The top five (plus one) TV theme songs

Can't you hear it, just looking at this picture?

A theme song is the first impression we get of a show each week, the thing that tells us from across the room or even across the house that our show is starting and we need to be there to watch it. So here's the five most recognizable, sing-along-able, memorable and best theme songs, in no particular order:

Veronica Mars: Catchy, chipper and edgy at the same time, and rediculously sing-able, the VM theme is actually a whole song (We Used to be Friends, by the Dandy Warhols), though the best parts were included in the dreamy, sunny and photoshop-friendly opening sequence. Who can hear this song without thinking of the good old days when Veronica was fighting crime, My-best-friend-Lily-Caine was still dead and sometimes a ghost, and Logan was an entitled jerk with a baseball bat and alot of problems?

True Blood: Slinky and sexy, a little country and a little rock and roll, and, again, very sing-along-able, "Bad Things" by Jace Everett is something that should be on everyone's playlist, and the opening sequence it plays over-- shots of religion and life and sex and weirdness in the Bayou-- though not exactly safe for work, is really well made. Together with the song, it about sums up the world that our Sookie Stackhouse finds herself in, and gives a good overview of the world to get you in the right headspace for watching the show.

Doctor Who: Though it's been redone a few times and updated almost with every doctor (and now is currently a whole orchestra playing those rising and falling notes), it's still one of the most iconic themesongs anywhere. As soon as that stinger starts, before the famous oooo-WEEEE-OOOOO, anyone who's seen the show knows exactly what's on, can even pinpoint which time-frame from the show's 45 year history it's from, and it's almost impossible not to sing along-- amazing for something without words. It carries all the excitement and adventure of every episode you've ever seen, all together in one amazing little 30-odd-second sequence.

Big Bang Theory: The whole of history since the beginning of the universe summed up in one little song by the Bare Naked Ladies, it's fast and smart and hard to catch all the words of, but if you watch the whole season all at once, it only takes a couple episodes to get hooked on the fun of it-- the silly little juxtapositions, the easy facts, the joy of figuring it all out, all right here in the first verse of a song that goes on to elaborate, if you find the whole thing (the link has the whole song, go check it out).

Cheers: A classic one here, a sweet little song that sings hopefully of a place where everybody knows your name. It's so iconic, so well-known, that it's been used in comercials and spoofs and movies for years since the show went off the air. And it's a little bit of nostalgia, both in the song itself for what exists in the show, and for us, who grew up watching it and remember how much fun it was, even when we were too young to get most of the innuendo.

Hawaii Five-0: The ultimate surf-adventure theme, with a decent amount of martial beats and encouraging trumpets of JUSTICE. Just try not to think of big waves and Mcgarret's hair.