Top 10 TV show intros

10. “How Soon is Now?” by Love Spit Love – Charmed

Nineties television in a nutshell: girl power, leather pants, witchcraft and a theme song from an epically forgotten one-hit wonder band, Charmed has got it all. I don’t think anyone actually hears this and thinks, “Wow, what a great song by Love Spit Love.” No, they think Charmed. And rightfully so.

9. “Greenback Boogie” by Ima Robot – Suits

Slick, suave and infectiously fun: words that can describe the Suits theme song and the show’s main man himself, Mr. Harvey Specter. “Greenback Boogie,” though light and fun, ultimately gets repetitive if you listen to the entire five minutes of it. Unfortunately, the same goes for the series: it can start to lose its charm and can become kind of monotonous. Sorry Suits fans.

8. “Dexter Main Title” by Rolfe Kent – Dexter

Like Dexter Morgan, the theme song to Showtime’s serial killer drama is cool, calm and creepy. It’s almost two full minutes of instrumentals played over sequences of Dexter getting ready in the morning. Set in Florida, the music is laced with playful Cuban and Latin influences, which offers a nice juxtaposition of the show’s dark content.

7. “Who Are You?,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “Baba O’Riley” by The Who – CSI:Crime Scene Investigation, CSI:Miami, CSI: New York

The Who have become synonymous with the CSI franchise. With all three shows using an iconic song from the British rock ’n’ roll vets, you suffer through David Caruso’s acting and cheesy one-liners just so you can chant alongside Roger Daltrey.

6. “Superhero” by Jane’s Addiction – Entourage

Lust, partying and just pure hedonistic pleasure: Entourage and its theme song are all about having a good time, and you get this impression from the very opening chords of “Superhero.” Regardless of how many times you’ve heard this song, you know you won’t fast forward through the opening credits of the Entourage boys rolling through Los Angeles in a 1965 black Lincoln Continental, it’s just that catchy.

5. “This Life” by Curtis Stigers & The Forest Rangers – Sons Of Anarchy

Much like the show itself, the Sons of Anarchy theme song starts off relatively low-key, then builds up into a cataclysm of emotional intensity. “This Life” is gritty southern guitar work at its best and does a stellar job at conveying the outlaw mentality of ‘us against them’ that is at the core of the series.

4. “Woke Up This Morning” by Alabama 3 – The Sopranos

Everything about this TV intro is cool. Tony Soprano makes riding through New Jersey seem a lot more exciting than it really probably is thanks Alabama 3’s hazy, cigar-fueled song about violence and life on the fringes.

3. “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” by Dj Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Before Will Smith was credited with being a serious actor for his work in Academy Award nominated films (let’s pretend Wild Wild West never happened), Will Smith was the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The theme song for this ‘90s gem is iconic despite its cheesiness and definitely deserves a spot on this list.

2. “California” by Phantom Planet – The O.C.

An instant classic and one-hit wonder, no member of generation Y can resist the siren call of The O.C.’s theme song. It’s sunny, it’s catchy and fills us with some good old fashion nostalgia.

1. “I’ll Be There For You” by The Rembrandts – Friends

Are you surprised? This gets the number one spot for obvious reasons. 1. We all know the words. 2. It makes us happy. 3. *clap clap clap clap*

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