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Daily List suggested by PossibleMisnomer.
10) Red Dwarf
In the first season of Red Dwarf, Lister yearned to return to Earth to live a peaceful life in Fiji. As the show progressed his plan was complicated by everything from genetically engineered life forms to the discovery that he and his crewmates were characters on a TV show. Yet his dreams of fun, fun, fun in the sun, sun, sun stayed alive through the wonderfully bouncy closing theme of every episode. Given the downturn the series has taken since co-creator Rob Grant left, its nice to know that fans can rely on the theme for entertainment if nothing else in an episode gels.
9) Droids
Doot doot doot doot doot. Trouble again! Long before The Phantom Menace spewed its cinematic vomit in movie theaters everywhere, Lucasfilm gave us a Star Wars prequel in the form of the 1985 Droids cartoon. Its serialized stories could get a touch ponderous at times but the theme -- "Trouble Again" -- was aces. Performed and co-written by The Police's Stewart Copeland, it taught a generation of latchkey kids to keep their chins up or risk the humiliation (and beatings) that whining like 3-P0 would get them.
8) The Greatest American Hero
"Theme from The Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not)" was such a monster hit that it still gets regular airplay on stations that happily tout their aversion to "rap and hard stuff." I don't know what happened to singer Joey Scarbury after this tune was released, but I hope wherever he is he spends his days flying away on a wing and a prayer (whatever the hell that might entail). How many of you scoffed this song's inclusion here only to realize that you had it on your iPod? Hmm...
7) Inspector Gadget
Inspector Gadget may have been a square, but his theme song brings the funk thanks to some hushed coo-cooing and a "go Gadget go" chorus that is so sexy you want to throw your panties at it like it was Tom Jones circa 1968. [Topless Robot would like to apologize if this theme song causes any trauma after last Friday's FFF. Ha ha! Not really. --Rob.]
6) Cheers
Cheers was the series that made us realize that, to quote Freaks and Geeks, "everything good in life happens in bars." It's also hilarious and arguably the best show of the 1980s overall. Much like the theme for Taxi -- Cheers' spiritual predecessor -- "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" has a melancholic edge perfectly suited for a show whose flawed characters spend their days abusing alcohol. After all, making your way in the world today does take everything you've got, so you may as well drink up. That's probably not the best lesson to be gleaned from the song, but it works for me.
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