10 Great TV Shows With An Even Better Soundtrack
Great TV needs great music.
Given that an average season of any given TV show runs for at least a few times longer than your standard blockbuster, it should go without saying that all that extra runtime should mean more tunes, right?
Not only do we get more music, but it has to be absolutely top-notch, because while what exactly constitutes great TV might be up for debate, it's hard to deny that a show can live or die on its soundtrack.
It certainly takes more than just a good soundtrack to make a good show, but a bad or overly cheesy soundtrack can seriously damage a show's reputation.
A passable soundtrack will likely fly under the radar unnoticed, but a truly excellent soundtrack sticks with you long after that season finale has rolled its credits.
How better to add weight to those big, dramatic moments than with a powerful ballad? Or to communicate exactly how our forlorn protagonist is really feeling with a slow, acoustic number? How else do you give a show the feel of whichever era it's set in if not by using the most iconic music of the day?
With that in mind, these awesome TV shows boasted even better soundtracks.
10. Freaks And Geeks
For a show that only managed to run for a single season, Freaks and Geeks sure did have it all.
Created by Paul Feig (of Bridemaids fame) and produced by the comedy powerhouse Judd Apatow, Freaks and Geeks' cast was filled out by Linda Cardellini, James Franco, Seth Rogen, and Jason Segel, with appearances by the likes of Ben Stiller, Shia LaBeouf, Leslia Mann and Rashida Jones over the show's criminally short tenure on our screens.
But as well as a staggering number of future comedy A-listers, Freaks and Geeks had a solid coming-of-age teen comedy-drama premise, and one HELL of a soundtrack.
Joan Jett's 'Bad Reputation' blasting over the opening credits might have been indication enough of exactly what type of soundtrack you're in for, but practically every song in the show was hand-picked to perfectly capture the essence of the '80s misfit scene.
With tracks by bands like Styx, Van Halen, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Rush, Santana and Eric Clapton, the soundtrack was every bit as good as the show itself - and that's really saying something, given Freaks and Geeks' cult following.