From Twin Peaks to Knight Rider – television’s musical scores that leave you wanting more.

A cult following is something that used to take years to amass, but in our frenetic age of Netflix-binging and Twitter-trending, for better or worse, it now happens overnight. Case in point: Stranger Things. Even without the abundance of half-baked tributes to Eleven’s nosebleed/buzz cut that will undoubtedly fill Halloween parties the world over come next week, the show has captured a collective consciousness that extends beyond the nostalgic Mr Spielberg touchstones it references.

A big chunk of that charm is drawn out through its soundtrack. Created by Survive, a band from Austin, Texas, and referencing seminal composers such as Mr John Carpenter (the man responsible for soundtracks to Halloween and The Thing in collaboration with Mr Ennio Morricone), the sinister 1980s synth that bleeds over the red title screen on the Stranger Things’ introduction has made its deceptively simple opening one of the most recognisable in modern TV history. Still, it’s far from the only one. From British classics to Japanese anime, Stranger Things’ OST is just a drop in the glittering aural ocean of great soundtracks. So before we join Mike and friends for another season of retro horror in the Upside Down, we have compiled a list of cult TV soundtracks that rival the show.

It would be a foolish oversight to assemble a rollcall of iconic TV soundtracks without first doffing our cap to everyone’s favourite Lynchian classic. Sung by Ms Julee Cruise and featuring lyrics written by Mr David Lynch himself, Twin Peaks’ “Falling” has to be one of most hauntingly beautiful lamentations ever to grace the small screen. An example of what became known as dream pop, the brooding score was composed by Mr Angelo Badalamenti, and was instrumental in crafting the show’s cult status.

Best listened to: on a misty day, when you’re eating cherry pie.

Cowboy Bebop was an internationally-celebrated anime show about a space-age bounty hunter that was noted for its rich visuals, existentialist narrative, and wildly good soundtrack. The show’s introduction is set to a high-tempo jazz tune called “Tank!”, composed and played by Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts (the “seatbelts” of the band’s name refers to what bandmates have to wear when they’re going particularly hard on a jamming session). After listening to the cacophony of squealing saxophones, bongos and trumpets, that’s not really a surprise – this is the kind of jazz that has us imagining what Messrs Duke Ellington or Miles Davis might have played had they taken some compromising substances in Tokyo.

Best listened to: while smoking a cigarette on a spaceship.

Fargo is a real place in North Dakota, and the name and setting of the 1996 Coen Brothers film that subsequently inspired a television series that has so far run for three blood-soaked seasons. Fitting seamlessly with the show’s special brand of malevolent festive melancholy, Fargo’s original soundtrack was composed by the Grammy-nominated Mr Jeff Russo, who took inspiration from the people of Fargo’s Scandinavian origins. Sleigh bells are used to evoke the cold and the snow of the show’s landscape, as is the nyckelharpa, a traditional Swedish string instrument. It’s a sparse yet powerful score that, depending on the scene, can either be soothing or sinister. If you’re a Fargo fan though, you’ll know it’s usually the latter.

Best listened to: at Christmas, in Minnesota, investigating a brutal murder.

When an unnamed man (played by Mr Patrick McGoohan) quits his job, he is gassed unconscious, wakes up on an island in a recreation of his flat, and is trapped there by a gigantic sentient weather balloon. If that all sounds like fun, wait until you hear the music. A high-octane score of galloping trumpets and timpani, The Prisoner’s OST is an appropriately energetic accompaniment to the 1967 British cult classic. The show’s score was the work of Mr Ron Grainer, who also composed the perennially recognisable theme from Doctor Who.

Best listened to: while trying to escape a mysterious coastal village.

“Knight Rider: A shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist,” goes the 1982 TV show opening, narrated in the gravelly tones of the stylish actor Mr Richard Basehart, and accompanied by a synthy soundtrack that sits somewhere between sci-fi B-movie and 1990s Nokia ringtone. The futuristic tale of a man who uses his artificially intelligent automobile, named KITT, to fight crime, Knight Rider’s eponymous main character Mr Michael Knight was played by Mr David Hasselhoff, who recently confirmed that the franchise is currently working on a reboot.

Best listened to: when you’re driving down the highway in a 1980s robot sports car.

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