Vintage TV show music vs modern TV show muzak

[Mikey]

I miss the days when science fiction shows had great background music.

When Captain Kirk is fighting you can always count on hearing -- dum dum dum dum dum dum, dum, dum dum DUM dum

Lost In Space had great music too.

Today, it seems most shows have lost that type of music and now use keyboard noodlings (see Star Trek The Next Generation).

One opposite to the rule is Doctor Who ..... Who gave up keyboard noodlings and went to decent old fashioned style scores in the New Series.

Just wondering,
Why exactly did most shows stop making great distinctive background music ?
Is it too expensive to hire an orchestra ?
Do they want new shows to have a subliminal video game feel ?

[megoscott]

Mike, you don't watch enough modern TV to have this conversation.

Lost is fully scored and orchestrated, and quite effectively so.

[palitoy]

Yeah I make fun of the Lost music all the time, it's not because it's bad but so distinct.

[Mikey]

I guess you guys are right ....

I am still stuck in the 90's for "current" shows

[Uni]

Mikey, you have a point, there is less distinctive music now...

The orchestration is expensive no doubt, but I have heard that in the effort to cut costs, lots of shows are made without theme music altogether. Lost is obviously an exception, a lot of popular dramatic shows still have it, but a lot of sitcoms don't. This may have started with Seinfeld..

No theme song, no songwriter to pay every time the show is broadcast or re-released on dvd, blu-ray, etc.

[kryptosmaster]

Some of the music on new shows is so "loud" that I have trouble understanding what the dialogue is at times.
Rich