Unlike most crime show themes, Tuyo by Rodrigo Amarante isn’t tense or dangerous, it’s actually quite charming and oddly romantic. Narcos was created by Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, and Doug Miro, and it set out to tell the story of the rise and fall of Pablo Escobar and the Medellin Cartel. Light viewing for a weeknight, obviously. And, while the show as we have seen it isn’t entirely accurate, parts of it are, and true or false as it may be, it makes damn good television.
Today we’re talking about a show that made the devil charming and easy to root for. Ladies and gentlemen, Being Evil Has A Price from Lucifer. The TV show Lucifer was developed by Tom Kapinos and first aired in 2016 on Fox before being rescued by Netflix two years later, which feels quite on brand for a show about redemption. The general vibe of the show is what if Satan got bored of hell, moved to Los Angeles, and opened a nightclub. And over time it built a huge fanbase, helped massively by the fact that it’s the brilliant Tom Ellis in centre stage. And no, I don’t care if you get bored of me saying how lovely he is, he’s a damn national treasure.
Today we’re turning our attention to one of the most iconic and longest running British soaps: EastEnders. Set in the fictional London borough of Walford, EastEnders follows the lives of the residents of Albert Square, a tight knit East End community full of drama, secrets, and the occasional laugh down the local pub, The Queen Vic. From the Mitchells and the Beales to the Slaters and the Brannings, generations of families have faced love and loss, and had a fair few shouting matches throughout.
Today we’re going a little retro with one of the most heartwarming shows in television history, The Golden Girls. The Golden Girls ran from 1985 to 1992 on NBC TV and followed four older women living together in Miami: Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia. Now Dororthy was known for her wit, Blanche for her flirtatiousness, Rose for being sweet, and then Sophia for being outspoken. And their little gang would navigate the world of dating and ageing and was one of the first shows to portray older women as independent and really, just funny. But enough about that, now onto the music. You probably started humming it as soon as I said The Golden Girls. But for those with dodgier memories, we are talking about Thank you for being a friend.
Today we’re honouring the absolute classic, The Flintstones. Let’s set the scene. It’s 1960, you’re sat on your leather sofa and not sure what to watch with your kids, and then a strike of luck. The Flintstones, an American cartoon sitcom airs for the first time during prime hour, and it’s perfect for your children as well as yourself. And it goes on for another 6 years, coming to an end in 1966. Produced by Hanna Barbera, it became one of the most successful shows of all time.
Today we're shining a spotlight on one of the most popular shows of recent years: The Big Bang theory. Our main characters are Leanord Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper, two genius physicists, who live and work together in California. And though their talents for the natural world are immense, it doesn’t seem to help them interact with other people, and especially not when talking to women. Apparently, the melody and lyrics to the song came to Barenaked Ladies singer Ed Robertson mid shower. (image: RTL archive)
Seinfeld is often called the show about nothing, but don’t let that fool you. It’s a sitcom that defined the 90s with its quirky characters and sharp observational comedy. Created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the show aired from 1989 to 1998 and ran for 9 seasons. Jerry Seinfeld, playing a fictionalised version of himself, delivers jokes about everyday life that feel so relatable you almost forget you’re watching a scripted show. Almost.
Grab a blanket, get a cup of tea and practice the Queen’s English, because today we are talking about Downtown Abbey. The show ran from 2010 to 2015 and has established a cult fandom like few others. And the theme tune is inseparable from the show. John Lunn’s score won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding music composition for a series, in 2012 and 2013 so it’s safe to say the tune did pretty well. But what makes it so special, you ask?
Today we’re checking out Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, with House M.D. House is a twist on the classic medical drama TV shows, which aired from 2004 to 2012. Hugh Laurie playing the cynical, inappropriate and stubborn lead who, for all of his flaws, knows his medical stuff. The show is pretty unconventional in comparison to other medical soaps because each episode focuses on one case, and they’re always seemingly impossible. And though House is addicted to pain medication and very fickle minded, he leads a team of diagnosticians (who rarely solve the cases themselves).
Today we’re going all the way back to chalkboards and detentions, with Tim Loane’s very own, Teachers. Channel 4’s series Teachers aired from 2001 to 2004 and follows the lives of a group of teachers, who are quite often drunk, sorely unmotivated and very self-interested.
“Neighbours… everybody needs good neighbours.” we’re taking a trip down under to talk about one of the most iconic, instantly recognisable theme tunes in soap opera history - the theme to Neighbours. Yes, that warm, catchy tune that’s so good, you may have watched twice a day.
Full House is a classic late eighties, early nineties sitcom, it's also got a classic theme track. It centers around Danny Tanner, a recently widowed dad trying to raise his three young daughters in San Francisco. Overwhelmed but determined, he brings in his brother in law Jesse, a rock musician with a rebellious streak, and his childhood best friend Joey, a goofy comedian to help raise the girls. This unconventional trio navigate the throes of bringing up children, friendship, and growing up. Over the course of eight seasons, the opening verse was trimmed here, a line skipped there, but the chorus never faltered. And when Fuller House came along, the spinoff, the song was polished up by Carly Rae Jepsen & Butch Walker, giving it a fresh sound for a new generation, but the soul remained the sam
Today we’re popping over to Scranton, Pennsylvania for one of the most instantly recognisable tunes ever: The Office (US Ed. - cough, cough). The Office, for those who somehow haven't seen it, is a mockumentary about a paper company in Scranton, which ran from 2005 to 2013. It is an awkward, heartfelt show, lasting 9 seasons, which launched the careers of people like John Krasinski and Mindy Kaling.
Today we are shining the spotlight on one of the most beloved shows out there. It is the iconic “howcatchem” detective show: Columbo. But before we get into the music, let’s take a step back and paint a little picture. So, Columbo , for those of you who are unfamiliar, is a classic American detective series from the '70s, starring Peter Falk as the rumpled, cigarchomping Lieutenant Columbo. He’s not your usual flashy TV cop. He wears the same beige raincoat every episode, drives a battered old Peugeot, and constantly plays the fool. But don’t fall for it because he’s quick and witty underneath it all.
We're taking a trip back to the early 90s, with the tune belonging to none other than Saved by the Bell. The theme tune was composed by Scott Gale, an american musician, who came up with the main lyric “It’s alright cause I’m saved by the bell” two minutes after rejecting the offer to write the song for NBC.
Prepare yourself to be humming just the one tune for the rest of the day, "Scooby-Dooby-Doo, Where Are You?" Now this theme, written by David Mook and Ben Raleigh, is a brief but unforgettable tune. Its bouncy guitar riff accompanied with the iconic sound of 60’s vocals, sets the quirky and spooky scene for a mystery solving, potentially troublesome gang, that it introduces. Mook and Raleigh were heavily influenced by surf rock bands such as the Beach Boys and the Ventures, and incorporated elements of the genre into the song.
The insistent arpeggiated bassline, soaring synth leads, and jet-engine-like whooshes don’t just suggest flight - they are flight. Premiering in 1984 on CBS, Airwolf was the ultimate 80s TV cocktail: Cold War espionage, high-tech military gear, a brooding antihero in Jan-Michael Vincent’s Stringfellow Hawke, and most crucially - a helicopter so souped-up it made KITT from Knight Rider look like a rental car.
We’re traveling through space, time, and sound to celebrate the Doctor Who theme - a true sci-fi classic that rewrote the rules of TV music. The story of this theme is almost as out there as the show itself. While it was composed by Ron Grainer, the true architect of its iconic sound was Delia Derbyshire, a pioneering woman in electronic music. Working at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, she created the theme using oscillators, spliced tape, and no synthesizers – NONE. Remember, this was years before commercial synths were a thing.
If you’re a fan of early 2000s TV, chances are you know it: “I’m No Superman” by Lazlo Bane. Short, catchy, and packed with personality - it’s as if the song idled up to the reception and said: ‘how about this?’ - insanely hummable it’s the perfect intro for a show that walked the tightrope between absurd comedy and gut-punching emotional moments.
The chances are, you know most of the lines off by heart and you’ve rapped those lyrics more times than you can count Before The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air even aired in 1990, Will Smith was already making waves in music - part of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. Their clean, feel-good party tracks like “Parents Just Don’t Understand” made them a household name, even earning the first-ever Grammy for Best Rap Performance in 1989.