From scoring an entire episode with songs from New York band The Virgins to featuring an a capella version of Fergie's "Glamorous," Gossip Girl has certainly done its part to bring good music to television this year. That's probably not a huge surprise, though: Its music supervisor, Alexandra Patsavas, has brought memorable songs to shows like The OC and Grey's Anatomy as well.
As I was reading a recent interview with Patsavas, I started thinking about what makes a good TV soundtrack. The shows Patsavas has worked on seem to have that secret down when it comes to catchy indie and rock songs — but Cold Case uses music in a completely different way that's still very cool, and the instrumental songs Explosions in the Sky contribute to the Friday Night Lights soundtrack do a lot to establish that show's mood.
Which TV shows do you think use music in the best ways? And which shows that haven't released soundtracks do you wish would?
