My top 10 favorite sci-fi/fantasy show theme songs of all time
To me, the experience of watching an episode of a good show is only made better by a good theme song. I am a very musically inclined person, so music has always been important to me. I say that music is the one thing I literally can’t go without.
A show’s theme song sets the tone for what you’re about to see. Out of all the many shows I’ve watched in my long [REDACTED] years of life, these 10 have made themselves a little extra space in my heart. It’s really hard to actually rank them, but I managed.
10. Battlestar Gallactica: “Main Title” (UK Version) by Bear McCreary
If there was a show I could completely wipe from my memory so I could watch it again for the first time, it would definitely be Battlestar Gallactica. While preparing for a BSG-inspired LARP, I watched the miniseries, then binged all four seasons, then Razor, and then The Plan like my life depended on it. I absolutely adored it.
The theme song has some sad undertones to it, matching the tone of the show. Everyone is miserable. Life is rough. Then it picks up as it shows you moments with no context, glimpses of what’s to come in the episode you’re about to watch.
The vocals are what makes the song so foreboding and haunting. And the melody has a hopeful note at the end, preparing the viewer for the next plot twist.
9. Firefly: “Firefly Main Title” 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…
This song is everything. It set the tone for the show; a space cowboy adventure with an unlikely team of… heroes? It also gets stuck in your head easily due to its catchy lyrics. This song will always make my list, as I started watching Firefly around the same time I met my husband. He’s actually the one who got me into it (and does a mean Jayne Cobb cosplay with his own homemade Vera), so this song means a lot to me and reminds me of just how much I loved the best sci-fi show that was ever canceled.
This song is very far removed from my favorite kind of music (I happen to be an electronica junkie), but I’ll love it and sing it until the end of my days.
P.S.: there’s a longer version. You’re welcome.
8. Severance: “Main Titles” by Theodore Shapiro
I’ll preface this by saying that Severance is, hands down, one of the best shows I’ve ever watched. Psychological horror at its finest. It left me on the edge of my seat every episode, and I care for every one of the main characters. Season 2 can’t come soon enough.
The acting is superb, the plot is very interesting and kind of disturbing, and the theme song… is phenomenal. It has strings, which are soothing and relaxing, and then the piano keys kick in and bring the suspense. It definitely prepares viewers for what’s ahead.
If you haven’t watched Severance yet, do yourself a favor and get to it!