27 of the best TV theme songs of the 21st century

Malcolm in the Middle helped Fox continue to do in the 2000s what it started back in the ‘80s, delivering family comedy for those that took those white picket fences and set them on fire. Malcolm and his family were not the most well-off, nor did things always work out for them. This is why their sort of punk-rock theme song ending with “Life is unfair" immediately helped the show be a classic.

The intro of any show should set the mood, and none give way to an eerie time quite like Westworld.

Doctors often get put on a pedestal, so Scrubs choosing to go with Lazlo Bane's "Superman” and incorporating the line “I’m no Superman” helped showcase right from the start that, yeah, these were doctors, but they’re also human.

Bob’s Burgers has been a highly musical show since it debuted back in 2011, so it’s no surprise that their quirky yet infectious theme song is one of the best parts of the show.

New Girl proved that even the simplest theme could go a very long way.

Disney did not have to go that hard when creating the theme song for Miley Cyrus’ Hannah Montana, but they did. Honestly, so many shows that aired around that time were delivering in their intros, but Hannah was the best of the bunch.

Say “California” around anyone who was a teenager in 2003, and there is a 79% chance they will start singing the Phantom Planet song that became a millennial anthem after it was placed ahead of the teen drama, The O.C.

The Barenaked Ladies had one huge hit in 1998 and maybe one other song that made some noise soon after, so no one would’ve ever guessed that, almost a decade later, they’d have another on their hands when they did the theme song for The Big Bang Theory.

A great way to get people to remember a show is to repeat the name of it in a calming yet sultry way, which is why Girlfriends is on this list.

Love it or hate it, Jackäss is forever one of the most influential pieces of pop culture when it comes to the early 2000s because the wild antics on the show epitomized this punk-rock mentality that stood side by side with the Paris Hilton glam of the era, which makes sense since the theme song is part of a punk protest song by Minutemen called “Corona.”

While shows like The X-Files and Lost pushed fans into chat rooms and message boards with their fandom and wild theories, Orange is the New Black inspired the binge-watch. It was the first show Netflix dropped that really took the world by storm, and its theme song continues to be recognized because of it.

Something charming and unassuming about how Parks and Recreation starts makes people want to smile and feels very much like something one would hear in a place like Indiana.

If there is one thing The Goldbergs did better than any show it ever shared a Wednesday night with on ABC during its 10-season run, it’s having the premiere theme song, thanks to I Fight Dragons' "Rewind."

Two and a Half Men is one of the first shows from this era to hit syndication before streaming became the norm, and because of that, many will never forget the haunting ways of “Men, men, men, men, manly men, men, men.”

Don’t know if the intro to Dexter is creepy because it just is or because it’s a show about a serial killer…

The music supervisor for Lizzie McGuire deserves a raise for pairing “We’ll Figure It Out” by Angie Jaree with the show because that’s exactly what middle school is all about!

Peacemaker may just have the best overall intro ever due to the choreographed dance moves to Wig Wam’s "Do Ya Wanna Taste It.”

It’s not uncommon to hear the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia theme song elsewhere because their theme song, “Temptation Sensation,” is public domain.

There was nothing about GLOW that didn't evoke the power of the '80s, from the costumes to the music, including their theme song, "The Warrior" by Scandal, lifted straight from 1984.

Los Angeles-based band The 88 got some major love from the diehard Community fanbase due to their song, “At Least It Was Here,” being the theme song for the beloved NBC series.

Despite being short-lived and only lasting two seasons, Grand Crew will always be remembered as a hilarious show about true friendship with a theme song meant for any playlist. The best part, though? The song came from one of the show’s executive producers, Augusta Jackson.

If Victorious didn’t have a great theme song, the show would make very little sense given it was about a performing arts high school with a cast that had more than a few great vocalists, including the singer of "Make It Shine," Victoria Justice. 

Stranger Things knew it didn’t have to do too much because the show was more than enough, but it still managed to deliver one of the most distinguishable themes in recent years.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s intro played very much like an old-school TV show, showcasing all of the actors while a cool arrangement set the tone for some crime-fighting goodness.

Just good vibes all around when it came to Broad City’s theme, which was originally done by DJ Raff.

IT’S A MIRACLE!

Much like The Simpsons before it, The Office took an arrangement and made it iconic.