With streaming and YouTube going towards the counts, some very unlikely songs can make the pop charts these days. One genre that hardly graces the Billboard Hot 100 today, however, is the TV theme song. The Walking Dead may be the most popular show on television (and that's another topic) but viewers aren't requesting the music at their local radio station.

Back in the day, TV theme songs were smash hits. That's because TV themes sounded more like pop songs. Yet even the intrumentals climbed to the top.

Let's take a look at and listen to some of them. To make the list more manageable, we're focusing on the years 1959–1979. The '80s are an era for another day.

Which is your favorite?