For many years, TV theme songs were extremely catchy, and in some cases more memorable than the shows themselves, and these are the best of the best.

While it is not as big as it was just two decades ago, there was once a time when the theme song for a television show was as popular and well-known as any song from a mainstream band. People could often sing along with a song as it played before a show, and it seemed there were some shows where everyone knew the words, even if they didn't actively watch the show.

At the same time, there were also themes that had no lyrics but still remain well known. Just the sound of a few notes would remind someone of the show it played before and even hearing it in 2022 could bring back memories of shows long-buried to the annals of time. The voters at Ranker have even come up with what they consider to be the ultimate TV show theme songs.

10 Hawaii Five-0 (1968)

• Available to stream on Paramount+

One of those popular TV theme songs that have no lyrics, but remains an earworm nonetheless is the theme for Hawaii Five-0. Created by Morton Stevens, the theme was instantly catchy and even was released as a single by the Ventures, who watched it hit the fourth spot on the pop charts.

There was even a version with lyrics by Don Ho and Sammy Davis Jr. To this day, it remains a popular song for college and high school marching bands. The song was so beloved that the rebooted series in 2010 reused it.

9 Gilligan's Island (1964)

• Available to stream on DirecTV.

Gilligan's Island debuted in 1964 as a sitcom with a unique idea which was what if a group on a boat trip ended up lost at sea before they washed up on a deserted island? While there, the group has to learn how to survive, despite being completely different from each other in every way.

The theme song told the story perfectly, introducing each member of the castaways and showing how different they are. Anyone who saw the show can immediately tell a person that there was a millionaire and his wife, a professor, a movie star, and Mary Ann, all with the skipper and his first mate, Gilligan. It was a perfect way to introduce the Gilligan's Island TV series.

8 The Pink Panther Show (1969)

• Available to stream on DirecTV.

The Pink Panther was the name for two things that were both connected. One was the movie series starring Peter Sellers as French Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The other was the animated series about the pink panther that also appeared in the intro to the movies.

"The Pink Panther Theme" was a Harry Mancini instrumental written for the first movie that ended up as the theme for the cartoon as well. It was an Oscar-nominated theme for the movie and went on to win three Grammy Awards.

7 Scooby-Doo (1969)

• Available to stream on HBO Max.

Scooby-Doo is the one cartoon that has lasted longer than almost any other cartoon in history, debuting in 1969 and still airing to this day. There have been lots of changes, both in animation and in the group of characters, with Shaggy and Scooby really the only two that have lasted through them all. There was even a series where they teamed up with other celebrities to solve crimes.

As for the Scooby-Doo theme, it is a song that everyone should know since it has remained mostly constant for the last five-plus decades. Larry Marks performed the original theme, and while it was re-recorded in the future, the lyrics and beat remained mostly the same.

6 Friends (1994)

• Available to stream on HBO Max.

The theme song that opened up the sitcom Friends every week might be the most successful of all time, even if it isn't the best. The song is "I'll Be There for You" by The Rembrandts and it was just as much a piece of pop culture history as the show itself.

The song was not only immediately catchy and singable, but it was a radio hit as well. The song hit number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was a number one hit on the Mainstream Top 40 (via Billboard) and it is easily a song more famous for being featured in a TV show.

5 Cheers (1982)

• Available to stream on Hulu.

One of the most famous singable TV theme songs arrived with the sitcom Cheers in 1982. Gary Portnoy's song "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" ended up as his main claim to fame, even though he also wrote the theme for Punky Brewster as well. At the end of the day, this was the perfect song for Cheers and a TV theme song that will get stuck in your head.

The show was about a bar owned by Sam (Ted Danson) and followed a day in said bar, with the bartender, waitress, and the patrons who all knew each other. The song was the reason everyone loved the show - it was the idealistic thought of having a place to go where everyone knows your name.

4 Happy Days (1974)

• Available to stream on Paramount+

In 1984, Garry Marshall created the hit sitcom Happy Days. The series was set in the 1960s and followed a suburban family, which included the main character Richie Cunningham and his friends (which included the very popular Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli, a biker who was too cool for school).

While the first season used Bill Haley & His Comets "Rock Around the Clock," it was soon replaced by the official "Happy Days" theme, first by Jim Haas and then, in season 3, by Pratt & McClain. This last version was a major hit, reaching fifth on the Billboard Hot 100 (via All Music).

3 The Flintstones (1960)

• Available to stream on HBO Max.

One of the most successful cartoons in history arrived in 1960 and changed everything people knew about watching animation on television. This show was The Flintstones and it was clearly a stone age remake of The Honeymooners for the kids to watch.

Just saying "modern stone-age family" should bring back the beat and tune of the classic TV theme song for anyone who has ever watched the show. In some interesting trivia, this well-known and beloved TV theme song wasn't the official theme for the show until season 3.

2 The Addams Family (1964)

• Available to stream on Roku, Tubi, and IMDb TV.

They're creepy and they're kooky, and that was enough of a rhyme to make The Addams Family theme song so memorable. The writer for this track was Vic Mizzy, who also wrote the theme song that opened up Green Acres as well.

The song was perfect for the series, with a harpsichord as the main instrument and Ted Cassidy adding his voice as Lurch for several words, like "neat," "sweet" and "petite." It even got a single release and fans remembered it well three decades later when the movies came out, and it is still a perfect TV theme song for your Halloween playlist.

1 The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air (1990)

• Available to stream on HBO Max.

According to TV fans on Ranker, the best TV theme song of all time was for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. By the time this show came out, Will Smith was already a music star in DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, with some catchy rap songs like "Parents Just Don't Understand." That made him the perfect person to sing his own theme song.

Produced by Quincy Jones III, Will Smith did more than sing a catchy song as the intro. The lyrics told the story of how he ended up leaving West Philly for his auntie and uncle's home in Bel-Air.

NEXT: 10 Best TV Theme Songs Of The Past 20 Years, According To Rotten Tomatoes

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