What tv themes constantly play in your head?

For me it's:

The Crystal Maze
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Postman Pat

Friends

You will never EVER get that song out of your head

The peppy opening tune from Parks & Rec, which quickly goes from charming to annoying.

The theme from the 1950s Superman series, including the narration. Oddly, I often forget about the "And now for another exciting episode in the adventures of Superman!" part. It was omitted from the opening of "Stamp Day for Superman"--an episode that was never part of the series proper, having been funded as a piece of propaganda for the U.S. Treasury's saving stamp program. Consequently, it was available for dirt cheap on VHS, which I wore it out as a kid.

The original Star Trek theme is a sticky one. As a musician, I often find that the only way to exorcise a tune that sticks as stickily as this one is to write it out on paper. (A transcription program, actually, but same dif.) I'm not sure why this works.

Got that right, same goes for Will And Grace.

In West Philadelphia, born and raised...

"The Dick Van Dyke Show."

Over.

and over

and over....

Doctor Who must win the prize for the longest surviving TV theme that almost everyone must recognise from the first two bars.

Hmmm.that's a pretty tough call...where are you writing from? Plenty of Americans have never even heard of Dr. Who.

Some long standing themes are older than that that are easily recognizable (in the US anyway) like "Dragnet". I can't recall the show or movie it was from, but I remember the put- down along the lines of "He's the kind of guy where if he hear's the William Tell Overture he can't help but think of The Lone Ranger". I think it may have been Charles Emerson Winchester in M*A*S*H who delivered it.

I have a music CD at home I bought that is all classical music that was used as part of TV show themes, prominent within shows, or in TV commercials. Tracks come from Flying Circus, Masterpiece Theater, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, etc. Good stuff.

Haven't thought about that! Sounds very clever. I will try that.
Well I think it works best when you can read music and of course with tunes which heavily rely on melody, something which has been lost somewhere in the 90s. I had to deal with tunes sticking in my head all my life: I rehearsed a cover or mixed someone else's tune for like 8 hrs straight and then go to bed. Sure all you hear is "loops" of that darn tune. I "counter attack" the tune sticking in my head with a totally different well known cheezy "happy" tune. That also works.

On topic: I haven't been watching much tv lately. As a kid (yep, I am that old) I have seen so many episodes of Bonanza, that this tune (which I find awful BTW) never will go out of my head. Star Trek is way cooler - and it also sticks in my head, but I like that. That female voice carrying the melody and the F-horns responding - and with a great percussion arrangement - awesome!
Others (did I say: yep, I am that old? )
The A-Team
The Knight Rider *sticks fingers into mouth to provoke vomiting*
The Simpsons
The Muppet Show
For some reason I really want to like the Family Guy theme "It seems ta-daaay, that all ya see, is violence in movies, and sex on tv....." - but the melody is rather weak (writer's block?) but the voices and orchestration are top shelf.

Match of The Day

Hope & Faith Anyone else secretly love that show?

Not even you "secretly" love it. You've been outed! But, no, I've never seen it. I have seen The King of Queens, however, and I greatly disliked what I saw. That's just me. That's how I "roll".

I secretly love Buffy The Vampire Slayer, however, and really like the surfy theme. Especially the first three (maybe four) seasons when Willow is shown screaming at the same moment a clearly unrelated scream is played IN TIME. Perhaps I've said too much.

Although Freaks and Geeks didn't have an original theme (they use an edited version of Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation") I found, after repeated viewings of that cult-too-late show, that I kind of like that song. Especially the Love Is All-ish "no no no no no no no no" element. Cool. Anyone else a Love Is All fan? Anyone heard of that band, even? They were FUCKING INCREDIBLE live. Great show. Le Tigre also had a memorable set. The Flaming Lips were also great. This all was years and years ago. The Flaming Lips still have an audience. Love Is All? Le Tigre? Not quite as successful.

Someone should probably mention the theme to "Cheers". So there goes the obligatory mention.

Oh I HATE king Of Queens! It's almost as bad as Everybody Loves Raymond.

I'll be honest upfront, I have NEVER watched a single episode of Buffy(though I did see the movie)

Oh dude... yes. Yes. I've seen at least four full episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond and totally agree. It's on TV Land... awwwwwwwwwwwww so fucking bad. And mean-spirited. Just horrible and unfunny and, like you, I don't know why anyone would actually watch and/or like it. Fucking terrible. One of the worst sitcoms I've ever seen. I'm glad that The King of Queens is ranked alongside as totally unwatchable. Another fucking terrible sitcom. What the hell, CBS?

There have been sitcoms that I liked: Cheers, as stated. My wife loves that one with Jason Segel and Doogie (I forgot the name and had to look it up: it's called 'How I Met Your Mother') and even though that's no good (the lead actor is a pussy... sorry to all 'pussies' and 'fans of the show') it's still not terrible. People tell me 'The Office' is good but, well, no thanks.

Sitcoms! There aren't that many good ones. Clearly. I have no doubt 'Hope & Faith' is good because statistics tell me that the meeting ground between quality and public acceptance must yield at least some truth to the statement "Some sitcoms are good."

I watched "Frasier" when it was on in the early, early morning. It was the only thing on when I was getting ready for work. Not bad. Kelsey Gramma/er played the character as an effete gay man that was dating women because he didn't want to disappoint his father. Or so says me.

Also: I liked the Buffy The Vampire Slayer movie. Great? Not at all. Entertaining and with a great scenery-chewing performance from Paul "Please Stop Calling Me Pee Wee Herman" Reubens. I own it, in fact. Bought it for something like ~$5.00 from a Wal-Mart.

The television show? Brilliant. Save for the fourth season which sucked.

Yeah, CBS is a dead zone when it comes to comedy, Two And Half Men was the only show I ever bothered watching on there, and thanks to Sheen's antics that'll likely be gone soon(unless of course Sheen somehow gets his job back, which unfortunately I don't see happening)

Frasier never really did much for me, it was funny on occasion, but not something I felt compelled to watch on a regular basis. One spin-off I loved but most people hated was the Friends spin-off Joey i've got that shows theme stuck in my head now too!

Definitely Dr. Who. And Dukes of Hazzard, Knight Rider, and Top Gear U.K., with its version of The Allman's Brothers "Jessica".

"People let me tell you 'bout my best friend, he's my one boy, my cuddly toy, my up, my down, my pride and joy..."

"The old uncompromising enterprising anything but tranquilizng right on Maude!"

"Movinon up/To the east side"

Pretty much ALL the Norman Lear catalog.

By far, Prison Break, which coincidentally contains my all-time favorite season of television (Season 1).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWyrsCYVbHs

Oh, and 'Curb' to. Hard to get that out of your head.