For many people, sitcoms are their favored form of television entertainment because of their light-hearted nature and good humor. Sometimes you don't want to watch a heavy hour-long drama full of death and tragedy and a sitcom can hit the right spot. Plus, sitcoms are produced in bite-sized twenty-minute episodes, which means they're much easier to binge watch.
But one thing has changed about sitcoms over the years. Most modern-day sitcoms don't include theme songs, which is a shame. Theme songs are a great way to deliver a catchy tune that introduces the series' characters and plot. Here's a list ranking the best sitcom theme songs of all time.
The Big Bang Theory
This is one of the few modern examples on the list because many shows have forgone the full-length theme song in favor of short title cards. But The Big Bang Theory was an instant classic upon the premiere of this sitcom. It seemed to serve it well too since The Big Bang Theory aired for twelve years.
It only recently came to an end this past May. The catchy song was sung by the Barenaked Ladies. You probably won't have an easy time singing along to this one though considering its sung incredibly fast-paced and a total mouthful.
Malcolm in the Middle
Before Bryan Cranston became Walter White he was a bumbling father named Hal on the classic early 2000's sitcom, Malcolm in the Middle. Considering a majority of the sitcom was about all the hijinks the family got into with Malcolm often suffering the brunt of it as the forgotten middle child.
The theme song, "Boss of Me" by They Might Be Giants is a particularly fitting song for the series considering how rambunctious the family's sons tended to get. The series ran for six seasons on the Fox network and continues to run regularly in syndication.
Scrubs
Sometimes short and sweet is the way to go. Even though Scrubs didn't have an elaborate opening theme, that didn't stop it's short and catchy opening, "Superman" by Lazlo Bane, from becoming impossibly hard to forget. Given the series is a medical comedy, it's a fitting title too.
We followed Zach Braff as JD, a doctor truly just doing his best and often failing due to the conflicting forces at the hospital such as the Janitor or Doctor Cox. Scrubs aired for nine long seasons and is still considered one of the best medical shows of all time given its ability to be both humorous and heartfelt when it needed to be.
The Brady Bunch
We think it's impossible to make a list ranking the top sitcom themes of all time and neglect to include The Brady Bunch. There was once a time when a sitcom's theme song was one of the most important parts of the show because it conveyed the themes and story of the show.
The Brady Bunch does so by introducing you to all the main cast of characters and it's to the catchy beat of a song written specifically for the series by Sherwood Schwarz. Schwarz also created the theme song for another classic television series, Gilligan's Island.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
The Gregory Brothers produced this awesome track for the Netflix sitcom created by Tina Fey. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is one of the only sitcoms to have a proper theme song. Nowadays it is becoming increasingly rare because shows don't want to spend valuable time on a minute-long theme song when it's more beneficial for the writers to have that time to add more to the episode.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt follows Kimmy after she escapes from a cult, a place she had lived for fifteen years. The series aired for four seasons with a special interactive episode set to be released in the future by Netflix.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Will Smith is a notable A-list movie star these days but lest we forget his humble beginnings on the much-beloved sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Even if you didn't grow up watching the show, odds are you've seen reruns on television before.
They're played almost nightly on at least one television channel. The theme song is great because it actually features Will Smith rapping the entire premise of the show. It's the type of song your friends would memorize all the words to and then recite it to you in the middle of the dance floor.
Friends
There's no denying the impact of the Friends theme song. Whenever you hear the opening chords of The Rembrandts’ “I’ll Be There For You," how can you not instantly equate to one of the most popular '90s sitcoms? Remember the outtake from We're the Millers when Jennifer Aniston heard the song and got weepy? Even the cast is affected!
Plus the lyrics make it the perfect for a song for a show all about a tight-knit group of friends. It's literally all about being there for your pals. It overlays the classic moment of all the gang frolicking in the giant fountain and you know you're in for another hilarious episode.
The Golden Girls
Thank you for being a friend you fabulous Golden Girls. Hearing the theme song for this series now, which was "Thank You For Being My Friend," originally by Andrew Gold but sung by covered by Cynthia Fee, it's hard not to get a little teary-eyed. Especially when you remember not all the Golden Girls are with us anymore.
Fee's version is the perfect introduction to one of the best sitcoms of all-time and a heartwarming tribute to the everlasting friendship between Rose, Blanche, Sophia, and Dorothy. From 1985 to 1992, The Golden Girls dominated the airwaves and their legacy lives on even now.
The Simpsons
Even if you've somehow avoided ever watching The Simpsons, which is doubtful since it's been on the air for more than 20 years, then you've still probably heard its theme song. Composed by the acclaimed Danny Elfman, this theme is instantly recognizable from the opening notes.
It overlays an animated sequence introducing the audience to Springfield before embarking on another episode where Homer does idiotic things and Marge is one of the only sane ones around for miles. The Simpsons is a popular American sitcom that aims to satirize the working life class. More than 660 episodes have aired and counting.
The Addams Family
There have been plenty of different renditions of The Addams Family and the signature theme song but nothing beats the classic 1964 theme that was written and arranged by Hollywood composer, Vic Mizzy. Whenever you hear the snaps and the lyrics start in "they're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky," it's hard not to sing along!
Because of its catchiness and the popularity of the sitcom, The Addams Family theme has been spoofed and parodies countless times over the years. Even The Simpsons once included their own version of the tune on the show. The next version of The Addams Family will hit theaters this October.