10 TV Shows with the Greatest Soundtracks of All Time
In the world of television, where storytelling reigns supreme, there exists an often underappreciated yet indispensable element that can transform a good series into an unforgettable masterpiece: its soundtrack. Picture this: you’re deep in the unfolding drama of your favourite show, but it’s the subtle swell of music in the background that truly captivates your senses, drawing you deeper into the narrative, heightening emotions, and etching scenes into your memory long after the credits roll. That’s the power of music.
They are the shows that linger in our minds not only for their compelling characters and intricate storylines but also for the melodies that underscore every moment, leaving a semi-quaver-shaped mark on our hearts.
From epic fantasy realms to gritty urban landscapes, let’s dive into 10 of the greatest TV soundtracks where every note, chord and lyric serves to elevate the viewing experience to heart-swelling new heights.
Stranger Things
Setting the series in 1984 gives the show a perfect opportunity to use iconic 70s and 80s hits. With artists like The Police, Madonna, Bon Jovi, and The Romantics lending their hits, the town of Hawkins turns upside down – literally. A great example of how powerful music can be is showcased twice during Season Four. The first was with Kate Bush’s Running up That Hill and the second with Metallica’s Master of Puppets. Kate Bush snaps Max back to reality and Metallica helps Eddie defeat the dangers of the upside down. The soundtrack of Stranger Things doesn’t just set the tone – it’s written into the plot.
Bridgerton
The Bridgerton soundtrack does an excellent job of weaving modern hits into the 1800s Regency era. Pop hits are often revamped with a string quartet to give a regal and clean sound to the background of scenes. The stripped-down tones allow viewers to connect closely with the characters and to a period never before experienced. Examples of this include Robyn’s Dancing on My Own, Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball and a stripped-down version of Harry Styles’ Sign of The Times. The use of thoughtful instrumentals mixed with iconic hits gives Bridgerton a warm, fuzzy and familiar feel, and we wouldn’t want it any other way.
Sex Education
The genius of Sex Education is that its place in history is never established. Its ambiguous fashion choices make it hard to define when the hit Netflix series is set, that is until their cell phones are pulled out from a jacket pocket. The music, a smorgasbord of indie, new wave, and popular rock, helps you focus on the plot and its lovable characters, instead of worrying about how the school bus looks like it’s from the 70s. The soundtrack seamlessly jumps around from the Psychedelic Furs to Ezra Furman to David Bowie and even to Salt and Peppa. The music supervisors seemed to choose whatever felt right at that moment and it paid off ten-fold. It seems as though they concentrated on songs that help establish the individual characters as well as the cast as a whole. There is a healthy mix of genres and artists that all blend nicely – seamlessly if you will – defining itself as the ideal soundtrack for the ups and downs of daily life.
One Tree Hill
A TV show with nine seasons and twenty-four episodes a season has to have a good soundtrack. I Don’t Wanna Be by Gavin DeGraw is the quintessential song for a teen drama in the early 2000s. These characters go through a lot in nine seasons and the soundtrack rides right along with them. Nobody did angsty teen hits like the artists of the 2000s and One Tree Hill featured them all. Sometimes, they were featured on screen too. The show featured music from Jimmy Eat World, Sheryl Crow, Nada Surf, and more. Even stars Tyler Hilton and Bethany Joy Lenz contributed to the soundtrack. One thing is for sure, if there was a new season of One Tree Hill, you were going to hear Fall Out Boy at least once!
Pose
FX’s Pose has a soundtrack that features icons and icons only. The queens of the series get elevated with music from En Vogue, Janet Jackson, Aaliyah, Toni Braxton and more. Taking place during New York City’s ball culture of the 80s and 90s, Pose explores the underground ball culture as well as societal difficulties during the time. The soundtrack of the show mimics the time period in a way that doesn’t just sit in the background but actually adds to the plot and pushes the story along. The iconic soundtrack is an ode to the black artists who defined and shaped popular culture during the decade.
Derry Girls
I am biased toward Derry Girls because I think it’s one of the best comedies of all time. I love the music in the 90s and I love The Cranberries so there was no way this soundtrack wouldn’t be on my list! Derry Girls does a great job of integrating popular hits with the seriousness of the Irish Troubles. At the end of Season One, the girls dance with Orla to Like A Prayer by Madonna. Suddenly, the images of them dancing are blended with Erin’s parents watching the news of a fatal bombing on the TV. And while the juxtaposition of these happy and melancholy images are shown, Dreams by The Cranberries plays throughout. The song mirrors a great moment for the friends with the tragedy of the world they currently live in. The show does this often and it’s always impactfully poignant.
GLOW
The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling had their time cut short on Netflix but the music was nothing short of legendary. The show takes place in the 1980s and their costumes and hair show it. The theme song for the show is The Warrior by Scandal, performed by Patty Smyth. Try listening to that song when you’re down in the dumps and not feel empowered. The soundtrack features tracks from Billy Joel, Scorpions, Starship, The Go-Go’s, and more. You’re watching a show about creating a show and the music helps bring you into the world of wrestling and entertainment like never before.
Peaky Blinders
Peaky Blinders has an amazing soundtrack. The songs that are chosen mix with the plot so well and the theme song, Right Hand Man, gives me goosebumps whenever I hear it. Like Bridgerton, the music supervisors of Peaky Blinders revamp current and popular songs to embody the tone of the show. I remember when I was watching the series a few years ago and paused the episode when I realized that they were using Do I Wanna Know? by The Arctic Monkeys. Somehow I didn’t notice that they had been using bands like Radiohead, The White Stripes, and Queens of The Stone Age throughout the soundtrack, and now you won’t stop hearing them either.
Combining these rock songs with original scores illustrates the intensity of the Peaky Blinders perfectly. They’re rock n’ roll but in a 1919 English street gang kind of way.
Supernatural
A show with 327 episodes has to have good music to last that long. The main characters have a taste for classic rock and classic rock only. Through the fifteen seasons, they featured every rockstar from Creedence Clearwater Revival, to 38 Special, to The Kinks. The soundtrack goes along with their “bad boy” personas. I mean, what’s hotter than two brothers slashing the heads off of vampires to Kickstart My Heart by Motley Crue? No other TV show will come close to the power this soundtrack had on Supernatural fans. Myself included.
Atlanta
With Donald Glover as the creator and star, there is no shock that Atlanta has one of the best soundtracks on TV. As we have learned from my previous entries, TV soundtracks are great when they combine different genres seamlessly. Marvin Gaye and Iann Dior have completely different sounds. Dierks Bentley and Outkast aren’t that comparable either. But yet they work so effortlessly. This soundtrack has songs from Chaka Khan, Jack’s Mannequin, Migos, The Ebonys, Young Thug, and so much more. Atlanta explores the music industry so it’s only right to showcase incredible artists throughout different genres and decades.
Leave it to Donald Glover and his team to know which song would be perfect in any given story they’re trying to convey. They nailed it.
