A TV soundtrack sets a tone, can leave you humming a piece of music for weeks on end, and has the power to add to the emotional impact of devastating scene. 2017 has been an exceptional year for television, and in a landscape crammed with options across network, cable, and streaming platforms it can be hard to stand out. One way to do this is to have a playlist that viewers will want to seek out and listen to on repeat, and to be the kind of show that causes one to rewind and Shazam an unfamiliar song because you know you’ll want to hear it again.
Because we live in the era of Peak TV, there are undoubtedly tracks missing from this list that you might have included. But the list below does cover a variety of genres and eras of music from shows set in the 1970s to present day. Drama, comedy, teen TV and reality shows all feature, five tracks are performed by cast members, two tracks are lip-synced (or not), and one features a rousing one person sing-along.
There are 27 shows in total represented, and some couldn’t be whittled down to just one song choice;Big Little Lies,The Leftovers,Twin Peaks: The Return,This Is Us,The Americans,Insecure,Master of None,The Handmaid’s TaleandRu Paul’s Drag Raceall get two.
The placement of these songs within the shows are important to note, as nearly a third of these played during the final scene or over the credits. Some of these climatic songs are from a season finale, like “I’m on Fire” by Chromatics forThe Mindy Project. Jake Bugg’s “On my One” fromPreacherand Bob Dylan’s classic “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue" (which featured in the season three finale ofCasual)are from shows which have since been renewed, but their future was not certain when the episode aired, meaning these songs were chosen as possibly a last moment for us to remember from each.
Taking final episode moments to new heights isMaster of Nonein the episode “The Dinner Party.” The full version of Soft Cell’s “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye” plays over a scene featuring a dejected Dev (Aziz Ansari) in the backseat of a car, alone and silently musing on what could’ve been. It’s a highly evocative moment that feels like a mini-music video, and it’s why it closes out this playlist. The opening track here also comes from the end of an episode; the now sadly even more topical “American Bitch,” from the final season ofGirls. Hannah (Lena Dunham) exits writer Chuck Palmer’s (Matthew Rhys) apartment to the strains of Rihanna’s “Desperado” (and directorRichard Shepard recentlynoted the significance of this particular building).
No show did an episode closing though quite likeTwin Peaks: The Return,as almost every episode ended with a live performance from The Road House. My first pick, Au Revoir Simone, captures the dreamlike quality evoked by this structure and the revival ofTwin Peaksas a whole. The otherTwin Peakschoice comes from theincredible eighth installmentand a track from 1950s takes on a creepy vibe. Gotta light?
Music from the era a show is set in is common, but it can be a challenge to find a song that doesn’t come with an association to another show or movie. Certain tracks can also feel a little on the nose, a laMindhunterwith “Psycho Killer” by Talking Heads, but sometimes you just have to go with the obvious, especially given how fun to hear this song as Holden and Tench head down to their new basement offices. However,The Americanshas a habit of thinking outside the box with their ‘80s selections. Last year Soft Cell’s cover of “Tainted Love” played over an operation gone wrong, Roxy Music’s “More Than This” takes this mantle in Season 5 and “Slice of Life” by Bauhaus ramps up the tensionas Paigefalls further into their spy world.
The Leftoversmixes genres of music like no other, from trampolining to Wu Tang Clan, to slow dancing to Otis Redding, with the latter taking place in the emotionally chargedseason finale.Halt and Catch Firealso delivereda stunning final season, so much so that it is hard to hear this particular song from Dire Straits without getting misty-eyed. For more tear-inducing song moments look no further thanThis is Us, because of course. Emmy-nominated guest starBrian Tyree Henrysings “We Can Always Come Back to This” in the Randall-William standalone episode “Memphis” andChrissy Metzperformed Fleetwood Mac’s iconic “Landslide” in Season 2. The women ofCrazy Ex-Girlfrienddeliver the timely and super catchy“Let’s Generalize About Men,” whileIssa Raeincluded her own work with artists such as SZA inInsecure, andRiverdalereworks classic Kelis.
OneplaylistI’ve had on repeat since the show first aired in February isBig Little Lies.Music supervisorSusan Jacobswon thefirst ever Emmyin this new category for her work on the hit HBO mini-series. And there was no way I couldn’t include the full version of Michael Kiwanuka’s “Cold Little Heart;” the song equivalent of a hot soothing bath. This isn’t the only theme song featured, though, as “Changes” by Charles Bradley is the perfect song for one of the best new shows of 2017,Big Mouth.
Pop is also well represented this year, including the Whitney Houston classic “So Emotional,” which was the song Sasha Velour whipped off her wig to and showered the stage in rose petals during theDrag Racefinale. There was also the jaw-droppingDrag Racemomentearlier in the season when Valentina initially refused to take off her mask while lip-syncing to Ariana Grande’s “Greedy.” Ru Paul put it best, “It’s a lip-sync, what part of that don’t you understand?”
For songs to dance, sob, and sing-along to while celebrating some of the best TV of 2017, look no further than the list below. The full track list includes what episode the song featured in, and you can also listen to the playlist in its entirety on Spotify. And if you want to see how it compares to 2016 clickhere.
For more of the Best of 2017, check out Allison Keene’stop 25 TV showsof the year, Chris Cabin’stop 25, Dave Trumbore’s list of thebest new animated series, and Evan Valentine’s ranking of the year’ssuperhero TV.
“Desperado” - RihannafromGirls6.03 “American Bitch”
“So Emotional” - Whitney HoustonfromRu Paul’s Drag Race9.14 “Grand Finale”
“Dance This Mess Around” - The B52’sfromBig Little Lies1.02 “Serious Mothering”
“Fuck the Pain Away” - PeachesfromThe Handmaid’s Tale1.03 “Late”
“Whip It” - DEVOfromStranger Things2.01 “MADMAX”
“Let’s Generalize About Men” - Rachel Bloom, Vella Lovell, Donna Lynne Champlin and Gabrielle Ruizfrom Crazy Ex-Girlfriend4.01 “Josh’s Ex-Girlfriend Wants Revenge”
“Invincible” - Pat BenatarfromGLOW1.10 “Money’s in the Chase”
“More Than This” - Roxy MusicfromThe Americans5.03 “The Midges”
“Guarda come dondolo” - Edoardo VianellofromMaster of None2.09 “Amarsi Un Po”
“Milkshake” - Ashleigh Murray,Asha Bromfield, Hayley Law, Madelaine Petsch fromRiverdale2.02 “Nighthawks”
“Greedy” - Ariana GrandefromRu Paul’s Drag Race9.09 “Your Pilot’s On Fire”
“Stand on the Word” - The Joubert SistersfromDear White People1.01 Chapter 1
“Ho For It” - Issa RaefromInsecure2.03 “Hella Open”
“Protect Ya Neck (Jump Off) - Wu Tang ClanfromThe Leftovers3.02 “Don’t Be Ridiculous”
“Cold Little Heart” - Michael KiwanukafromBig Little Lies(used throughout)
“Sugar in my Bowl” - Nina SimonefromThe Handmaid’s Tale1.05 “Faithful”
“Changes” - Charles BradleyfromBig Mouth(used throughout)
“We Can Always Come Back to This” - Brian Tyree HenryfromThis is Us1.16 “Memphis”
“Careless Love” - Ray CharlesfromThe Deuce1.08 “My Name is Ruby”
“I’ve Got Dreams to Remember” - Otis ReddingfromThe Leftovers1.08 “The Book of Nora”
“My Prayer” - The PlattersfromTwin Peaks: The ReturnPart 8
“Happy Jack” - The WhofromLegionChapter 1
“Slice of Life” - BauhausfromThe Americans5.10 “Darkroom”
“So Far Away” - Dire StraitsfromHalt and Catch Fire4.08 “Goodwill”
“On my One” - Jake BuggfromPreacher2.13 “The End of the Road”
“It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” - Bob DylanfromCasual3.13 “The Hermit & the Moon”
“Psycho Killer” - Talking HeadsfromMindhunter1.02
“Zombie” - The CranberriesfromYou’re the Worst4.02 “It’s Been”
“I’m on Fire” - ChromaticsfromThe Mindy Project6.10 “It Had to Be You”
“Quicksand” - SZAfromInsecure2.08 “Hella Perspective”
“Hands To Myself” - Selena GomezfromThe Bold Type1.02 “O Hell No”
“A Violent Yet Flammable World” - Au Revoir SimonefromTwin Peaks: The ReturnPart 9
“Landslide” - Chrissy MetzfromThis Is Us2.02 “A Manny-Splendored Thing”
“The Night We Met” - Lord Huronfrom13 Reasons Why1.05 “Tape 3, Side A”
“Touch” - Daft Punk, Paul WilliamsfromMr. Robot3.01 “eps3.0_power-saver-mode.h”
“Say Hello, Wave Goodbye” - Soft Cellfrom Master of None 2.05 “The Dinner Party”
