Some of the most memorable television scores include the opening themes ofKnight Rider,DuckTales, andX-Men: The Animated Series. Now, professional cellist Samara Ginsberg has arranged covers of these three classic themes and more, performed entirely by herself.
Knight Rider,which debuted on NBC in 1982 and ran for four seasons before concluding in 1986, starred David Hasselhoff as a high-tech modern crime fighter named Michael Knight, assisted by his artificially intelligent KITT car.DuckTalespremiered on the Disney channel the year afterKnight Riderended and followed the adventures of Scrooge McDuck and his three grandnephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Two years afterDuckTalesconcluded in 1990, Fox Kids Network debutedX-Men: The Animated Series,which received acclaim and earned high ratings until its final episode in 1997.
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Before the COVID-19 pandemic, London-based cellist Samara Ginsberg worked as a freelance musician and chamber musician. However, the lockdown measures imposed by the government to containCOVID-19hurtGinsberg’s work, so she opted to use her time in quarantine to record 8 to 10-part cello arrangements of film, video games, and television themes and post the videos to YouTube. In addition to theKnight Rider,DuckTales, andX-Mencovers, Ginsberg’s channel includes her spin on the themes forInspector Gadget,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,Alvin and the Chipmunks,He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and the Imperial March from Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back.
Knight Riderhas spawned multiple TV movies, spin-off shows, and a short-lived reboot series for NBC featuring Val Kilmer as the voice of KITT. In August 2020, Spyglass Media partnered with Atomic Monster and writer TJ Fixman todevelop a newKnight Riderfeature film. The team behindDuck Talesalso intended to produce films based on the series, but those plans were canceled following the poor critical and financial performance ofDuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp.However, the series was rebooted in 2017 for Disney XD and, to date, has aired three seasons.
On the other hand,X-Men: The Animated Serieshas often been credited with leading the way forthe live-actionX-Menfilmsfrom 20th Century Fox. However, while the earlyX-Menfilms earned praise and became box office hits, more recent entries such asX-Men: Apocalypse andDark Phoenixfailed to resonate with audiences and underperformed financially. Now, Marvel Studios has obtained the screen rights to the X-Men following Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox’s entertainment assets, and the company is expected to reboot the film series.
WhatMarvel Studios has planned for theX-Menhas yet to be announced, which is hardly surprising considering the company’s penchant for secrecy. However, one can imagine fans being thrilled if theX-Men: The Animated Seriestheme was somehow incorporated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe film.
The third season ofDuckTalesis scheduled to resume on June 28, 2025, on Disney XD.
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