Once upon a time—more specifically, during the golden age of 2000s TV—earworms were plugged into key scenes. Iconic? Definitely. Intentional? Probably. Case in point: that Gossip Girl Thanksgiving scene at the Van der Woodsens’ set against Jason Derulo's ‘Whatcha Say'. Brain chemistry altering. That scene resurfaces on Instagram and TikTok every November like clockwork, sending me straight down a 2000s bop playlist rabbit hole, and honestly, I’m not complaining.
Flash forward to our OTT binge today, and a show’s background music has come back with a vengeance—and it’s now screaming main character louder than ever. Take Netflix’s XO, Kitty, for example. The To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before spin-off introduces a fourth lead strong enough to upstage the actual love triangle: the K-pop bangers that drop every other scene. From Stray Kids and BTS to IVE and (G)I-dle, the soundtrack feels like a carefully curated gift to K-pop fans (and internet virality). Almost like a sneaky way to compensate for Kitty’s, uh, casual approach to Korean culture and language. And guess what? The joke’s on us, because it worked. The show performed well, and the music played no small part in that.
Remember when Emily In Paris took over your feeds in 2021? No, not the questionable fashion choices—the ‘Mon Soleil’ takeover. Netflix was quick to cash in on the original song rendered by cast member Ashley Park, and it became the unofficial anthem of the show. It was everywhere. Just when we thought we had finally moved on, a new obsession came knocking courtesy the same streaming giant. Enter: the ‘Goo Goo Muck’ fever. Wednesday dropped, and suddenly, the internet was possessed by Jenna Ortega’s gloriously awkward, robot-armed dance to 1981 hit by The Cramps. It had us all in a chokehold—almost as tight as the debate over whether the scene was actually set to Lady Gaga’s 'Bloody Mary'. (Spoiler: it wasn’t, but try telling the internet that.)
Take Stranger Things, for example as well. Around the same time Wednesday was making goth dances cool again, the Duffer Brothers pulled off an even greater magic trick: bringing singer Kate Bush out of semi-retirement. ‘Running Up That Hill’ soared to the top of the charts three decades after its release, introducing Gen Z to an ’80s classic and proving that a well-placed song can carry a storyline and dominate Spotify playlists. Meanwhile, Bridgerton took the nostalgia playbook and added a Regency-era twist. It’s one thing to lean on retro hits, but turning ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ and ‘Bad Guy’ into sweeping orchestral numbers? That was a stroke of genius. Somehow, we bought into the idea of Billie Eilish setting the mood for a high-society waltz, and it paid off.
Shows are no longer just curating soundtracks—they’re engineering them for maximum virality. Thanks to TikTok and Instagram Reels, a single background song can turn a scene into a meme, a trend, or a full-fledged cultural moment. Think Wednesday and ‘Goo Goo Muck’—that dance became a global challenge, proving that a well-placed song can extend a show’s reach far beyond streaming numbers. Music isn’t just background noise; it’s a marketing tool.
Delhi-based culture content creator Vedansh Varshney notes that many of the songs featured in XO, Kitty seem carefully curated for social media. He points out that in its second season, the soundtrack leans heavily on lesser-known K-pop artists rather than just mainstream acts like BTS, BLACKPINK, or EXO. “By featuring songs from smaller artists, shows are ensuring that their content gets picked up by fan pages dedicated to these bands. These pages create edits using specific scenes that feature the music, pushing the show out to wider audiences on social media. It’s a smart way to expand reach beyond just mainstream K-pop fandom.”
It’s hard to ignore that theme songs have become a lost art. Remember Gavin DeGraw’s grungy voice belting ‘I Don’t Wanna Be’ at the start of One Tree Hill? That song practically bottled teenage angst for an entire generation of millennials. Or ‘I Don’t Want to Wait’ from Dawson’s Creek? Even The Big Bang Theory had its nerdy yet ridiculously catchy intro. But where are those songs now? Replaced by something else entirely.
Instead of full-length, sing-along theme songs, we now get short, moody instrumentals—like the theme of HBO’s Succession or The White Lotus (the latter of which swapped its iconic theme song in the recently released season three, sending fans into a meltdown worthy of a Lotus finale). Maybe it’s because streaming culture has trained us to hit “Skip Intro” without a second thought. Shows seem to have adapted, opting for quick title slates with recognisable tunes, like Abbott Elementary. Previously, a great TV show needed a great theme song (Friends, The O.C., Gilmore Girls). Now? Not so much. Instead of one memorable opening track, the focus has shifted to theme songs or tunes woven throughout the show. Euphoria, another HBO hit, used Labrinth to create an entire album to define Rue’s journey—it’s less about a song you fast-forward through and more about a musical identity that sticks with you long after the episode ends.
TV soundtracks aren’t just background noise anymore—they’re the moment. And even the industry knows it. Siddhartha Khosla, the composer of the theme for Only Murders In The Building, summed it up best: “There is a realisation now amongst studios and networks and producers that fans like the music of these shows. It’s definitely an important part of the engagement with fans… For the first time, I feel like the work I’m doing in film, and television is finding an audience for the music itself.”
Khosla, who previously fronted the band Goldspot, has experienced firsthand how TV music has gone from an afterthought to a full-fledged art form. He points out that networks are now actively investing in ways to connect fans with soundtracks, even long after a show has ended. He cites This Is Us as an example, pointing out how the show continues to hold emotional weight for audiences through its music alone.
Plus, a 2023 report says that people are listening to more music now than ever. It’s no shocker, since Spotify Wrapped practically smacks us in the face with that fact every December. But beyond the playlists exposing our questionable listening habits, OTT shows have become a new way to discover fresh tracks, revive forgotten hits, and soundtrack our latest obsessions.
Even Indian OTT shows are getting in on the action. Take Mismatched, for example. Sure, the show has its fair share of romance and drama, but let’s be honest—half the hype comes from the playlist. Whether it’s ‘Aise Kyu’ in Rekha Bhardwaj’s soulful voice or ‘Kho Gaye’ sung by cast member Taaruk Raina, the soundtrack has reeled in audiences just as much as the plot. It’s practically a rule now: if your show doesn’t have a killer album, is it even trying?
It's clear that the music landscape in OTT shows has had a major glow-up. It’s no longer just there to fill awkward silences or make you feel something during an emotional scene. Now, they’re about curating an entire soundtrack experience that lives on long after the credits roll. XO, Kitty is the ultimate proof—throw in some K-pop bangers, and suddenly the show is more iconic than any love triangle could ever hope to be.
