Hum a dirge for demise of catchy TV themes | ajc.com

Hum a dirge for demise of catchy TV themes --AP's Erin Carlson via ajc.com: "Don't remember much about high school biology or physics. Couldn't tell you how to compute a calculus problem. But, for the love of Will Smith, the theme song to 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' remains fresh in the mind.

Smith's catchy rap opened each episode of his hit 1990s sitcom, in which he starred as a street-smart teen from Philly who moves in with wealthy relatives. A whole generation knows it by heart —- that, and the 'Saved by the Bell' song.

TV themes, from 'The Beverly Hillbillies' to 'The Brady Bunch' to 'Cheers' to 'Friends,' conjure up memories of cozy nights, childhood bliss and a universal nostalgia for bygone days. But, today, show themes are doing a fast fade, as the networks crunch their programming budgets.

Are they about to join the variety hour in the TV graveyard?

'It's a rarity today,' TV historian Tim Brooks said of the catchy, tuneful opening. 'It's kind of like the Broadway musical producing hit songs —- it just doesn't do that anymore.'

Back in the day, even into the '90s, shows usually had a 'main title,' a 40- to 60-second opening montage that introduced the cast and was often set to music written by a composer, said Jon Burlingame, author of 'TV's Biggest Hits,' a history of themes. Songs summed up what a show was all about, whether spinning the tale of how a group of wacky castaways ended up on 'Gilligan's Island,' telling how a spunky single career woman was 'going to make it after all,' or describing why six touchy-feely Manhattan singles were there for each other.

But now many sitcoms and one-hour dramas are dropping that device. They dive straight into the action, sometimes flashing the show's title or logo at various points throughout an episode."