Match the TV Theme Song to the Show Quiz

Answer: The Beverly Hillbillies

"The Ballad of Jed Clampett" was first recorded by bluegrass stars Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. The TV version features singer Jerry Scoggins. The song was released as a single and spent twenty weeks on the Billboard Country Singles chart (three weeks at the top spot). Reportedly it was the first bluegrass song to reach the top spot of the Billboard Country Charts. "The Beverly Hillbillies", which tells the story of a Tennessee mountain family striking it rich and moving to California, aired on CBS from 1962 to 1971.

Answer: Rawhide

A drover is a person who uses a particular herding technique to walk livestock over long distances. "Rawhide", the song was originally recorded by Frankie Laine in 1958. From 1959 to 1965 the song was used as the theme song for a TV show of the same title. The song was made popular again when it was featured in the movie "The Blues Brothers".

Answer: New Tricks

"New Tricks" is a British police comedy/drama that aired on BBC One from 2003 to 2014. The show was about a group of retired police detectives returning to the force to solve cold cases. Dennis Waterman played Detective Gerry Standing and sang the show's snappy theme song "It's Alright, It's Okay".

He also sang the theme song for another TV show "Minder", where he played boxer Terry McCann.

Answer: Cops

This reggae band has enjoyed commercial success since the 1980s. The song "Bad Boys" was part of the album of the same name (in the US). The album won a Grammy in 1993 for Best Reggae Album by a Duo or Group. The show "Cops" is a US-based reality show that allows cameras to follow police officers while they are on duty.

The show was spurned by many networks before being picked up by Fox in 1989. It has continued to be aired for over thirty-five years, although on other networks.

Answer: Midsomer Murders

A theremin is an electronic instrument named for its Russian inventor, Leon Theremin. The instrument is played when the player's hands are strategically placed between two antennas, which serve as position sensors. One hand's placement is used to control volume while the other is used to control frequency. The signals are then sent through a loudspeaker to make its unique sound.

"Midsomer Murders" is a British detective show that is adapted from Caroline Graham's book series "Chief Inspector Barnaby". Set in the present-day fictional county of Midsomer, the crime drama has been popular worldwide since first being aired in 1997.

Answer: Bluey

"Bluey", an animated children's show, first aired on ABC (Australian Broadcasting Channel) Kids in 2018. The award-winning show features a family of dogs, parents Bandit and Chilli, and their imaginative and energetic daughters Bluey and Bingo. The goal of the show is to model a supportive and loving family.

In 2019, the show won an International Emmy Kids Award. The opening theme song features the family of dogs dancing and trying to "freeze" when the music stops.

Answer: The Andy Griffith Show

"The Andy Griffith Show" aired in the US on CBS from 1960 to 1968. It has become one of TV's most iconic shows. The sitcom features Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor in the small town of Mayberry, North Carolina. Taylor's son Opie was played by Ron Howard, who went on to star in "Happy Days" and become a successful director. The theme song "The Fishin' Hole" was originally known as "The Andy Griffith Show Theme Song". Written by Earle Hagen, the song features Hagen whistling the happy tune as Taylor and Opie are walking down a dirt road to go fishing.

The ditty became so popular that people wanted a recording of the song, so actor Everett Sloane wrote some lyrics and changed the name to "The Fishin' Hole". The theme song with lyrics was then successfully recorded by Andy Griffith.

Answer: All in the Family

"All in the Family" aired from 1971 to 1979 in the USA on CBS. It was based on the popular British sitcom "Till Death Do Us Part". The show tackled many controversial cultural and political issues and although it was a sitcom, it often interjected poignant moments into the show that forced its viewers to rethink their views on some of these issues.

The show starred Carrol O'Connor as Archie Bunker and Jean Stapleton as his wife, Edith. The theme song, "Those Were the Days," featured Archie and Edith sitting on a piano stool reminiscing about the way things used to be, while Edith played the piano.

The song written by Lee Adams and Charles Strouse was released as a single and peaked at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 30 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

Answer: Laverne and Shirley

Laverne (played by Penny Marshall) and Shirley (Cindy Williams) was a spin-off from the popular show "Happy Days". The girls were roommates who worked at a Milwaukee brewery and seemed to always get themselves into humorous situations. It became the most-watched US TV show by 1978.

It ran from 1976 to 1983. The theme song "Making Our Dreams Come True" was recorded by Cyndi Grecco in 1976 and reached number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 13 on the Adult Contemporary Hit chart. It was her only hit song.

In the opening song Laverne and Shirley are skipping down the sidewalk shouting a Yiddish hop-scotch chant before Grecco breaks into the fast-paced tune.

Answer: Cheers

"Cheers" aired on NBC in the US from 1982 to 1993. The sitcom is set in a Boston bar where a cast of characters develop close friendships as they humorously tackle life's challenges. It was almost canceled due to poor ratings after its first season but rebounded to become an American favorite, winning twenty-eight prime-time Emmy Awards. After three failed attempts, songwriters Gary Portnoy and Julie Hart-Angelo presented the song "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" to the producers for the show's theme song. Later, Portnoy recorded the song, and it became a big hit in both the US and Britain.

It was voted the best TV theme song of all time by readers in a 2011 edition of "Rolling Stone" magazine and the best all-time TV theme song by "TV Guide" in 2013.