Songs That Were Ruined by TV Shows
by yrnej | created - 29 Sep 2018 | updated - 29 Sep 2018 | PublicThe following songs were just regular songs until they were turned into TV theme songs. What was once a pleasant song you heard on the radio from time to time turns into the sound of 1,000 nails on a chalkboard.
Which of these existing songs do you think was "most ruined" by its use in a TV show? Which show does its song the biggest disservice?
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1. The Lone Ranger (1949–1957)
TV-G | 30 min | Western
The adventures of the masked hero and his Native American partner.
Stars: Jay Silverheels, Clayton Moore, John Hart, Bill Ward
Votes: 2,867
"William Tell Overture" by Gioachino Rossini
2. Sanford and Son (1972–1978)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
The misadventures of a cantankerous junk dealer and his frustrated son.
Stars: Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, LaWanda Page, Don Bexley
Votes: 10,784
"The Streetbeater" by Quincy Jones
3. Married... with Children (1987–1997)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy
Al is the quintessential working class dad. Peggy, his wife, always wants more from him. With their children, they go through the highs and lows of ordinary life.
Stars: Ed O'Neill, Christina Applegate, Katey Sagal, Amanda Bearse
Votes: 111,015
"Love and Marriage" by Frank Sinatra
4. The Wonder Years (1988–1993)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Kevin Arnold recalls growing up during the late 60s and early 70s; the turbulent social times make the transition from child to adult unusually interesting.
Stars: Fred Savage, Dan Lauria, Alley Mills, Jason Hervey
Votes: 40,732
"With a Little Help from My Friends" by Joe Cocker (originally by The Beatles)
5. Cops (1989–2023)
TV-14 | 30 min | Action, Crime, Reality-TV
Camera crews follow police officers while they work.
Stars: Ruben Barela, Andrew Fincher, Alex Cox, Heather Ashley Chase
Votes: 7,172
"Bad Boys" by Inner Circle
6. Get a Life (1990–1992)
30 min | Comedy, Fantasy
A 30-something guy still lives with his parents and works as a paperboy and tries to avoid growing up and being responsible at all costs.
Stars: Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, Robin Riker, Elinor Donahue
Votes: 2,993
"Stand" by REM
7. Party of Five (1994–2000)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama, Family
Five siblings raise each other following their parents' untimely deaths.
Stars: Matthew Fox, Scott Wolf, Neve Campbell, Lacey Chabert
Votes: 11,273
"Closer to Free" by BoDeans
8. Charmed (1998–2006)
TV-14 | 42 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Three Halliwell sisters discover that they are descendants of a line of good female witches and are destined to fight against the forces of evil, using their combined power of witchcraft known as the "Power of Three".
Stars: Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano, Brian Krause, Rose McGowan
Votes: 91,461
"How Soon Is Now?" by Love Spit Love (originally by The Smiths)
9. Dawson's Creek (1998–2003)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Romance
Two childhood best friends, Dawson and Joey, go through different stages of adolescence together. Their friendship is later tested when they both start a relationship with different people.
Stars: James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, Joshua Jackson
Votes: 44,616
"I Don't Want to Wait" by Paula Cole
10. That '70s Show (1998–2006)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A comedy revolving around a group of teenage friends, their mishaps, and their coming of age, set in 1970s Wisconsin.
Stars: Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Mila Kunis, Danny Masterson
Votes: 189,194
"In the Street" by Todd Griffin (season 1) and Cheap Trick (seasons 2 through 8) (originally by Big Star)
11. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000–2015)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
In Las Vegas, a squad of forensic investigators are trained to solve crimes by meticulously examining the evidence. They employ advanced technology and their rationality to detect the perpetrators.
Stars: William Petersen, Laurence Fishburne, Ted Danson, George Eads
Votes: 89,002
"Who Are You" by The Who
12. Jackass (2000–2007)
TV-14 | 535 min | Action, Comedy, Reality-TV
The cast performs various crazy stunts for our amusement.
Stars: Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Chris Pontius, Dave England
Votes: 27,623
"Corona" by Minutemen
13. George Lopez (2002–2007)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy, Drama
Comedian George Lopez stars as a Los Angeles manufacturing plant manager attempting to deal with his wacky family along with random mishaps.
Stars: George Lopez, Constance Marie, Luis Armand Garcia, Valente Rodriguez
Votes: 13,203
"Low Rider" by War
14. CSI: Miami (2002–2012)
TV-14 | 43 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An elite unit, led by an ex-homicide cop, which is linked to the Miami-Dade Police Department, uses all possible resources and skills at their disposal to solve complex crimes in cross-cultural Miami.
Stars: David Caruso, Emily Procter, Adam Rodriguez, Rex Linn
Votes: 61,134
"Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who
15. One Tree Hill (2003–2012)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Romance, Sport
Half-brothers Lucas and Nathan Scott trade between kinship and rivalry both on the basketball court and in the hearts of their friends in the small, but not so quiet town of Tree Hill, North Carolina.
Stars: Chad Michael Murray, James Lafferty, Hilarie Burton Morgan, Bethany Joy Lenz
Votes: 87,072
"I Don't Want to Be" by Gavin DeGraw
16. CSI: NY (2004–2013)
TV-14 | 43 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Forensic scientists and investigators of the New York City Police Department unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths.
Stars: Gary Sinise, Carmine Giovinazzo, Hill Harper, Eddie Cahill
Votes: 49,548
"Baba O'Riley" by The Who
17. CSI: Cyber (2015–2016)
TV-14 | 44 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Special agent Avery Ryan works to solve internet related crimes as a cyberpsychologist for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Stars: Patricia Arquette, James Van Der Beek, Shad Moss, Charley Koontz
Votes: 11,669
"I Can See for Miles" by The Who
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