The 2000’s are the dark ages of television theme songs. The majority of shows have instrumentals. Several shows grab portions of songs already recorded and released. If you were a TV jingle writer, you were basically S.O.L. in this millennium. We scoured the landscape, and barely came up with 5 originals. Here are our Five Fave TV Theme Songs From The 2000’s.

#5 – Chappelle’s Show – Cedric “Catfish” Turner & Malcolm Prince

Dave Chappelle’s short-lived, yet legendary sketch comedy show featured a casual, improvised intro song. This one is simple, to the point, and lets us get right into the show.

Chappelle’s Show
Written & Sung by Cedric “Catfish” Turner & Malcolm Prince

Chapelle’s Show.
Chapelle’s Show.
Chapelle’s Show.
Chapelle’s Show.
Chapelle’s Show.
Woo-hoo.
Let’s start the show.

#4 – Two And A Half Men

The infamous Two And A Half Men made short order of letting us know exactly what the show was about – Men…

Two And A Half Men
Written by Chuck Lorre & Lee Aronsohn / Sung by studio singers

Men, men, men, men, manly men, men, men (Ooh)
Men, men, men, men, manly men, men, men
Men, men, men, men, manly men
Ooh-hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo, ooh
Men, men, men, men, manly men, men, men (Ooh)
Men, men, men, men, manly men, men, men (Ha)
Men…

#3 – Firefly – Sonny Rhodes

Joss Whedon can simply do no wrong. Firefly was an incredible space western starring Nathan Fillion, Morena Baccarin, Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres, Adam Baldwin and Summer Glau in the early stages of their careers. This amazing show was never given a chance, cancelled after one perfect season. The movie Serenity, named after the ship, tied up most of the loose ends. Joss is Boss, and he even wrote this killer song.

The Ballad Of Serenity
Written by Joss Whedon / Sung by Sonny Rhodes

Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don’t care, I’m still free
You can’t take the sky from me

Take me out to the black
Tell ’em I ain’t coming back
Burn the land, boil the sea
You can’t take the sky from me

There’s no place I can be
Since I found Serenity
You can’t take the sky from me

#2 – Sons Of Anarchy – Curtis Stigers

Sons Of Anarchy is among the greatest drama series ever produced. The theme song drops you brilliantly into the minds and attitudes of the bikers who inhabit the world of Charming, CA. A great theme song always gets you pumped to keep watching, and this one does the trick.

This Life
Written by Curtis Stigers, Dave Kushner, Bob Thiele, Jr. & Kurt Sutter / Sung by Curtis Stigers & The Forest Rangers

Riding through this world all alone
God takes your soul, you’re on your own
The crow flies straight, a perfect line
On the Devil’s Bed until you die

Gotta raise some hell, ‘fore they take you down
Gotta live this life
Gotta look this world in the eye
Gotta live this life until you die

#1 – The Big Bang Theory – Barenaked Ladies

This beloved, weird, annoying, popular show went on and on, and is now streaming and syndicated everywhere. At least the theme song is amazing, created by one of Canada’s best bands ever – Barenaked Ladies. It all started with a big bang.

The Big Bang Theory
Written by Ed Roberston / Sung by Barenaked Ladies

Our whole universe was in a hot dense state
Then nearly fourteen billion years ago expansion started. Wait…
The Earth began to cool
The autotrophs began to drool
Neanderthals developed tools
We built a wall (we built the pyramids)
Math, science, history, unraveling the mystery
That all started with the big bang! (Bang!)

Since the dawn of man is really not that long
As every galaxy was formed in less time than it takes to sing this song
A fraction of a second and the elements were made
The bipeds stood up straight
The dinosaurs all met their fate
They tried to leap but they were late
And they all died (they froze their asses off)
The oceans and pangea
See ya wouldn’t wanna be ya
Set in motion by the same big bang!

It all started with the big bang!

It’s expanding ever outward but one day
It will pause and start to go the other way
Collapsing ever inward, we won’t be here, it won’t be heard
Our best and brightest figure that it’ll make an even bigger bang!

Australopithecus would really have been sick of us
Debating how we’re here they’re catching deer (we’re catching viruses)
Religion or astronomy, Encarta, Deuteronomy
It all started with the big bang!

Music and mythology, Einstein and astrology
It all started with the big bang!
It all started with the big bang!

Five Fave: TV Theme Songs From The 2000’s first appeared on Game On Media.

So you’ve decided (or been told) to self quarantine. Now is the perfect time to catch up on your binge watching. Take a moment to appreciate your first responders and the incredible amount of stress and danger that they are facing now, and every other day of their lives, to look out for your best interests. These shows highlight the NYPD, NYFD, and FBI, as well as other social structures that people lean on during troubled times – your church and your social groups. Here are our Five Fave Hulu And Quarantine Drama Series:

5. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit – 21 Seasons, 474 Episodes and counting. Starring Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, Christopher Meloni, Richard Belzer, Dann Florek.

This hard-hitting and emotional series from NBC’s “Law & Order” brand chronicles the life and crimes of the Special Victims Unit of the New York City Police Department, an elite squad of detectives who investigate sexually based crimes. The show is often dark, especially when children are involved in the plot, but it also is very human. Olivia Benson is the centerpiece of the story, but there are so many other great characters throughout the series who draw you in to their world. With so many episodes, this could take you a while, but we may have nothing but time for a while. SVU has now become the longest-running series on television, has produced more episodes than the original “Law & Order“, and has plans for seasons 22, 23 & 24.

4. The X-Files – 11 Seasons, x Episodes. Starring David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson.

The truth is out there. FBI agents Scully and Mulder seek it in this sci-fi phenomenon about their quest to explain the seemingly unexplainable. Their strange cases include UFO sightings, alien encounters and abductions, and just about everything else among the paranormal. Somewhere in the back, or possibly front, of your mind, do you have a suspicion that Covid-19 is an alien virus, or a secret military weapon? Watch this to see just how deep state you can get. Hulu has the full original series, plus the final 2 reboot seasons. If that is too much to take in, you can always skip the “monster of the week” episodes to focus on the government conspiracy thread.

3. Rescue Me – 7 Seasons, 93 Episodes. Starring Denis Leary, Andrea Roth, Daniel Sunjata, John Scurti, Steven Pasquale, Callie Thorne.

Whether pulling survivors from a fiery high-rise or the twisted steel of a subway collision, Tommy Gavin takes pride in leading the heroic but overwhelmed firefighters of the NYFD. But he’s also drifting between sorrow and anger over a separation from his wife and three kids, and the haunting memories of his fallen comrades. Gavin fights a never-ending battle with his personal demons, his addictions, and his visions of those lost on 9/11, including his cousin Jimmy. The show is brutally honest and intense, and gives you an appreciation of the sacrifice and mental strain that first responders live with on a daily basis.

2. The Path – 3 Seasons, 36 Episodes. Starring Aaron Paul, Michelle Monaghan, Hugh Dancy.

“The Path” follows a family at the center of a controversial cult movement as they struggle with relationships, faith and power. Each episode takes an in-depth look at the gravitational pull of belief and what it means to choose between the life we live and the life we want. The series blends elements of mystery-thriller, romance and the supernatural. If you loved Aaron Paul in “Breaking Bad“, be prepared to see a whole other side of him in this tense, spriritual drama. This show challenges our perceptions of the balance between faith and family.

1. Sons of Anarchy – 9 Seasons, x Episodes. Starring Katey Sagal, Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman, Jimmy Smits.

“Sons of Anarchy” is an adrenalized drama with darkly comedic undertones about a notorious outlaw motorcycle club intent on protecting their sheltered small town against encroaching drug dealers, corporate developers and overzealous law officers. The club is equally determined to protect their ruthless and illegally thriving arms business. Charlie Hunnam stars as Jackson ‘Jax’ Teller, a man whose love for the brotherhood is tested by his growing apprehension for its lawlessness. Katey Sagal stars as Gemma Teller Morrow, Jax’s force-of-nature mother, who along with Ron Perlman as Clarance ‘Clay’ Morrow, Jax’s stepfather and MC president, have their own darker vision for the club. Yes, this show is about outlaw bikers. Yes, this show is gratuitously violent. But it is also extremely well written, the characters are multi-dimensional and each go through their own personal journeys of salvation, and the acting is top-notch. It is probably the most consistent long-running series ever created, with each season bringing its own drama and focus, yet each season is equally gripping emotionally and visually.

Five Fave: How To Hulu And Quarantine – Drama Series first appeared on Game On Media.

Television went through several changes throughout the 2010’s decade. Several shows took a sympathetic look at the darkness within, tracing the journey and the struggle of their main character. Fans tuned in to watch men who they loved to hate, and hated to love. Ultimately, these shows thrived as each lead attempted to battle their inner demons and process the rationale behind their violent actions.

Another huge change in the decade was the rise of streaming services. This gave fans a chance to find shows that they may have missed, or catch up to shows that had become hits. Some of these shows started in the late 2000’s, but were fully discovered in the 2010’s. The status of these TV Bad Boys definitely rose due to the binge watching phenomenon.

Our Five Fave TV Bad Boys Of The Decade are characters that viewers may have never pictured cheering for, including a politician writing his own book of tricks, a serial killer with a code, a rising drug kingpin with a purpose, a motorcycle-riding criminal with a conscience, and the devil himself.

#5 – Tom Ellis as Lucifer Morningstar on Fox/Netflix’s Lucifer from Tom Kapinos

#4 – Charlie Hunnam as Jackson “Jax” Teller on FX’s Sons Of Anarchy from Kurt Sutter

#3 – Bryan Cranston as Walter White AKA Heisenberg on AMC’s Breaking Bad from Vince Gilligan

#2 – Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan on Showtime’s Dexter from James Manos Jr.

#1 – Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood on Netflix’s House Of Cards from Beau Willimon

Five Fave: TV Bad Boys Of The Decade first appeared on Game On Media.