Mad Men, Dexter, Game of Thrones—it’s such a great time for instrumental TV theme songs. But what about themes with lyrics, themes that follow the example set by classic shows like The Brady Bunch, Rawhide, The Jeffersons, and even The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? Sadly, this variety of signature tune is a dying breed, seemingly destined to go the way of the laugh track. OK, so no one’s really bemoaning the near extinction of the laugh track but, as TV lovers, we should be concerned about the current lack of title music that we can actually sing along to. Whether we like it or not, the words to the themes from Gilligan’s Island, Cheers, Charles in Charge, Friends, Family Matters, and The Greatest American Hero, are floating around in our heads. Simple rhyming verses like “if the teacher pops a test, I know I’m in a mess, and my dog ate all my homework last night, riding low in my chair, she won’t know that I’m there, if I can hand it in tomorrow it’ll be all right” have become culturally significant. But what will this generation’s TV theme song legacy be? Here’s a list of series, all premiering within the last 10 years, that are keeping this proud vocal tradition alive with their original music (that is, songs composed specifically for the program) and predictions of whether or not these themes will stand the test of time.

When not sitting in the cinema or the drunk tank, you can often find me claiming some couch space and settling in for some television, either live or on the DVR. It’s quite the life, let me tell you. During the down time of television seasons, you’re no doubt beside yourself with what to do. Go outside? No thanks, Mr. Sun. Hang out with friends? Who? No, it’s best to watch old seasons on DVD until the new episodes roll around. Then once they’re here, celebration! After a six or eight month hiatus, it’s time for a welcome reunion with favorite characters and engaging storylines. It’s time to settle in for a solid 12-22 weeks of brand new amazing adventures! Well, maybe a decade ago. Or even five years ago. But today it seems that whoever is in charge of the network schedule isn’t so much a fan of Connect Four as he is of Scattergories. If you’re not down with the game parlance, what I’m trying to say is almost no channel just runs a straight season anymore. Virtually every cable network runs a scatter shot program, three episodes here, a two week break there, a marathon on Saturday, and then another four episodes in a week.

Not too much to report here as the Psych panel was mostly about fun and celebrating the Comic-Con. What started out with a funny intro clip morphed into a live performance of “Shout” by James Roday, Dule Hill, and Curt Smith from Tears for Fears. Smith was also in the intro clip, playing himself as an asshole who demanded royalties for the duo’s use of the song in an earlier episode. Funny stuff. After a cool clip featuring Freddie Prinze Jr as a magical, super nerd with a magic room (where he practices magic), Steve Franks clued us in that the one and only Carl Weathers would be featured in an upcoming episode titled “Viagra Falls” as part of a pair of guys who are like the older versions of Shawn and Gus. The only other news worthy bit to come out of the panel is that Franks and the cast have a very strong desire to make a Psych movie. It seemed implied that it would be a TV movie that they’d film after a regular season run and not something for theaters. It was also suggested that this wasn’t something that would end the show or anything, just that they want to do a bigger, longer story rather than be confined to the 42 minute run time.

The daughter of a Chinese triad leader has been kidnapped in broad daylight, and he seeks the help of the Santa Barbara police. However, with Henry in his new position as consultant, he’s case-blocking Shawn and Gus from getting hired (partly because he doesn’t want Shawn messed up with Chinese gangsters). Of course, that doesn’t stop the pair from looking into the kidnapping. Meanwhile, after almost being killed by Mr. Yang in the season finale last year, Juliet is parked behind a desk at City Hall, afraid to step back into her dangerous job.

Robert Fure knows you’ve come to this site just to read this column. Who told him? You did. Just now.

A recap of the past two episodes of Psych: “Shawn Gets the Yips” and “Bollywood Homicide.”

A recap of the past two episodes of Psych: “High Noonish” and “The Devil Is In the Details… and in the Upstairs Bedroom.”

Shawn and Gus crash a search party for a missing billionaire whose plane went down in the California woods. Shawn uses his fake psychic intuition (and a super-secret map) to find the plane. Inside, the billionaire asks him to find his killers.

Kevin Carr rages some sour grapes about not being able to make it to Comic-Con this year.

For the Psych season finale, Shawn and Gus match wits with Santa Barbara’s infamous serial killer, the Ying-Yang killer. Mr. Yang has sent a threat to SBPD, requesting that Shawn track him down, and Shawn reluctantly accepts.

Shawn and Gus are approached by Jason Cunningham, a childhood camp-mate who is planning on re-opening Camp Tikihama, where they spend their summers as kids.

While playing putt-putt in the SBPD halls, Shawn and Gus stumble across a new case in which Lyin’ Ryan (Jonathan Silverman), a compulsive liar and nuisance to the police, has been brought in on murder charges.

When the SBPD finds a severed foot along a hiking trail, they call in Shawn and Gus to find the rest of the body. Through non-psychic shenanigans, they figure out the foot belonged to a field goal kicker for the local pro football team, the Thunderbirds.

A series of arsons in the Santa Barbara area put the police and fire department on alert. When Shawn and Gus find their way into a crime scene, they discover a body hidden in the walls, and a homicide investigation begins.

Lassie is on the hook for murder, and it’s up to Shawn (James Roday) and Gus (Dulé Hill) to prove his innocence.

Shabby the Sea Lion, a beloved Santa Barbara marine hero, has been found dead after being released into the wild. Shawn and Gus start an investigation, and they discover that Shabby has been murdered!

Gus makes a routine stop at the bank for his weekly deposit, leaving Shawn in the car. While Gus is inside, a bank robber draws a gun and takes the entire building hostage.

Resident Friday TV guy Kevin Carr takes on season 5 of “Stargate: Atlantis” and season 3 of “Psych.” Come on in and join the discussion…

We bring our Fall TV Preview to a close with a look at the best shows that Friday night has to offer…

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