Five Best (And Worst) Times TV Shows Changed Their Theme Tunes

Here are five classic TV shows that changed their theme tunes for the better, and five that did the exact opposite.

The Dead Zone: Denouement

Johnny: "All this time, we thought he was a puppet. We thought wrong, Gene."

The Dead Zone: Ambush

Jake: "Did you see who did this?"
Sheriff Turner: "Abraham Lincoln."

The Dead Zone: Exile

Alex: "That's why I always see pink spoons on my birthday."

I like Alex. She's as freaky and gifted as Johnny is. They even sort of communicate in shorthand. He showed up in handcuffs, wanted for murder, and Alex acted like it happened every day. And I really liked the way she resolved her own inescapable death by car trunk. I was thinking that, if I were in that situation, I'd duct tape a crowbar to my leg – so when she pulled out the flashlight, screwdriver, and goggles, I laughed out loud. Wanda turning out to be Alex's mother was predictable, but nice.

The Dead Zone: Drift

Stark: "I take it you're not a horse person."
Johnny: "It's a safe bet."

I saw this coming a long time ago. Greg Stillson is definitely after Sarah. He's been warm for her since he first met her.

The Dead Zone: Transgressions

Johnny: "I somehow still feel guilty about it all."
Sarah: "That's probably because of all the Catholics you've been hanging around."

A christening and an exorcism. They don't usually go together.

The Dead Zone: Outcome

Johnny: "This is serious, okay? Real death. Real pain."
Elaine: "You don't think I know real pain? I'm in my mid-thirties and I'm still dating."

This was a perfect example of the winning Dead Zone formula.

The Dead Zone: Numb

Dr. Cole: "Lions and flowers and the sheriff."
Sarah: "Oh, my."

Johnny and Sarah back together again, after twelve years apart. That was sort of major.

The Dead Zone: Switch

Johnny: "I'd have to touch you."
Maggie: "You have permission. I won't tell Sarah."

Boy meets girl, romantic train trip, chased by murderers. Sort of like North by Northwest but with a psychic. Johnny does lead an exciting life at times. It also felt a little like one of my favorite Dead Zone episodes, "Deja Voodoo": a heavy-duty flirtation for Johnny, him saving her life, and his eventual realization (aided by a vision) that her happy future wasn't going to be with him. Not as good as "Deja Voodoo," unfortunately.

The Dead Zone: Interred

"I tend the whole grounds. Digging graves is just a perk."

I didn't like this one much. I wonder why? Well, let me think. I don't care for buried alive plots. I don't like Sheriff Turner. Hey, I think I've figured it out.

The Dead Zone: Big Top

"Whoever's doing this clearly hates mirrors."

Weird. Not necessarily in a bad way, though.

The Dead Zone: Re-Entry

Greg: "If there was anything wrong, I'd be the first to know about it."
Johnny: "No, I think that would be me."

Has Greg Stillson done a 180? Really? Hard to tell, wasn't it?

The Dead Zone: Ego

Johnny: "You know, you can have your own wing."

The Dead Zone: Heritage

Sarah: "First I lose you, and then I lose Walt. I must have banked up some really lousy karma."

They weren't kidding when they advertised that everything would change. I was ready for some change. Maybe not this much, though.

The Dead Zone: The Hunting Party

"Frost is just a patsy. It's Oswald all over again."

Again, Johnny tried to help a maladjusted, obnoxious schmuck. Only this time, he didn't succeed. And the "heroic" Greg Stillson is now on the way to the White House, and there's a good chance he will indeed be vice president in 2008.

The Dead Zone: Into the Heart of Darkness

Sarah: "They say you can't love two people. But they're wrong. They're wrong."

This was the strongest, most emotional episode they've done in a long time.

The Dead Zone: Revelations

Bruce: "A wealthy widow being taken in by a charismatic man of god. It can't be all coincidence, John."

Gene was once a religious scam artist?

The Dead Zone: Vortex

"Does the name 'Waco' ring a bell?"

Now this one worked. Maybe I'm reaching the point where non-arc episodes just don't have as strong an impact on me. I mean, it's just strange having whole episodes with no mention of the looming Armageddon.

The Dead Zone: Symmetry

Johnny: "It's like I'm stuck in a vision. Some kind of vision loop."

The Dead Zone: Lotto Fever

Marsha: "You're not a millionaire, Boyd. You're a mailman with a mental condition."

Cue the "going postal" jokes.