TV Scores: Synths, Saenghwang & Choirs Shape Sound

Composers are crafting innovative soundscapes for longform television, enhancing character and emotion. For Apple TV+'s 'Murderbot,' Amanda Jones utilized a Roland Juno 60 analog synth and a Korean saenghwang, blending mechanical and organic elements to portray the title character's evolving sentience. She also incorporated orchestral arrangements, including music for a fictional sci-fi soap opera within the series.

Dave Porter created a memorable wordless vocal theme for Apple TV+'s 'Pluribus,' featuring singer Kenya Hathaway to evoke innocence and humanity in a story of global mind invasion. His score uses a 50-piece orchestra, scaled down at times to support the narrative of a survivor's solitary existence against a 'hive mind'.

Jeff Beal's score for the Peacock thriller 'All Her Fault' emphasizes strings and piano, reflecting themes of marriage, trust, and loss, particularly the mother-child connection. The music incorporates a boy soprano for the missing child's theme and edgy electronic elements for the investigative aspects.

Cristobal Tapia de Veer's score for Netflix's 'Lord of the Flies' used classical works by Britten and Messiaen, later shifting to chaotic, deformed instrumental sounds and intense vocal performances to depict the boys' descent into primal violence over three months of composition.