From Outlander to The Walking Dead to Battlestar Galactica, Bear McCreary’s music stands as some of the best ever written for television. Let’s look at why.
In this golden age of television, it seems that every few months sees the release of some new blockbuster show that could be the next Game of Thrones big thing. There are a lot of elements that go into making these huge, immersive television experiences: Writing, set and costume design, acting, meticulous research and planning and hard work…
But one of the most crucial parts of any show is the music. What would Game of Thrones be without its title sequence, so inspiring that it’s been performed by orchestras and sung by rowdy bar crowds the world over? How would we know the Draughtlander has ended, if not for the return of a newly reinvented “Skye Boat Song”?
Good music does more than just play under the events of a show; it enhances them. And among the wealth of amazing composers working in Hollywood today, there’s one whose music stands as some of the best ever written for the small screen.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 19: Bear McCreary attends the Premiere of Orion Pictures and United Artists Releasing’s “Child’s Play” at ArcLight Hollywood on June 19, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Bear McCreary has been a mainstay of not only TV, but movies and even video games since he broke onto the scene with his first TV show score almost 16 years ago. Today I’m going to go through five of the shows that McCreary has worked on in an effort to convince you that he is the reigning champ of television music. It’s not just that his melodies are memorable and moving (they are), or that he has an amazing knack for using culturally unique instruments to immerse us in the worlds of whatever show he’s writing for (he does). McCreary has an almost spotless track record of elevating the plot, characters, and atmosphere of every show he’s worked on throughout his career. Wired has hailed him as one of TV’s “secret weapons,” and it’s spot on.
So turn up your speakers, and come along for the ride. It’s time to get loud.