21 TV Shows With Iconic Theme Songs

18. The Monkees

Series Debut: 1966 Okay, so they didn't play their own instruments or write their own music, at least not at first. Maybe we should just consider them a sign of what was to come. Their TV show was still funny, and the theme song, which was originally going to be an album cut, damn catchy. In fact, the theme (simply called (Theme From) The Monkees) wound up being released as a single in several countries, hitting #8 in Australia. "Hey hey, We're the Monkees" was catchier than a lot of actual songs on the radio at the time after all. The series ran for two years on NBC from 1966 to 1968 and had a long shelf life as far as syndication goes (who here remembers watching it in the 90s?), and seemed to survive the controversy the band itself faced unscathed. Decades later, the band has nostalgia going for it, and still tours, despite the death of key member, teen idol Davy Jones in 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96A0uyFWQHs