The 20 best songs that were written for TV shows

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s fictional talent was so good that new viewers could’ve been convinced that those were actual stand-up sets and songs from the 1950s. The character Shy Baldwin’s song “One Less Angel” is proof of that theory. 

The Simpsons is the best that animated TV has to offer, so of course, it has some great original songs. “Baby On Board,” performed by Homer’s barbershop quartet The Be Sharps, is sweet, emotional, and totally melodious. 

Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana recorded multiple bangers throughout the eponymous series’ run, but no song was as good as “Nobody’s Perfect.” For OG fans of the show, the song still hits. 

Never assume that a song isn’t good just because it was written for a children’s TV show. Several songs written for Victorious were earworms in the best way, including “Freak the Freak Out.”

Of all the songs written for Flight of the Conchords, fans insist that “Robots” is the best one. Others might be more technically sound, but “Robots” speaks to the spirit of the hilarious series. 

SMASH had legions of dedicated fans who loved the show for a variety of reasons, including its original songs. “Let’s Be Bad” was the best among them, with layers and nuance under its jazzy exterior.

When the New Directions were tasked with writing original songs for Regionals, they came up with some hilarious stinkers, like “My Headband” and “Trouty Mouth,” but there were a few genuine bops, most notably “Loser Like Me.”

If it weren’t for High School: The Musical: The Series , we wouldn’t have “Driver’s License.” Olivia Rodrigo wrote “All I Want” for the mockumentary series, and it served as a jumping-off point for her successful music career. 

Considering Atlanta was created by and starred Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino), it’s no surprise that it had some great original music. There are multiple contenders for best, but “Paper Boi” stands out among them. 

Original songs have been written for TV shows for decades. “Bein’ Green,” the iconic tune sung by Kermit the Frog, is so good that it warranted covers by Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, and Van Morrison. 

“Catalina Breeze,” performed by Bill Hader and Fred Armisen as The Blue Jean Committee in Documentary Now!, is a seriously good song. It’ll stick with you for days after hearing it.

Fred Armisen has performed multiple original songs for his goofy yet amazing TV ventures. He and his co-star Carrie Brownstein’s song “Dream of the ’90s” from the first episode of Portlandia is too epic for words. 

Unreasonably catchy and littered with classic SpongeBob SquarePants humor, “Campfire Song Song” is a classic TV song. Fans of the show know just how legendary this banger is. 

Everything about Only Murders in the Building is well done. When the series decided to try its hand at writing an original song, the songwriters nailed it with “Look for the Light,” performed by Martin Short as Oliver Putnam and Meryl Streep as Loretta Durkin.

Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay really did the sitcom world a favor with “Smelly Cat.” The song has had a lasting legacy. Kudrow even sang it at the Staples Center with Taylor Swift for her 1989 World Tour. That’s impact. 

The world is begging for a Schitt’s Creek spin-off called “A Little Bit Alexis” with the hilarious bop as the theme song. Annie Murphy as Alexis Rose had everyone believing she really was a reality star in the 2000s. 

“Dayman” is an insane song from the equally insane show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It’s over 20 years old at this point, and it is still just as hilarious as it was when it debuted. 

Sam Claflin as Billy Dunne and Riley Keough as Daisy Jones in Daisy Jones & The Six did a spectacular job performing the series’ original songs, most notably “Look At Us Now (Honeycomb).” The latter of the performers is Elvis Presley’s progeny, so it’s no surprise she’s musically talented. 

“5000 Candles in the Wind” from Parks and Recreation will have you feeling like you were a Pawnee citizen with a close, personal relationship to the town’s mascot, Li’l Sebastian. It’s that good. 

No song written for television is as good as “I’ll Be There For You,” the Friends theme song. Performed by The Remembrandts, the song was written by a trio of writers, including the show’s two creators. It’s arguably the best theme song in television history.