In the TV shows you know and love, music doesn't just play pivotal roles in introducing the episodes, they shape your memory of them. Here, Stephen Steps Lowe takes a look at the stories behind the best and most-loved TV theme tunes of all time.
Ttoday we’re checking into one of the most uncomfortable luxury hotels on television, The White Lotus.
The White Lotus first aired in 2021, created by Mike White. On paper, it looks simple, it’s just wealthy guests arriving at an expensive resort expecting a perfect holiday. What they get instead is tension and drama, usually while holding a drink by the pool. The show is a satire of privilege, and from the very beginning, the music makes that clear.
The theme was composed by Cristobal Tapia de Veer, and it was never meant to sound welcoming. Mike White didn’t want a glossy, relaxing theme that matched the visuals, but rather a slightly unhinged tune that would immediately unsettle the audience. The instruction was basically: the hotel looks beautiful, but something ain’t right.
29 Jan 2026
Show Tunes: Episode 52 - How I Met Your Mother
It’s under ten seconds long, but you know exactly where you are by the first note
Welcome back to Showtunes, the podcast that zooms in on the theme songs you can recognise in under a second. This week we’re pulling up a booth at MacLaren’s to revisit How I Met Your Mother , a sitcom that mixed long-running love stories with barstool philosophy and one very fast, very catchy intro.
Before Ted finishes the sentence, we’re diving into why Hey Beautiful by The Solids became inseparable from the show itself.
8 Jan 2026
Show Tunes: Episode 51 - That 70s Show
Big Star never got their flowers at the time — but thanks to That ’70s Show, ‘In The Street’ became one of the most-heard songs they ever released
Welcome to Showtunes, the podcast where we rewind to the theme songs that instantly take you back. This episode heads straight to the basement of That ’70s Show, a sitcom built on hanging out, classic rock, and Red Foreman’s legendary threats.
Before the circle starts spinning, we’re diving into the story behind one of the most recognisable TV intros of the late ’90s.
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