The second incarnation of Touchstone Television, formerly known as Fox 21 Television Studios, was an American

television production A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

company and a subsidiary of the

Disney Television Studios Disney Television Studios is the television studios arm of the Disney Entertainment division of the Walt Disney Company established on May 15, 2019 to succeed Walt Disney Television, the first and Disney General Entertainment Content#Walt Disney ...

, a subsidiary of the

Disney Media Networks Disney Media Networks was a business segment of the Walt Disney Company that oversaw the company's television networks, cable channels, television production and distribution studios, and owned-and-operated television stations. The segment's p ...

business segment of

the Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

. It was founded in 2014 from the merger of Fox Television Studios and Fox 21 and given its second name in mid-2020 following the

acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney The acquisition of Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. by The Walt Disney Company was announced on December 14, 2017, and was completed on March 20, 2019. Among other key assets, the acquisition included the 20th Century Fox film and television studi ...

. On December 1, 2020, Disney announced that the label was folded into

20th Television 20th Television, Inc. (formerly known as TCF Television Productions, Inc., 20th Century-Fox Television and 20th Century Fox Television) is the television studio arm of 20th Century Studios, owned by Disney Television Studios, a division of the Di ...

Predecessors

Fox Television Studios

Fox Television Studios, Inc. was a television production subsidiary of

Fox Entertainment Group The Fox Entertainment Group (FEG) was an American entertainment company specialized in film studio, filmed entertainment owned by 21st Century Fox. Following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, the group's assets were dispersed to va ...

, the flagship entertainment division of

21st Century Fox Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., which did business as 21st Century Fox, was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was formed on June 28, 2013, as the legal successor ...

, the unofficial production arm of

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

and the secondary production arm of

20th Century Fox Television 20th Television, Inc. (formerly known as TCF Television Productions, Inc., 20th Century-Fox Television and 20th Century Fox Television) is the television studio arm of 20th Century Studios, owned by Disney Television Studios, a division of the Di ...

, which is itself the television arm of 20th Century Fox Film Corporation. Fox Television Studios (FTVS) was formed on August 1, 1997, alongside

and

under executive David Grant. The studio was created to house smaller production units, starting with the Greenblatt-Janollari Studio (G-JS). Greenblatt-Janollari started producing shows in the 1998–1999 season with 3 comedy series for ABC and

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

. While funded by Fox, G-JS was presented as an "independent mini-studio". The studio also partnered with

David Gerber David Gerber (July 25, 1923 – January 2, 2010) was an American television executive producer. Amongst the numerous television films, series, and specials he executive produced is the series '' Police Story'', for which he won the Primetime Emmy ...

and his Gerber Company venture to produce various telemovies and television series. With

holding a 20% stake in New Regency Production's parent corporation, Fox Studios formed a joint venture, Regency Television, by 2000, managed by Gail Berman. Another production unit formed was Fox Television Studios Productions (FTSP) under Lisa Berger. Early output by the individual units, or "pods", were FTSP's '' Son of the Beach'' for FX, '' The Hughleys'' by G-JS and Regency had ''

Malcolm in the Middle ''Malcolm in the Middle'' is an American television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 9, 2000, and ended on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons consisting of 151 episodes. The ...

''. The pod model evolved into five divisions: alternative, scripted, international, Fox World and Regency Television: *The alternative division was responsible for ''

Talkshow with Spike Feresten ''Talkshow with Spike Feresten'' is an American late-night talk show television program on Fox starring Spike Feresten that aired from September 16, 2006, to May 16, 2009. It was the longest-running late night talk show in Fox's history, with t ...

'' and ''

The Wanda Sykes Show ''The Wanda Sykes Show'' is an American talk show hosted by comedian Wanda Sykes on Fox that debuted on November 7, 2009. Comedian Keith Robinson co-starred as Sykes' sidekick. The series was announced in March 2009 by Kevin Reilly. The sho ...

'', along with E!'s ''

The Girls Next Door ''The Girls Next Door'' (also known as ''The Girls of the Playboy Mansion'') is a reality television series which focused on the lives of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends who lived with him at the Playboy Mansion. The series was created by executive ...

'' franchise. In mid-2002, Fox Alternative Productions was formed by Fox TV Studios and headed by David Martin with its first show to be "The Coach". *The scripted division produced ''

The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series created by Shawn Ryan and starring Michael Chiklis that aired on FX from March 12, 2002 to November 25, 2008 for seven seasons. The show is known for its portrayal of corrupt police ...

'', along with a number of television films and miniseries. *Fox World division, formed in 2000, produced international versions of its reality television programs such as '' Joe Millionaire'' and '' Temptation Island''. The company was shut down by FTVS in 2014. In March 2005, Fox Television Studios expanded their international division into the UK television market by acquiring British independent production company Scream Films following the departure of Fox World's UK division boss Jonathan Glazier who had left to join New Zealand production company Touchdown Television (now known as Warner Bros. International Television Production New Zealand), marking Fox Television Studios first British acquisition with Scream Films continued to operate as a standalone unit within Fox Television Studios who will work with the acquired company to develop FTVS's formats in both the UK and the US. One year later in July 2006, Fox Television Studios rebranded their acquired British production company Scream Films as their UK division renaming to Fox Television Studios UK, however another year later in June 2007, Fox Television Studios announced their shuttering of its UK division Fox Television Studios UK following Fox Television Studios's major restructure under its then-new president Emiliano Calemzuk with Fox Television Studios will continue to developed unscripted series for the US, UK and internationally. Eventually the only division operating was the scripted unit. Next FTVS attempted international co-productions of direct-to-series broadcast series. The company had a hit with ''

Burn Notice ''Burn Notice'' is an American espionage television series created by Matt Nix, which originally aired on the USA Network for a total of seven seasons from June 28, 2007, to September 12, 2013. The show stars Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, ...

'' on USA Network. In August 2010, Dave Madden was appointed to head the unit, where he evenly increased its production slates until he was appointed as president of entertainment for Fox Broadcasting in August 2014.

Fox Television Studios International

:''This is about the company that exists according to the

News Corporation The original incarnation of News Corporation (abbreviated News Corp. and also variously known as News Corporation Limited) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media corporation founded and controlled by media mogul Ru ...

page'' Fox Television Studios International was the international division of

Fox Television Studios The second incarnation of Touchstone Television, formerly known as Fox 21 Television Studios, was an American television production company and a subsidiary of the Disney Television Studios, a subsidiary of the Disney Media Networks business se ...

that operated from August 1, 2000 to March 7, 2001. Daniella Welteke was tapped up to head the division, which was eventually folded into Fox World. The pod model evolved into five divisions: alternative, scripted, international, Fox World and Regency Television: *The alternative division was responsible for ''

'' and ''

'', along with E!'s ''

'' franchise. In mid-2002, Fox Alternative Productions was formed by Fox TV Studios and headed by David Martin with its first show to be "The Coach". *The scripted division produced ''

Fox World

Fox World (formerly Fox Television Studios International) was a television production company formed in 2000 as a division of

(FTVS). The company produced international versions of its reality television programs such as '' Joe Millionaire'' and '' Temptation Island''. On March 5, 2001, SBS inked a deal/joint venture with Fox World to launch a northern European-based production company. On November 22, 2004, Hayley Babcock was named senior vice president of production at the Fox World studio, while Daniella Welteke would remain as head of the division.

Fox Lab

Fox Lab was a low-profile production sub-division of

, originally formed in 1986 as Fox Television Stations Productions (or FTSP) and was responsible for the development of '' A Current Affair'', '' Cops'' and ''

America's Most Wanted ''America's Most Wanted'' (often abbreviated as ''AMW'') is an American television program whose first run was produced by 20th Television, and second run is under the Fox Entertainment#Fox Alternative Entertainment, Fox Alternative Entertain ...

''. It was rebranded to the current moniker in 1995, although the FTSP label was continued to be used on several older shows until Fox's cancellation of '' Cops'' in 2013. In 1990, Fox Television Stations debuted a soap opera, ''

Tribes The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

'', only shown on Fox owned-and-operated stations. It only lasted one season on the air. By the early 90s, the company was producing a show, ''Not Just News'', for first-run syndication. Also, in 1994, Fox Television Stations Productions produced an international version of ''

'', ''Manhunter'', to be shown throughout international networks. It was later evolved into a US version for syndication, '' America's Most Wanted: Final Justice''. In 2003, Fox Lab was producing the syndicated show ''

Classmates A classmate is a student who is a member of the same class, in any of its meanings (a course, a lesson, a graduating year). Classmate(s) may also refer to: * ''Classmates'' (1914 film), a 1914 silent film produced by the Biograph Company * ''Cl ...

'', that lasted only two seasons. Fox Lab's library is currently co-owned by

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

and

Fox Corporation Fox Corporation (commonly referred to as Fox Corp or simply Fox) is an American multinational mass media company headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas, 1211 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan, with offices also in Burbank, Cali ...

Foxstar Productions

Foxstar Productions was a division of Fox Television Studios.

The original incarnation of Touchstone Television

The original iteration of Touchstone Television was a television production company founded in 1985 as a division of Disney's subsidiary

Touchstone Pictures Touchstone Pictures was an American film distribution label of Walt Disney Studios, founded and owned by The Walt Disney Company. Feature films released under the Touchstone label were produced and financed by Walt Disney Studios, and featured ...

. It is nowadays known as ''ABC Signature'' (since 2020), and was known as ''ABC Studios'' since 2007.

Fox 21

Fox 21 (styled fox21.) was a low-cost scripted and reality cable television production arm of

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

, which was a division of the

, part of

Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian - American retired business magnate, investor, and media mogul. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of List of assets owned by News Corp, local, national, a ...

. The company productions included the FX series ''

Sons of Anarchy ''Sons of Anarchy'' is an American Action film, action crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter for FX (TV channel), FX. Originally aired from September 3, 2008, to December 9, 2014, ''Sons of Anarchy'' follows the lives of a close-k ...

'', ''

Terriers Terrier () is a type of dog originally bred to hunt vermin. A terrier is a dog of any one of many breeds or landraces of the terrier type, which are typically small, wiry, game, and fearless. There are five different groups of terrier, wi ...

'' and ''

Tyrant A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to ...

'', the A&E action series '' Breakout Kings'',

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

reality series ''

Beauty and the Geek ''Beauty and the Geek'' is a reality television franchise that first aired in the United States. The show follows groups of "Beauties" (people — almost always women — who rely on their attractiveness and outgoing personalities but typicall ...

'', the Showtime series ''

Homeland A homeland is a place where a national or ethnic identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethnic natio ...

'', the

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

series ''

Brickleberry ''Brickleberry'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated sitcom created by Waco O'Guin and Roger Black (actor), Roger Black for the basic cable network Comedy Central, which aired from September 25, 2012 to April 14, 2015. Executive produc ...

'', the

WGN America WGN America was an American subscription television network that operated from November 9, 1978 to February 28, 2021. The service was originally uplinked to satellite by United Video Inc. as a national feed of Chicago independent station WGN-T ...

series '' Salem'' and the '' Lifetime'' series '' Witches of East End''. On December 4, 2014, Fox Television Studios merged with Fox 21 to form Fox 21 Television Studios. Fox 21 was formed in 2004 by

executives

Dana Walden Dana Michelle Walden ( Freedman; born 1964 or 1965) is an American businesswoman and the co-chairman of Disney Entertainment. She currently serves as a member of the President's Export Council. Career Fox Television Group Before her tenur ...

and Gary Newman to develop and back smaller-budgeted but unique and daring shows. Fox 21's first executive was Jane Leisner. The unit's early hits were the FX series ''

'' and

reality series ''

''. After originally being passed over for programming the new network,

MyNetworkTV MyNetworkTV (stylized as mynetworkTV; unofficially abbreviated MNT or MNTV) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its Fox Television Stations ...

, Fox 21 was in consideration along with Twentieth Television and independent producers as of December 2006 in a potential reprogramming from telenovela to low-cost reality and game shows. Bert Salke, who moved from his Brancato/Salke production company based at

ABC Studios ABC Signature was a production arm of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios, a sub-division of the Disney Entertainment business segment and division of The Walt Disney Company. The studio's ...

, took charge of the unit in 2010 and led an increase in show productions starting with the Showtime series ''

''. In early 2015, Mythology Entertainment signed a first look deal with the company and its sister studio

while announcing the head of its TV division. The company produces or had produced the FX series ''

'', ''

'', '' Mayans MC'', ''

The Americans ''The Americans'' is an American historical drama, period spy fiction, spy drama television series created by Joe Weisberg for FX (TV channel), FX. It aired for six seasons from 2013 to 2018. Weisberg and Joel Fields also served as showrunners ...

'' and ''

The Bastard Executioner ''The Bastard Executioner'' is an American historical fiction drama television series, created by Kurt Sutter, that aired on FX from September 15, 2015, to November 17, 2015. On November 18, 2015, Sutter announced that he had voluntarily pulle ...

'', the A&E action series '' Breakout Kings'', the Showtime series '' The Chi'', the

Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...

series '' Chance'', the

series ''

'', the

series '' Salem'' and the Lifetime series '' Witches of East End''.

History

It was announced in December 2014 that Fox 21 and Fox Television Studios would merge into Fox 21 Television Studios. This situation came as a result of FTVS's president David Madden being promoted to

Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, LLC (commonly known as Fox; stylized in all caps) is an Television in the United States, American commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast television broadcaster, television network serving as the flagship proper ...

and the fact that both units were focusing on the same market, cable television. The combined operation is headed by Fox 21 president Bert Salke. In January 2020, Fox 21 reached a first-look deal with Marta Kauffman's studio Okay Goodnight, beginning with an adaptation of the 2019 novel '' The Dreamers''. In early-February 2020, it reached a first-look deal with the Gotham Group. On August 10, 2020, as part of a reorganization of

Walt Disney Television The first and original incarnation of Walt Disney Television was an American production company and the original/former television production division of the Walt Disney Company, which was active from April 18, 1983 to 2003. Productions from ...

following the

, the studio was renamed Touchstone Television — reviving a brand dormant since the previous Touchstone Television was renamed ABC Studios in 2007. ABC Studios had also merged with the previous iteration of ABC Signature Studios to form the current iteration of

ABC Signature ABC Signature was a production arm of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios, a sub-division of the Disney Entertainment business segment and division of The Walt Disney Company. The studio ...

. The renamed Touchstone Television studio retains a

typewriter A typewriter is a Machine, mechanical or electromechanical machine for typing characters. Typically, a typewriter has an array of Button (control), keys, and each one causes a different single character to be produced on paper by striking an i ...

-styled logo similar to the previous Fox 21 and Fox 21 Television Studios brandings. The first and only production under the name was the

film ''

Books of Blood ''Books of Blood'' is a series of six horror fiction anthologies collecting original stories written by English author, playwright, and filmmaker Clive Barker in 1984 and 1985. Known primarily for writing stage plays beforehand, Barker gained ...

''. Less than four months following this change, on December 1, 2020, Walt Disney Television head

announced a further reorganization which will see the newly renamed division wound up, with Salke transitioning to an overall producing deal with Disney Television Studios, and remaining operations absorbed into

Filmography

Television series

References

External links

Fox Television Studios
on 21cf.com {{Authority control Disney Television Studios American companies established in 2014 American companies disestablished in 2020 Mass media companies established in 2014 Mass media companies disestablished in 2020 2014 establishments in California 2020 disestablishments in California Television production companies of the United States Mass media companies of the United States Companies based in Los Angeles Walt Disney Studios (division) The Walt Disney Company subsidiaries Disney production studios Disney acquisitions Peabody Award winners 20th Television

Predecessors

Fox Television Studios

Fox Television Studios International

Fox World

Fox Lab

Foxstar Productions

The original incarnation of Touchstone Television

Fox 21

History

Filmography

Television series

See also

References

External links