TriStar Television
Encyclopedia
TriStar Television was an American television production company
that was launched in 1986 by TriStar Pictures
(the studio which was then-currently owned by Columbia Pictures
and HBO; CBS
was a partner but dropped out in 1985). The same year, Tri-Star Television joined forces with Stephen J. Cannell Productions
and Witt
/Thomas
/Harris
Productions and created a television distribution company called TeleVetnures. In December 1987, Tri-Star Television was bought by Columbia Pictures
' television unit
, and folded into Columbia Pictures Television (CPT) on February 8, 1988. Columbia Pictures and Tri-Star Pictures (and their respective television units) were sold in 1989 to Sony
of Japan.
CPT would continue on under Sony Pictures Entertainment
(SPE), but TriStar Television was reestablished in October 1991. In 1994, the companies formed the joint venture Columbia TriStar Television
(CTT). However, shows such as Early Edition
(a joint production with CBS) and Malcolm & Eddie
retained the TriStar logo and copyright until 1999, when TriStar Television folded into Columbia and TriStar television and operated in-name-only. Three years later, SPE retired the Columbia and TriStar names from television, rechristening the company as Sony Pictures Television
. Today, TriStar Television operates as in-name only.
Production company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
that was launched in 1986 by TriStar Pictures
TriStar Pictures
TriStar Pictures, Inc. is an American film production/distribution studio and subsidiary of Columbia Pictures, itself a subdivision of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, which is owned by Sony Pictures...
(the studio which was then-currently owned by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
and HBO; CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
was a partner but dropped out in 1985). The same year, Tri-Star Television joined forces with Stephen J. Cannell Productions
Stephen J. Cannell
Stephen Joseph Cannell was an American television producer, writer, novelist and occasional actor, and the founder of Stephen J. Cannell Productions.-Early life:...
and Witt
Paul Junger Witt
Paul Junger Witt is an American film and television producer. He, with his partners Tony Thomas and Susan Harris , produced such hit TV shows as Here Come the Brides, The Partridge Family, The Golden Girls, Soap, Benson, Empty Nest and Blossom...
/Thomas
Tony Thomas
Charles Anthony "Tony" Thomas is an American television and film producer, who has produced such TV series as Nurses, Herman's Head, Blossom, Empty Nest, Benson, Beauty and the Beast, The Golden Girls, It's a Living, as well as Dead Poets Society.Thomas is the son of Danny Thomas, and the younger...
/Harris
Susan Harris
Susan Harris is an American television comedy writer and producer.Harris created numerous TV series: Soap, Benson, The Golden Girls, Empty Nest, Nurses, and The Golden Palace....
Productions and created a television distribution company called TeleVetnures. In December 1987, Tri-Star Television was bought by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
' television unit
Columbia Pictures Television
Columbia Pictures Television was the second name of the Columbia Pictures television division Screen Gems . The studio changed its name on September 4, 1974.-1974-1982:...
, and folded into Columbia Pictures Television (CPT) on February 8, 1988. Columbia Pictures and Tri-Star Pictures (and their respective television units) were sold in 1989 to Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
of Japan.
CPT would continue on under Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
(SPE), but TriStar Television was reestablished in October 1991. In 1994, the companies formed the joint venture Columbia TriStar Television
Columbia TriStar Television
Columbia TriStar Television was the third name of the television studio Screen Gems, named after its then-current 1991 home video division....
(CTT). However, shows such as Early Edition
Early Edition
Early Edition is an American television series that aired on CBS from September 28, 1996 to May 27, 2000. Set in the city of Chicago, Illinois, it follows the adventures of a man who mysteriously receives each Chicago Sun-Times newspaper the day before it is actually published, and who uses this...
(a joint production with CBS) and Malcolm & Eddie
Malcolm & Eddie
Malcolm & Eddie is an American television sitcom that premiered August 26, 1996 on the UPN Network, and ran for four seasons. This series starred Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Eddie Griffin in the lead roles. This show was canceled after its fourth season, and aired its final episode on May 22, 2000...
retained the TriStar logo and copyright until 1999, when TriStar Television folded into Columbia and TriStar television and operated in-name-only. Three years later, SPE retired the Columbia and TriStar names from television, rechristening the company as Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television, Inc. is an American and global television production/distribution subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony.-Background:...
. Today, TriStar Television operates as in-name only.
List of shows by TriStar Television
- My Two DadsMy Two DadsMy Two Dads is an American sitcom that starred Staci Keanan, Paul Reiser and Greg Evigan. It aired on NBC from 1987 to 1990 and was produced by Michael Jacobs Productions in association with TriStar Television and distributed by TeleVentures.-Show synopsis:The show begins when Marcy Bradford , the...
(1987-1990) (then produced by Columbia Pictures Television in February 1988) - WerewolfWerewolf (TV series)Werewolf is an American horror series, and one of the original shows in the Fox network's broadcast line-up during its inaugural season of 1987–1988.The show follows the adventures of Eric Cord Werewolf is an American horror series, and one of the original shows in the Fox network's broadcast...
(1987-1988) (then produced by Columbia Pictures Television in February 1988) - Get a LifeGet a Life (TV series)Get a Life is a television sitcom that was broadcast in the United States on the Fox Network from September 23, 1990, to March 8, 1992. The show starred Chris Elliott as a 30-year-old paperboy named Chris Peterson. Peterson lived in an apartment above his parents' garage...
(1990-1992) (produced by New World Television from 1990-1991) - Charlie Hoover (1991)
- The EdgeThe Edge (FOX TV series)The Edge is an American sketch comedy television series created by David Mirkin which ran on the Fox Network from 1992 to 1993.-Synopsis:...
(1992-1993) - The Fifth CornerThe Fifth CornerThe Fifth Corner was a very short-lived American television series which aired on NBC and produced by TriStar Television in 1992. The two-hour pilot aired on April 17, 1992, and one final episode aired the week after.-Series overview:...
(1992) - Mad About YouMad About YouMad About You is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 23, 1992 to May 24, 1999. The show starred Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a newly married couple in New York City. Reiser played Paul Buchman, a documentary film maker. Hunt played Jamie Stemple Buchman, a public relations specialist...
(1992-1999) - The NannyThe Nanny (TV series)The Nanny is an American television sitcom co-produced by Sternin & Fraser Ink, Inc., and Fran Drescher in association with TriStar Television for the CBS network...
(1993-1999) - Can't Hurry LoveCan't Hurry LoveCan't Hurry Love is a US sitcom that ran for less than five months between September 1995 and February 1996.The show starred Nancy McKeon as a 20-something placement coordinator at a New York City personnel agency. McKeon plays Annie O'Donnell, a single career woman living in New York City and...
(1995) - Hudson StreetHudson StreetHudson Street may refer to:* Hudson Street , 2000 debut album by Northern Irish electronic duo Agnelli & Nelson* Hudson Street , north/south oriented street in the New York City borough of Manhattan...
(1995-1996) - Ned & StaceyNed & StaceyNed & Stacey is a US television sitcom that aired on the FOX network from 1995 to 1997. It starred Thomas Haden Church and Debra Messing. The major thread of the series was that the two were brought together in a marriage of convenience—Ned Dorsey needed to be married to get a promotion at...
(1995-1997) - SimonSimonSimon is a common name, from Hebrew meaning "He who has heard/hears [the word of God]".Simon may also refer to:-Names:* Simon , including a list of people with the given name Simon...
(1995) - Dead By SunsetDead By SunsetDead By Sunset is a 1995 true crime nonfiction book by author Ann Rule. It is based on the 1986 Oregon case of the murder of Cheryl Keeton, who was found beaten to death inside her van on the Sunset Highway and the later conviction of her estranged husband, Brad Cunningham...
(1995) (mini-series) - Early EditionEarly EditionEarly Edition is an American television series that aired on CBS from September 28, 1996 to May 27, 2000. Set in the city of Chicago, Illinois, it follows the adventures of a man who mysteriously receives each Chicago Sun-Times newspaper the day before it is actually published, and who uses this...
(1996-1999) (Columbia TriStar Television from 1999-2000, series co-produced by CBS, who handles domestic distribution rights while SPTI handles international rights.) - Malcolm & EddieMalcolm & EddieMalcolm & Eddie is an American television sitcom that premiered August 26, 1996 on the UPN Network, and ran for four seasons. This series starred Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Eddie Griffin in the lead roles. This show was canceled after its fourth season, and aired its final episode on May 22, 2000...
(1996-1999) (Columbia TriStar Television from 1999-2000) - Matt WatersMatt WatersMatt Waters is an American drama television show which aired in 1996 on CBS. The program starred talk show host Montel Williams, and was created by James D. Parriott...
(1996) - Life...and Stuff (1997)
- The Simple Life (1998) (not the Paris HiltonParis HiltonParis Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
/Nicole RichieNicole RichieNicole Camille Richie is an American fashion designer, author, actress, singer and television personality. Her father was Peter Michael Escovedo, a musician who played for a brief time with Lionel Richie, and her mother Karen was the executive assistant for Sheila Escovedo...
series)
See also
- Columbia TriStar TelevisionColumbia TriStar TelevisionColumbia TriStar Television was the third name of the television studio Screen Gems, named after its then-current 1991 home video division....
- Columbia TriStar International TelevisionColumbia TriStar International TelevisionColumbia TriStar International Television was known as the worldwide television distribution arm of Columbia TriStar Television that was launched in 1995...
- Columbia Pictures TelevisionColumbia Pictures TelevisionColumbia Pictures Television was the second name of the Columbia Pictures television division Screen Gems . The studio changed its name on September 4, 1974.-1974-1982:...
- Columbia PicturesColumbia PicturesColumbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
- TriStar PicturesTriStar PicturesTriStar Pictures, Inc. is an American film production/distribution studio and subsidiary of Columbia Pictures, itself a subdivision of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, which is owned by Sony Pictures...
- Sony Pictures TelevisionSony Pictures TelevisionSony Pictures Television, Inc. is an American and global television production/distribution subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony.-Background:...