It wasn't just eighties movies that featured synthesizers very prominently in their soundtracks, this trend was also common amongst television shows of that era. As we mentioned in one of our previous articles shows like Knight Rider, MacGyver, Airwolf, Twin Peaks, Miami Vice and many others were synonymous with synth theme tunes. While some modern shows, such as Stranger Things, have opted for synthesizers to capture the mood of the eighties, it is definitely a trend that is not as common as it was in the era of Pac-Man, Pogo Balls, and perms. However, this hasn't prevented some talented people from exploring what modern television shows would have sounded like if they were released in an era where everything had synthesizer soundtracks.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Main Theme by Ace Waters

The Next Generation was the third series in the Star Trek franchise and had a seven season run from 1987 to 1994. The opening theme song is one of the most recognizable tunes on television and was created by Dennis McCarthy, who reworked the music from the Star Trek motion picture, which was scored by Jerry Goldsmith. Despite it airing in the eighties and featuring a science fiction theme, Star Trek: The Next Generation did not opt for a synthesizer soundtrack. Fortunately, Ace Waters, who is a self-confessed nerd and fan of synths went ahead and created this great cover version.

Game of Thrones - Opening Theme by Steve Duzz

Game of Thrones is arguably one of the most popular shows on television in recent years and the main title theme is extremely recognizable. It is the work of composer Ramin Djawadi, who created it in 2011. Djawadi intentionally avoided violins and flutes, which the producers considered to be overused in the creation of fantasy themes and instead opted for a cello. The video clip above features a great synth interpretation of the theme by Steve Duzz and as an added bonus even has a VHS style intro created by Hunterlsanders. The result is a pretty enjoyable interpretation of how Game of Thrones might have looked and sounded if it were released in the eighties.

The Walking Dead - Opening Theme by MyBeatzDR

The Walking Dead is another extremely popular show that has kept viewers riveted to their screens for many seasons. As the show is about the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, the opening score by Bear McCreary is suitably ominous sounding. McCreary made use of a simple, repeating motif for the tune, which is quite effective at building up tension. The 80's retro synthesizer remix above was created by MyBeatzDR who made use of FL Studio 11.

Westworld - Opening Theme by Wintermoot

Ramin Djawadi is not just responsible for the excellent Game of Thrones opening theme, but has lent his talents to more than 100 soundtracks for both film and television. One of these is the very popular Westworld, the HBO series based on the 1973 film by Michael Crichton. To fit the amusement park theme of the show, Djawadi made use of bass notes in conjunction with light arpeggios and the melody when he created the opening tune. In this synthesizer cover, artist Wintermoot made use of a Nord Lead A1, Moog Sub 37, Roland TR-8 as well as a Arturia Microbrute.

Rick and Morty - Theme Song Hardware Synth Cover by littleBIGsynths

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The adult animated series, Rick and Morty, is the creation of Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon. The show, which features the adventures of a nihilistic mad scientist and his hapless grandson, has become extremely successful thanks to its offbeat humor and crazy characters. The catchy opening theme was composed by Ryan Elder, who originally wrote it for a different show and was originally just meant as a placeholder. However, according to Elder, everyone fell in love with the song and it ended up staying instead of being replaced by something else down the road. Elder has admitted that he uses software, samplers and recordings of instruments for most of the music heard on Rick and Morty, so this hardware synth cover by littleBIGsynths is pretty impressive.

Pokemon - Opening Theme 80s Synth Cover

The Pokémon opening theme, which opened the first season of the English adaptation of the original Japanese show has gone on to become synonymous with the franchise. The song was written by John Loeffler and John Siegler, while Jason Paige was the original performer. Paige recorded the song in only four hours and didn't expect how popular it became as he didn't know much about Pokémon. The song, with it's "Gotta Catch 'Em All" tagline is extremely catchy (pun intended) and saw a resurgence in popularity after the release of Pokémon GO on mobile. If the show aired in the eighties instead of the nineties, the opening theme might have sounded more like this synth cover by adamstan84.

Conclusion

Let us know in the comments below or on the forum what television theme song you think would benefit from a synth cover or if you have ever attempted to dabble in this art yourself.