The art of great TV theme songs is a long lost one. Ever since Seinfeld came along and started their show off with that little bow-chica-bow, theme songs have sucked. Sure, there’s still the occasional clip from an actual song spliced in, like in Scrubs, or a 10-15 second nondescript bit of music. The epic theme song has been crushed by more room for commercials. Even Weeds killed their great theme song. (There are still plenty of songs out there about weed, though.)
We miss the golden age of TV, when every show had to have a rocking opening credit sequence to survive. The first two minutes of every show let you know everything was alright with the world. You show was on. Many of them didn’t bother to hire musicians to chuck out a theme. They sang it themselves. Most of our favorite theme songs were sung by actual cast members of that particular show.
This is a tribute to them, the 11 Greatest Theme Songs Sung by TV Actors. We only have one rule. No pop stars allowed. Sorry, Fresh Prince and Moesha, but you’re disqualified.
11. Mr. Rogers
You may not have wanted to be neighbors with creepy Fred once you got older, but when you were a kid, you drove your parents nuts singing along with this song.
10. 21 Jump Street
If you want to teach someone everything they ever need to know about the late 80s in less than an hour, you’ll want to show them an episode of Jump Street. You’ve got baby Johnny Depp, Richard Greico, and the most 80s theme song known to man, sung by cast member Holly Robinson.
9. Alice
Well, kiss our grits. If it isn’t Linda Lavin singing her own theme song. These days, the only thing people seem to remember is Flo, but back in the day, Alice was the best damned thing around.
8. 227
Marla Gibbs didn’t sing the theme to the Jeffersons, but we’ll get to that later. When she got her own show, though, Marla brought it.
7. The Fall Guy
What hasn’t Lee Majors done? He was the Six Million Dollar Man, played pro football for the Boston Patriots, banged Farrah Fawcett, AND sang his own theme song.
6. The Brady Bunch
Sherwood Schwartz originally had some hippie band called Peppermint Trolley or Tapioca Dumptruck or something like that sing the theme song. After the first season, old Sher saw the folly of his ways and turned the Brady kids loose on it.
5. Family Guy
The only current entry of the whole lot. Family Guy gets extra points for being about the only ones out there keeping up with tradition.
4. All in the Family
Yeah, it grates on your nerves, but Archie and Edith’s screeching tune was infectious. Apparently, so was Archie’s racism, ’cause they planned for Archie to look like a racist idiot. Turned out, America was all “hey, he’s just like me!”
3. Frasier
Kelsey Grammer actually trained at Juilliard, then went on to play Frasier Crane for 20 freakin’ years. Side trivia: Did you know Frasier was actually on the air longer than Cheers? It doesn’t matter what Kelsey goes on to do, he’ll always be known as two characters: Frasier and Sideshow Bob.
2. Gimme a Break
Nell Carter, like Kelsey, did some time on Broadway. Everyone remembers her for being arguably the smartest smart ass of all 80s television, though.
1. The Jeffersons
It doesn’t get any better than this. Ja’net Dubois was never actually in the Jeffersons, but she was best known for playing wise-crackin’ Willona Woods, the neighbor on Good Times. She even appeared in Sanford and Son. If there was a TV show about black people in the 70s, Ja’net Dubois was involved, somehow. This song is so good, it belongs on your iPod. Go download it now. We’ll wait for you.
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Looking for some more good songs from TV Land? Check out the Best Cartoon Bands Ever, and the Funniest Fake Bands of All Time.
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