John Berggren
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Jun 17, 1999
- Messages
- 3,237
The Wonder Years was a period piece so popular music of the time made sense. WKRP took place in a radio station. Other than either reason, there is no reason why any other show needs to use popular music in a show. It wasn't done in the 50s, 60s, 70s or 80s. Now its all of a sudden necessary? Why? You do a show, you hire an arranger to write scores for the season's episodes. No rights issues after the fact. Sorry but these are problems that exist that didn't have to.While programs certainly don't NEED to use pop music, it can certainly enhance the show. I've found that the popular music used in "ALIAS" in particular serves to strengthen the mood intended.
I don't think the WB tradition of featured music on their prime time programs serves anything but to market that music, but if music is well considerred as a mean to enhance a scene, I think it's wholly meritous.
To suggest that no show should use pop music is both unreasonable and unrealistic. At the very least, I'd be dissapointed at a world of TV programming where none of the characters ever even encounterred modern music. It sets them more firmly in our world, not in some musicless other.