Musical March Madness: What's the greatest TV theme song?

To paraphrase Lucy Van Pelt, Beethoven wasn't all that great. Not only did he never get his picture on a bubble gum card, the dude also never had to write a 30-second song that summed up the plot of a TV show, and did so in a snappy, memorable way. Sure, "Ode to Joy" may be a rapturous piece of music, but if given a choice, I'll take the "Sanford and Son" theme every time.

Everybody's got their favorite TV theme, I'm sure, but there's a handpicked few that must be considered undisputed classics. That brings us to the point of this post: Which theme do the Channel Surfing's loyal readers think is the best ... ever? We've picked out a couple dozen to choose from, paired them up and bracketed them March-Madness style, and all you have to do is leave a comment picking your favorites from each match-up. The winners will move on until we crown a victor.

Obviously not everyone will agree with these selections, but part of the fun will be you telling us we screwed up by omitting, say, "My Mother, the Car." The selections are limited to songs written specifically for TV (thus no "M*A*S*H") as well as show intros we were able to find on YouTube (thus no "Peter Gunn." Stupid YouTube.) Also, it goes without saying that if we don't get enough comments, we'll have to pack up the orchestra and call it a day. But for now, let's listen to some great TV theme songs, reminisce about shows past, and discuss what a hack that Beethoven guy was.

Match-Up 1: "The Addams Family"


Vs. "The Beverly Hillbillies"


Match-Up 2: "Bonanza"


Vs. "Rawhide"


Match-Up 3: "Sesame Street"


Vs. "The Muppet Show"


Match-Up 4: "The Brady Bunch"


Vs. "Gilligan's Island"

I didn't say it was going to be easy. Pick your winners, leave a comment, and check back in a few days for Round 2.

-- Adam Reinhard, lifeisfunnybutnothahafunny@gmail.com