TV Show With the Best Theme Song Ever To Be Rebooted at NBC

Are theme songs to television shows just not good anymore? Sometimes, I like to write about things with a certain level of certainty. I fully intended to start this piece by declaring that TV theme songs are not as good as they used to be, but there’s so much television, and plenty of it goes right by without me seeing it. So, maybe some good theme songs are slipping by, and I’m just not noticing. That said, if I’m not noticing them, maybe they aren’t that good.

To be fair, the media landscape has changed significantly over the years, with big changes coming just in the last five. Things are constantly moving and shifting. So, just because I haven’t heard a theme song out in the wild doesn’t mean it’s not out there. We are past the days when people could hum and/or sing the Simpsons theme just because it was omnipresent. People aren’t parodying themes ad nauseam like they did The Brady Bunch. And, certainly, theme songs aren’t becoming a Top 10 hit and winning Grammys anymore.

Regardless, that was once the case, and you need look no further than The Rockford Files (Theme) by Mike Post for proof. Made for the TV show with the same name, this theme absolutely rips, as the children say. It blends electric guitar, harmonica, and sweet synth to make a poppy, upbeat song that works just as well as you’re walking down the street as it does following Jim Rockford’s answering machine message. It’s incredible, and now, it’s returning to our screens (and hearts).

Deadline reports that NBC has ordered a pilot for a reboot of the classic show, part of an effort on their part to have a more traditional pilot season this year. The show will be a modern retelling of the show, with Jim Rockford fresh out of prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and getting work as a private detective. His work will find him crossing paths with local law enforcement and organized crime. It could be a really fun idea, but they need to swing big with its lead.

James Garner was someone my mom had a huge crush on, and she’s someone who has mostly only ever had her sights set on men of color. The fact that Garner broke the mold was a huge deal (or at least I thought it was). So, I’ve seen him plenty, and look, he’s charming as hell. That man was a generational talent, and if NBC wants to replace him as Jim Rockford (which would be their only option in this case), they’ve got some big shoes to fill.

I’m pretty hyped for this, and they better keep the theme song exactly the same. Don’t update it or even re-record it; it will not be the same. Strike a deal with Mike Post and bring back that incredible synth. It will work! Also, while you’re at it, I’ll take an L.A. Law reboot as well. But that theme also has to remain unchanged, because it slaps.