My Top 10 Favorite Soundtracks From TV Shows

As a true music fan, I can say with certainty that you never know when or where you will find your next favorite song. It could be on a random radio station while you are in a taxi going somewhere, it could be a song playing while you are in Zara choosing jeans, and of course another way to get new music for your playlist is to take it from TV shows.

Looking at my playlist today, I can say for sure that probably 20% of my favorite bands come from the random songs I liked when I heard them at different shows and explored the artists more. So here are some of the shows, old and new, that ended up being treasure troves for me.

1. Paradise

Yes, I can’t stop talking about this show and the music in it. But the one song that literally is in my head 24/7 after I finished the show’s season 1 is Phil Collins’ Another Day in Paradise. While the series features an even more magnetic cover of the song by CAT VS CAT & JOYNER, both versions have to be in your playlist.

2. Better Things

One of my favorite TV shows is this overlooked gem starring now famous Oscar winner Mikey Madison and the brilliant Pamela Adlon. The song that blew me away with its simplicity and profound depth is called Tilted by a French artist Christine and the Queens.

The song has the line "I'm actually good, can't help it if we're tilted" and it lives in my head rent-free. The choice of the song is perfect for the series with its uplifting charm and "we'll go through it all together" attitude.

3. Suits

When you first turn on the show, there's no intro in the pilot, but from episode 2 of the first season, Greenback Boogie by Ima Robot becomes your favorite. It has this catchy, upbeat vibe that you don't even want to skip, and that's a rare thing.

But I have to admit, the show has a lot more to offer. For example, the songs that ended up on my playlist are Short Change Hero by The Heavy, Perfect Day by The Constellations, Howlin' for You by The Black Keys, and of course the iconic Smoke and Mirrors by Gotye. There are probably more, but you might want to check out the series for yourself and keep your Shazam handy.

4. Peaky Blinders

I have a theory that probably half the fans of Peaky Blinders loved the show because of its soundtrack. There's no denying that Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' Red Right Hand is one of the most iconic intros in television history. Nick Cave's music, with its gloomy intensity, is a perfect match for the show's dark, post-World War I Birmingham setting.

But the rest of the music is also iconic. There are songs by PJ Harvey, lots of Radiohead, and the occasional Foals thrown in.

5. True Detective

The opening song for season 1 of the show is an amazing creation by The Handsome Family called Far From Any Road. When I first heard this song, I couldn't stop playing it on repeat for a month because I was absolutely obsessed with it. Far From Any Road is a dark, folk ballad with haunting lyrics, and it matches perfectly with the show’s vibe.

6. The Sopranos

The Sopranos has a lot of great songs, but we are talking about the ones that made a difference for me. The one song I added to my playlist after the show is called Vesuvio, performed by Gruppo Operaio e Zi Zi.

The thing is, it's not even about the song, it's about the scene it was in. The song appears in a steamy moment when Carmela and Furio are dancing together. They're surrounded by a lot of people, but at that moment they only see each other and they understand that this is the closest they'll ever be to each other. It just breaks my heart.

7. Gossip Girl

Another treasure trove of the best music of the time is definitely Gossip Girl. I watched the show as a teenager who was just starting to understand her musical tastes, but I can say for sure that some of the songs from the series are still with me.

For example, the iconic Sohodolls' Stripper is my number one song from Gossip Girl (and the scene with Blair on stage stripping for Chuck in the crowd is my Roman Empire).

8. Big Little Lies

I watched Big Little Lies after I was already in love with its theme song, Michael Kiwanuka's Cold Little Heart, so it was a nice surprise to hear it open the series. However, I eventually found an artist who would steal my heart. It's Leon Bridges, of course. And while I now have about 10 of his songs in my playlist, it all started with River, the most romantic song I have ever heard.

9. Skins

And while we are going back to the roots of it all, it would be a crime not to mention this iconic British series. The songs from this series had a huge impact on me as a teenager and ended up being my mainstay during that turbulent time of adolescence. There was a song by Aqualung called Good Times Gonna Come and I remember posting it on every social media account I had.

Another amazing thing about the Skins soundtrack is the fact that the legendary youth icon music band Crystal Castles actually performed for an episode of Skins and it made the show. They played a song called Alice Practice. The one I listened to every time I was angry at the world and ready to become a rebel.

10. The Office

Well, this one is more of a bonus joke, but it's still a song I sing in the shower or any other random moment in life. It was Dwight who created the parody song of Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire and dedicated it to Ryan. At the end of the fourth episode of season 2, Ryan started the fire because of his stupidity, and Dwight was happy to rub his face in the dirt with the song Ryan Started the Fire.

I made an Apple Music playlist with every song mentioned here. Enjoy!