Votes: 70,637
Composed by Alexander Courage.
3. Fawlty Towers (1975–1979)
30 min | Comedy
Hotel owner Basil Fawlty's incompetence, short fuse, and arrogance form a combination that ensures accidents and trouble are never far away.
Stars: John Cleese, Prunella Scales, Andrew Sachs, Connie Booth
Votes: 82,170
Composed by Dennis Wilson.
4. Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995)
PG | 23 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
The Dark Knight battles crime in Gotham City with occasional help from Robin and Batgirl.
Stars: Kevin Conroy, Loren Lester, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Bob Hastings
Votes: 83,159
Composed by Danny Elfman.
5. Seinfeld (1989–1998)
PG | 22 min | Comedy
The continuing misadventures of neurotic New York City stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his equally neurotic New York City friends.
Stars: Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, Jason Alexander
Votes: 244,515
Composed by Jonathan Wolff.
6. The Twilight Zone (1959–1964)
G | 51 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Ordinary people find themselves in extraordinarily astounding situations, which they each try to solve in a remarkable manner.
Stars: Rod Serling, Robert McCord, Jay Overholts, Vaughn Taylor
Votes: 67,875
Composed by Bernard Herrmann.
7. Mission: Impossible (1966–1973)
G | 50 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
An elite covert operations unit carries out highly sensitive missions subject to official denial in the event of failure, death or capture.
Stars: Peter Graves, Barbara Bain, Greg Morris, Peter Lupus
Votes: 7,718
Composed by Lalo Schifrin.
8. The X Files (1993–2018)
14A | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two F.B.I. Agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained, while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.
Stars: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, William B. Davis
Votes: 192,770
Composed by Mark Snow.
9. The A-Team (1983–1987)
PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
Four Vietnam vets, framed for a crime they didn't commit, help the innocent while on the run from the military.
Stars: George Peppard, Mr. T, Dwight Schultz, Dirk Benedict
Votes: 33,209
Composed by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter.
10. The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968)
G | 30 min | Comedy, Family
Widower Sheriff Andy Taylor, and his son Opie, live with Andy's Aunt Bee in Mayberry, North Carolina. With virtually no crimes to solve, most of Andy's time is spent philosophizing and calming down his cousin Deputy Barney Fife.
Stars: Andy Griffith, Ron Howard, Don Knotts, Frances Bavier
Votes: 11,624
Composed by Herbert W. Spencer and Earle Hagen.
11. The Simpsons (1989– )
14A | 22 min | Animation, Comedy
The satiric adventures of a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield.
Stars: Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Harry Shearer, Julie Kavner
Votes: 354,243
Composed by Danny Elfman.
12. Law & Order (1990–2010)
45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Follows a crime (usually a murder), usually adapted from current headlines, from two separate vantage points, the police investigation and the prosecution in court.
Stars: Jerry Orbach, Jesse L. Martin, Dennis Farina, S. Epatha Merkerson
Votes: 30,750
Composed by Rob Dougan.
13. ALF (1986–1990)
G | 30 min | Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi
A furry alien wiseguy comes to live with the Tanner family after crashing into their garage.
Stars: Mihaly 'Michu' Meszaros, Paul Fusco, Max Wright, Anne Schedeen
Votes: 30,503
Composed by Alf Clausen and Tom Kramer.
14. Dragnet 1967 (1967–1970)
30 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Police Detective Sgt. Joe Friday and his partners investigate crimes in Los Angeles.
Stars: Jack Webb, Harry Morgan, Don Ross, Clark Howat
Votes: 2,176
Composed by Walter Schumann.
15. Taxi (1978–1983)
G | 30 min | Comedy
The staff of a New York City taxicab company go about their job while they dream of greater things.
Stars: Judd Hirsch, Jeff Conaway, Danny DeVito, Marilu Henner
Votes: 11,109
Composed by Bob James.
16. Roseanne (1988–2018)
PG | 21 min | Comedy, Drama
A revival of the popular 1990s sitcom "Roseanne", which centered on the everyday life of an American working-class family.
Stars: Roseanne Barr, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Michael Fishman
Votes: 38,711
Composed by Dan Foliart and Howard Pearl.
17. Rugrats (1990–2006)
G | 30 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
The cartoon misadventures of four babies and their snotty older cousin as they face the things in life they don't understand.
Stars: Elizabeth Daily, Christine Cavanaugh, Nancy Cartwright, Kath Soucie
Votes: 31,065
Composed by Mark Mothersbaugh.
18. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)
14A | 44 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
A young woman, destined to slay vampires, demons and other infernal creatures, deals with her life fighting evil, with the help of her friends.
Stars: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Head
Votes: 124,863
Composed by Charlie Dennis.
19. Sex and the City (1998–2004)
14A | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Four female New Yorkers gossip about their sex lives (or lack thereof) and find new ways to deal with being a woman in the late 1990s.
Stars: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon
Votes: 102,354
Composed by Douglas J. Cuomo and Tom Findlay.
20. Perry Mason (1957–1966)
60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The cases of a master criminal defense attorney, handling the most difficult of cases in the aid of the innocent.
Stars: Raymond Burr, Barbara Hale, William Hopper, Ray Collins
Votes: 4,757
Composed by Fred Steiner.
21. Bonanza (1959–1973)
PG | 49 min | Western
The Wild West adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their Nevada ranch while helping the surrounding community.
Stars: Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Dan Blocker, Pernell Roberts
Votes: 7,634
Composed by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans.
22. Hawaii Five-O (1968–1980)
60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The investigations of Hawaii Five-0, an elite branch of the Hawaii State Police answerable only to the governor and headed by stalwart Steve McGarrett.
Stars: Jack Lord, James MacArthur, Kam Fong, Herman Wedemeyer
Votes: 5,454
Composed by Morton Stevens.
23. Ironside (1967–1975)
60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Wheelchair-bound detective Robert T. Ironside battles the bad guys on the streets of San Francisco.
Stars: Raymond Burr, Don Galloway, Don Mitchell, Barbara Anderson
Votes: 2,938
Composed by Quincy Jones.
24. The Rockford Files (1974–1980)
PG | 50 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The cases of an easy going ex-convict turned private investigator.
Stars: James Garner, Noah Beery Jr., Joe Santos, Luis Delgado
Votes: 6,593
Composed by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter.
25. Doctor Who (1963–1989)
PG | 45 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
The adventures in time and space of the Doctor, a Time Lord who changes appearance and personality by regenerating when near death, and is joined by companions in battles against aliens and other megalomaniacs.
Stars: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker
Votes: 34,511
Composed by Ron Grainer.
26. The Avengers (1961–1969)
G | 60 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A quirky spy show of the adventures of eccentrically suave British Agent John Steed and his predominately female partners.
Stars: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Honor Blackman, Linda Thorson
Votes: 6,363
Composed by John Dankworth.
27. The Prisoner (1967–1968)
50 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
After resigning, a secret agent is abducted and taken to what looks like an idyllic village, but is really a bizarre prison. His warders demand information. He gives them nothing, but only tries to escape.
Stars: Patrick McGoohan, Angelo Muscat, Peter Swanwick, Peter Brace
Votes: 12,056
Composed by Ron Grainer.
28. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964–1968)
50 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
The two top Agents of the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement (U.N.C.L.E.) fight the enemies of peace, particularly the forces of T.H.R.U.S.H.
Stars: Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Leo G. Carroll, John Herman Shaner
Votes: 4,583
Composed by Jerry Goldsmith.
29. Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974)
PG | 30 min | Comedy
The original surreal sketch comedy showcase for the Monty Python troupe.
Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle
Votes: 65,061
Composed by John Philip Sousa.
30. UFO (1970–1971)
45 min | Action, Sci-Fi
The missions of the Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organization, which defends Earth from extra-terrestrial threats.
Stars: Ed Bishop, Dolores Mantez, Michael Billington, Ayshea Brough
Votes: 2,711
Composed by Barry Gray.
31. The Persuaders! (1971–1972)
60 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Two worlds collide when the titled Englishman, Lord Brett Sinclair, and the Bronx-raised, self-made American Danny Wilde, reluctantly join forces to right wrongs, and to protect the innocent.
Stars: Tony Curtis, Roger Moore, Laurence Naismith, Juliet Harmer
Votes: 4,536
Composed by John Barry.
32. The Benny Hill Show (1969–1989)
30 min | Comedy
A skit based show with Benny Hill, often containing smutty humour.
Stars: Benny Hill, Henry McGee, Jackie Wright, Bob Todd
Votes: 4,320
Composed by Boots Randolph and James Rich.
33. Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–1962)
25 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Series of unrelated short stories covering elements of crime, horror, drama, and comedy about people of different backgrounds committing murders, suicides, thefts, and other sorts of crime caused by certain motivations, perceived or not.
Stars: Alfred Hitchcock, Harry Tyler, John Williams, Patricia Hitchcock
Votes: 14,279
Composed by Charles Gounod.
34. The World at War (1973–1976)
52 min | Documentary, History, War
A groundbreaking 26-part documentary series narrated by the actor Laurence Olivier about the deadliest conflict in history, World War II.
Stars: Laurence Olivier, Anthony Eden, Averell Harriman, Albert Speer
Votes: 21,023
Composed by Carl Davis.
35. ER (1994–2009)
44 min | Drama, Romance
The lives, loves and losses of the doctors and nurses of Chicago's County General Hospital.
Stars: Anthony Edwards, George Clooney, Julianna Margulies, Eriq La Salle
Votes: 48,523
Composed by James Newton Howard.
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