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A great TV theme doesn’t quietly play in the background; it shows you exactly how to feel before you even say anything. The right song transforms a great scene into an unforgettable one. These ten soundtracks went above and beyond just creating atmosphere. They became synonymous with the stories that they fed, and now have a permanent, lauded place in television history.
The Twilight Zone-1959
We know the tension that Bernard Herrmann created with his foreboding four-note motif before a scene had even started (and it established itself for every single episode so well). His haunting theme perfectly encapsulated Rod Serling’s science fiction anthology and still ranks among the most instantly recognisable TV music of all time.
Star Trek-1966
Composed by Alexander Courage, the sweeping theme combined orchestral majesty with ethereal soprano wordless vocals that immediately conjured visions of deep space adventures. It set a high bar for sci-fi TV music that composers have honestly struggled to match in the more than 50 years since.
Twin Peaks-1990
Hauntingly beautiful, the score was composed by Angelo Badalamenti, who received a Grammy Award for it. The Guardian called it the peak of TV soundtracks; his jazz compositions, and Laura Palmer’s Theme are music both deeper in atmosphere and still so moving three decades on.
The X-Files-1993
The spare electronic textures of Mark Snow helped create an almost claustrophobic sense of dread that translated into the sense that every paranormal investigation was quite literally life-threatening. His score imbued The X-Files with an atmosphere so lasting that musical reserve could be more effective than any grand or loud drama.
The Sopranos-1999
David Chase deployed rock, jazz, and operatic motifs as emotional counterpoint instead of mere atmospheric filler. Each song selection functioned as a portal into the shattered heart of Tony Soprano, the mastermind so rich in inner life that music became a narrative technique as much as anything from its incredible cast.
Band Of Brothers-2001
In ten hours of orchestral music, Michael Kaman opted for subdued introspection rather than the usual war epic bombast. His score, performed by the London Metropolitan Orchestra and released by Varese Sarabande, is all the more bittersweet when one remembers Kaman died just two years after the show’s original airing.
The O.C.-2003
This teen-focused drama was really a turning point for independent artists, thanks to music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas. The show put Death Cab for Cutie, Modest Mouse, and Imogen Heap through the pop mainstream into homes across America, making its soundtrack one of the most culturally significant in U.S. television history.
Breaking Bad-2008
The score by Dave Porter combined sparse desert textures that deepened to dark horror as Walter White’s morality unravelled. The orchestration over five seasons gave Breaking Bad a sonic signature -the boys from Albuquerque had found an identity as dynamic as any aspect of Vince Gilligan’s designs during the run of the series.
Game Of Thrones-2011
Ten weeks before the premiere, Ramin Djawadi was on board and went on to create one of TV’s most iconic scores. Over the course of eight seasons, he won two Emmy Awards, and his main title theme became one of the most recognisable tunes on earth.
Stranger Things-2016
Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein composed their entire score using vintage analogue synthesisers, trapping the show deep in its 1980s Indiana time setting. They also launched Kate Bush’s 1985 hit Running Up That Hill to the global charts in 2022 -decades after it was first released.
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