The TV Theme Song Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
3 min
The TV Theme Song Quiz
Image: ABC Photo Archives/Disney ABC Television Group/Getty Images

About This Quiz

A catchy song might top radio charts for a few weeks, but TV tunes can linger for years in syndication, until they become a permanent part of pop culture. Take our quiz to see how much you know about some of TV's top theme songs.
What shows offers a place "where everybody knows your name"?
"Golden Girls"
"Cheers"
"Three's Company"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came" to Cheers. Gary Portnoy, who composed the theme, also wrote the them to "Punky Brewster."

What show features an opening song titled "Suicide Is Painless"?
"Malcolm in the Middle"
"The Sopranos"
"MASH"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Suicide Is Painless" appeared on "M.A.S.H." "M.A.S.H." movie director Robert Altman's 14-year-old son wrote the lyrics to the tune.

Who sang the theme song for "Friends"?
the Rembrandts
the Dandy Warhols
the Van Goghs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

One-hit wonder the Rembrandts crooned "I'll Be There for You" to start each episode of "Friends."

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What show featured a theme song called "The Streetbeater"?
"Good Times"
"What's Happening!!"
"Sanford and Son
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Quincy Jones came up with the funky track used at the beginning of each "Sanford and Son" episode.

What show's theme song questions the loss of predictability in the form of the milkman, paperboy and evening TV?
"Full House"
"Family Ties"
"The Wonder Years"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Everywhere You Look," better known as the "Full House" theme song, seeks a return to the simple things in life.

Who sang the theme song for the 2015 "Full House" reboot?
Taylor Swift
Carly Rae Jepsen
Ariana Grande
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Carly Rae Jepsen recorded a modern version of "Everywhere You Look" for "Fuller House."

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What TV theme takes viewers from West Philadelphia to California?
"Beverly Hillbillies"
"The Fresh Prince of Bel Air"
"The Golden Girls"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Will Smith starred in the show and rapped the theme song, which tells the story of his tough childhood in Philly and his move to glamorous Bel Air, Los Angeles.

Nobody is given a break in the theme song for this show.
"The First 48"
"True Detective"
"Cops"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Crime reality show "Cops" used the theme song "Bad Boys."

True or false: That garbled line in "Good Times" goes "hanging in a chow line."
true
false
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Contrary to rumor, that tricky line is actually "hanging in and jiving," according to a 2007 interview with the song's writers.

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Whose cover of "A Little Help From My Friends" opened each episode of "The Wonder Years"?
Joe Cocker
Ray Charles
Chuck Berry
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Cocker's distinctive cover of the classic Beatles tune is the theme song for "The Wonder Years."

Which show features a family "movin' on up to the east side"?
"Good Times"
"The Jeffersons"
"What's Happening!!"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In "The Jeffersons," George and family finally get their piece of the pie, allowing them to move to a deluxe apartment in the sky.

What was Mike Brady busy with when he met the lovely Carol?
his job
his divorce
three boys of his own
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Two families became one when a lady busy with three girls met a man with three boys of his own.

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How long was the boat tour on "Gilligan's Island" supposed to last?
30 minutes
90 minutes
three hours
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The theme song sets up this show perfectly — a "three-hour" tour turned into a long stay on a desert island when the Minnow was lost to a storm.

Who sang the theme song on "The Dukes of Hazzard"?
Willie Nelson
Waylon Jennings
Merle Haggard
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jennings provided both the narration and the theme song for "The Dukes of Hazzard."

True or false: "Happy Days" used two completely different theme songs during the show's run.
true
false
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The show used "Rock Around the Clock" for its first two seasons before switching to a song simply titled "Happy Days."

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True or false: The "I Love Lucy" theme song had lyrics.
true
false
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In season three, Ricky soothes a pregnant Lucy's worries by singing the show's theme song, complete with lyrics along the lines of "I love Lucy, and she loves me."

Who sang the theme song on "Married With Children"?
Frank Sinatra
Dean Martin
Sammy Davis Jr.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The "Love and Marriage" theme that kicked off each episode of the show was recorded by Frank Sinatra.

In that garbled line in the theme song to "All in the Family," what type of car ran great for the Bunkers?
Buick
Chevy
LaSalle
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In an often-misunderstood line from the show's theme, Archie and Edith pay tribute to their reliable old LaSalle.

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What show opened with "The Ballad of Jed Clampett"?
"Beverly Hillbillies"
"Barnaby Jones"
"Green Acres"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Come and listen to my story 'bout a man named Jed, who went from rags to riches on "The Beverly Hillbillies."

Who sang the theme song on "Malcom in the Middle"?
the Rembrandts
They Might be Giants
the Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

They Might be Giants gave each episode of the show a rockin' start with their song "Boss of Me."

What show features a theme song called "Woke Up in the Morning"?
"Bad Blood"
"Shameless"
"The Sopranos"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Woke Up in the Morning," a song about a woman who murders her husband, opens each episode of "The Sopranos."

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What show's theme song opens with a Yiddish nursery rhyme?
"Laverne & Shirley"
"Cheers"
"Gilligan's Island"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Laverne and Shirley started the show's theme song by chanting "Schlemiel, Schlimazel," a traditional Yiddish rhyme.

Which teen drama featured a theme song by the Dandy Warhols?
"Veronica Mars"
"Dawson's Creek"
"Pretty Little Liars"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Dandy Warhols' "We Used to Be Friends" drew fans to the teen detective show "Veronica Mars."

Who "will win the fight" if he can keep the cat out all night long?
Fred Flintstone
Herman Munster
Gomez Addams
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In a line from "The Flintstones" closing theme, viewers hear "someday, maybe Fred will win the fight if the cat will stay out for the night."

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Which of these shows used a different cover of the song "Way Down in the Hole" to start each season?"
"The Wire"
"Prison Break"
"Adam-12"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Each season of "The Wire" used a different cover version of Tom Waits' "Way Down in the Hole."

What family really is a "scre-am"?
the Munsters
the Addams family
the groovy Goolies
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"The Addams Family" is not only kooky, spooky and ooky, but also a scre-am, according to the show's theme song.

What show's theme starts with the line "love, exciting and new"?
"Mad About You"
"The Love Boat"
"Knots Landing"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On "The Love Boat," everything is "exciting and new," and of course the "Love Boat has something for everyone."

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What show features a pair who have "nothing but their jeans"?
"What's Happening!!"
"Good Times"
"Diff'rent Strokes"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Willis and Arnold have nothing but the jeans they're wearing when they move in with the Drummond family on "Diff'rent Strokes."

True or false: The theme song to "The Golden Girls" took just an hour to write.
true
false
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Composer Andrew Gold wrote the song in just an hour in 1978, with no idea that it would be used on such an iconic show.

What show invites viewers to "come and knock on our door"?
"Three's Company"
"Dallas"
"Charles in Charge"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Joe Raposo, who wrote the theme to "Three's Company," also wrote the theme song for "Sesame Street."

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