'Laverne & Shirley' vs. 'Family Ties': Vote for the Best TV Theme Songs

It's the Big Ragu versus little Alex P. Keaton in Round 1 of Yahoo! TV's Theme Song Thunderdome.

With March Madness in full swing, we decided to do a TV-themed bracket of our own: a no-holds-barred tournament to determine the best TV theme song of all time. After lots of heated debate, we've selected and ranked 32 of the most memorable TV theme songs ever, pitting them against each other in a winner-takes-all bracket. Over the next few weeks, we're asking you to vote for your favorite theme songs until we get a winner -- and a few songs stuck in your heads.


(5) "Laverne & Shirley" ("Making Our Dreams Come True")

It's a showdown between two of the all-time great "narration" theme songs: the upbeat, second-wave-feminism-inspired anthem of "Laverne & Shirley," and the "behold our great, if occasionally hilarious, hippie romance" love story of "Family Ties." It's the '70s versus the '80s; the Big Ragu versus little Alex P. Keaton.

And it's a legendary beginning versus a legendary ending. Do you favor the "Shlemiel, shlemazel, Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!" that kicks off the "L&S" theme (legend has it it's a Yiddish jump-rope chant Penny Marshall used to sing as a kid)? We're buying stock in Hasenpfeffer: The theme's a bit more fun to watch (the glove on the bottle; handlebar bike rides), and a little less gooey to sing along with.


(12) "Family Ties" ("Without Us")

Or do you prefer the sweet "sha la la laaaaa" that closes the "Family Ties" theme? "Ties" brings it with a duet between Deniece "Let's Hear It For The Boy" Williams and Johnny Mathis, but that opening synth is brutal. If anyone gets an "L" on their sweater here, alas, it's "Family Ties."


Which theme song deserves to move onto the next round? Vote in the poll above, click here to see the full bracket and vote on other pairings (Round 1 voting ends Wednesday at 6 PM PT), tweet out your choices using the hashtag #TVThemeSong, and hit the comments to tell us about all the great theme songs we forgot to include.