Having the right theme song is crucial for any TV show. It's the thing that you instantly recognise and associate with the series forever. Take The Addams Family's double snap, The X Files' spooky synth-whistle, and the deep cello of the Game of Thrones orchestral theme.
While there are plenty of catchy theme tunes that are written specifically for the show, there are certain series that use an already existing song to set the tone and mood for the forthcoming content.
Below are the best TV opening-credit songs that are great songs in their own right – and firm fixtures in our test track playlists. Crucially, each is also intrinsically linked with the TV show it is soundtracking. These are songs that grab your attention and put you in the perfect mood from the second the opening titles kick off.
So whether your TV audio set-up uses a 2.1 stereo system, a soundbar package or a fully Dolby Atmos surround sound system, these are the greatest TV title songs that you'll never want to skip.
Peaky Blinders: Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Never has a title song set the tone for a TV show more perfectly than the sublime combination of Red Right Hand and Peaky Blinders.
The BBC crime drama was already highly anticipated because of its topic (a period crime drama set in Birmingham in the post-WWI era) and with the incomparable Cillian Murphy as the lead in a terrific ensemble cast.
But all it took was the familiar sound of that initial tubular bell, the deep bass riff and Nick Cave's majestic, brooding vocals in the first few seconds, and I was, like countless others, immediately hooked – and I knew we were on to something great.
The song is about a mysterious, shadowy figure who strikes "a combination of fear and awe everywhere he goes" – an apt juxtaposition when it plays over our first glimpses of Thomas Shelby, following him as he rides on a horse across the city like he owns it in the first minutes of the very first episode. Watch the scene in the video above – it will still give you chills.
The song and visuals tell you everything you need to know about the man before we even know his name or who he is, as we see people react to him with respect, both as a figure of (violent) power and someone who will genuinely help those in need.
Peaky Blinders' soundtrack is littered with anachronistic songs that continue to strike a tone of sheer coolness (there's a lot of Cave, PJ Harvey, Arctic Monkeys and The White Stripes in the first three seasons alone), but Red Right Hand as the title track was a stroke of pure genius.
The Wire: Way Down In The Hole by The Blind Boys of Alabama
From one crime drama to another, The Wire's title track across its five seasons is unusual in that it's the same song but covered by various artists.
The title song is 1987's Way Down In The Hole by Tom Waits (another one of those great songwriters and voices that we love alongside Cave). In the first season of The Wire, though, it is a cover by The Blind Boys of Alabama that starts the now-iconic show off.
Tom Waits' version is used for the second season, and we are treated to his customary gruffer, more gravelly and wailing vocals. But the smoother gospel tone of The Blind Boys of Alabama's cover is just that bit more textured and nuanced – and more soulful.
We also have a soft spot for the season four version sung by DoMaJe, a group made of five Baltimore teenagers, which offers a more R'n'B flavour.
It's rare to outshine Waits on any of his songs, but The Blind Boys do a terrific job in setting the tone for the institutions and incredible characters we meet across Baltimore in one of the greatest TV shows of all time.
House, M.D.: Teardrop by Massive Attack
Massive Attack is a staple in our test track repertoire – we use Paradise Circus, Angel and Teardrop regularly when we test hi-fi and home cinema kit. Not only that, the Bristol-based band is one of the most experimental and collaborative musical acts, and it continues to be revered today.
So medical drama House having Teardrop as its theme song is quite the coup.
That steady beat (which we can pretend mimics a heartbeat), the use of a harpsichord, the ethereal vocals of Elizabeth Fraser (of the Cocteau Twins) – it all works elegantly with House's clinical, cerebral, Sherlockian character and overall theme.
Those crisply textured crunches and the open, airy soundstage sound a treat in any system (whether two-channel, or five, or seven), while that repeating beat needs a system that has an iron-clad and precise hold of its rhythmic prowess.
It's a shame that the song's rights haven't been cleared for streaming, as you usually hear the music used in the closing credits instead of Teardrop when watching the show on Amazon Prime Video, for instance. (We recommend you get the Blu-ray boxset instead for the full experience, obviously).
True Blood: Bad Things by Jace Everett
Here's another example of great visuals and a great song choice for a TV title track that really leans into the show's setting and enhances it.
A vampire show set in Louisiana, True Blood offers a different texture and flavour to the horror fantasy genre just by being set in the South, not to mention taking full advantage of being able to tackle (and show) adult themes thanks to being on HBO.
Bad Things by American country singer Jace Everett even feels humid and sticky. There's a gorgeous fullness to the guitar riffs that evoke rockabilly and Americana, Everett's vocals are all southern charm, while the overall tone is just a little sleazy, a little sexy, and very louche.
Veronica Mars: We Used To Be Friends by The Dandy Warhols
There are plenty of teen dramas and comedies from the 1990s and 2000s that use existing songs, usually from some alt-rock band or pop artist, as their theme song. There's Scrubs, Smallville, Dawson's Creek, The O.C., Roswell and more – you can probably sing out the key bit of their theme songs easily. But none of them had anyone as cool as The Dandy Warhols.
Veronica Mars stood out from the teen-drama crowd with its neo-noir style and case-of-the-week and series-spanning murder mysteries. The dialogue is whip-smart, with Kristen Bell as the title character reeling off hard-boiled narration and arch sarcasm with so much ease.
The tone is slightly darker than your average California teen show, so to go with that, it made complete sense to pick a left-field theme song that fits it just as well.
We Used To Be Friends has the big riffs and melodic chorus sitting alongside moodier, grungier garage-rock tones and contrasting wild psychedelic beats that are distinctly Warhols. A great song in its own right, too.
BBC Formula 1 coverage: The Chain by Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac's The Chain is one of the all-time greats. Released on the band's 1977 Rumours album (one of the best records of all time, a staple in any music and hi-fi fan's collection), it's a classic track that will stand the test of time, referencing the turbulent breakup between band members Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.
In the UK, The Chain is synonymous with the BBC's Formula 1 racing coverage. The instrumental outro of the song – kicked off by that now-iconic solo bassline – was used throughout the Beeb's Grand Prix coverage from 1978 to 1997, always ending with the cheery tones of the late, great commentator Murray Walker getting us revved up for the race ahead.
The song was revived when BBC regained the rights to broadcast F1 in 2009 – with that bassline once more signifying the start of the racing weekend, both for old-timers and a whole new generation of F1 fans. Channel 4 briefly adopted the theme in 2016, when once again broadcast rights changed hands. Sadly, today's dominant Sky's F1 coverage in the UK doesn't use the track.
Still, The Chain's power hasn't diminished, and it remains part of F1's legacy worldwide. The Hollywood blockbuster F1: The Movie, currently showing in cinemas, used the song in the trailer. The track itself remains part of our test tracks library – with powerful vocals and furious whining guitars, it perfectly encapsulates the magic of Fleetwood Mac.
When learning that the BBC would be bringing back Fleetwood Mac's The Chain as part of the 2009 coverage, Murray Walker said to The Telegraph he was delighted, because: "Every time I hear that music, I get butterflies. Because I know that when it stops, I start."
The Sopranos: Woke Up This Morning by Alabama 3
It's not only one of the most acclaimed and groundbreaking TV shows of all time, The Sopranos is also credited for kicking off the current era of "prestige TV", or the "golden age" of TV.
Often tangling with The Wire as the top choice in everyone's greatest TV show lists, it paved the way for shows such as The Shield, Six Feet Under, Breaking Bad, Ray Donovan, and Peaky Blinders, delving deeper into flawed characters like never before, portraying the realities of society, relationships, mental health and life in general – with, of course, bouts of unflinching violence.
Instead of the glitz and glamour of mob films such as Goodfellas, Casino or The Godfather, the show dealt with the more day-to-day life of Tony Soprano and his family. The opening sequence to every episode of The Sopranos is pretty mundane: James Gandolfini's Tony driving through the New Jersey turnpike, with glimpses of the city and neighbourhood around him as he drives home.
Soundtracking that drive is Woke Up This Morning by Alabama 3 – blending squelchy acid house electronic noises with moodier, deeper tones of trip-hop, blues and a gospel choir. (Sound familiar? It could easily form a trio of the greatest TV title songs of all time with The Wire's Down In The Hole and Peaky Blinders' Red Right Hand.)
Alabama 3 (who are from Brixton and not remotely American) laid down the blueprint for just how important it was for a title song to establish the tone of a prestige TV drama.
MobLand: Starburster by Fontaines D.C.
What is it with mob dramas and great title songs? 2025's MobLand keeps things current and fresh by taking a different approach with its title song compared with the others on this list.
Irish post-punk/indie-rock band Fontaines D.C. are enjoying huge success and acclaim thanks to their fantastic fourth album, 2024's Romance, with Starburster a standout track.
It's an explosive mix of trip/hip-hop, synth and art-rock, with a brash attitude. That deep intake of breath that punctuates the chorus, signifies a panic attack that frontman Grian Chatten suffered, and that forms the basis of the song.
This song's vibe and structure tie in brilliantly with the chaotic and stressful nature of dealing with the Harrigan crime family in the show, who are also Irish (another nice tie-in with Fontaines D.C.) – and it's an instant earworm.
MORE:
7 songs we have been enjoying in our test rooms over the past month
6 ways to get near-perfect Dolby Atmos sound in an imperfect room
Check out all our Home Cinema Week 2025 coverage
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