The second incarnation of Touchstone Television (formerly known as Fox 21 Television Studios) was an American television production company that is a subsidiary of

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' ...

Walt Disney Television Disney General Entertainment Content, doing business as Walt Disney Television, is an American entertainment company that oversees television content and assets owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company. Forming the company's General Enter ...

owned by

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Disney Stud ...

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

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

20th Television 20th Television (formerly 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Century-Fox Television, and TCF Television Productions, Inc.) is an American television production company that is a division of Disney Television Studios, part of The Walt Disney Compa ...

Predecessors

Fox Television Studios

Fox Television Studios, Inc. was a television production subsidiary of 21st Century Fox's

Fox Entertainment Group Fox Entertainment Group was an American entertainment company specialised in filmed entertainment owned by 21st Century Fox. Following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, the group's assets were folded into various Disney units. The ...

, as well as being 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 (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

and the secondary production arm of 20th Century Fox Television, itself a division of 20th Century Fox Film Corporation. Fox Television Studios (FTVS) was formed in 1997 alongside 20th Century Fox Television 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 ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

and

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

. While funded by Fox, G-JS was presented as an "independent mini-studio". The studio also partnered with David Gerber 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 Regency Enterprises (commonly referred to as Regency onscreen and copyrighting as Regency Entertainment (USA), Inc. in the U.S. and Monarchy Enterprises S.á.r.l. overseas) is an American entertainment company formed by Arnon Milchan. It was foun ...

, by 2000, managed by

Gail Berman Gail Berman (born August 17, 1956) is an American producer and television executive. She is co-owner and founding partner of The Jackal Group, a production entity formed in partnership with Fox Networks Group. The Jackal Group develops and produ ...

. 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 ''Son of the Beach'' is an American sitcom that aired from March 14, 2000, to October 1, 2002, on FX. The series is a spoof of ''Baywatch'', with much of the comedy based on sexual double entendres, puns, innuendo and the like. A major running g ...

'' for FX, ''

The Hughleys ''The Hughleys'' is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 22, 1998 to April 28, 2000 and on UPN from September 11, 2000 to May 20, 2002. It starred comedian D. L. Hughley as the main character, Darryl Hughley, and Elise Neal as ...

'' by G-JS and Regency had '' Malcolm in the Middle''. The pod model evolved into five divisions: alternative, scripted, international, Fox World and

: *The alternative division was responsible for ''

Talkshow with Spike Feresten ''Talkshow with Spike Feresten'' was 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'', 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 focuses on the lives of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends who live with him at the Playboy Mansion. The series was created by executive pr ...

'' 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 starring Michael Chiklis that premiered on March 12, 2002, on FX in the United States, and concluded on November 25, 2008, after seven seasons. Known for its portrayal of corrupt pol ...

'', along with a number of television films and miniseries. *Fox World division, formed in 2001, produced international versions of its reality television programs such as ''

Joe Millionaire ''Joe Millionaire'' is an American reality dating show that premiered on Fox in 2003. The first two seasons of the series followed a group of single women, competing for the affection of a bachelor who was falsely billed as being a millionaire ...

'' and '' Temptation Island''. The company was shut down by FTVS in 2005. 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'' 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 News Corporation (abbreviated News Corp.), also variously known as News Corporation Limited, was an American multinational mass media corporation controlled by media mogul Rupert Murdoch and headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in Ne ...

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 that is a subsidiary of Disney Media Networks' Walt Disney Television owned by The Walt Disney Company. It ...

operated in 2000–2001. Daniella Welteke was tapped up to head the division, which was eventually becoming Fox World. The pod model evolved into five divisions: alternative, scripted, international, Fox World and

: *The alternative division was responsible for ''

'' and '' The Wanda Sykes Show'', 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 ''

'', along with a number of television films and miniseries. *Fox World division, formed in 2001, produced international versions of its reality television programs such as ''

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 ''

'' and '' Temptation Island''. On March 5, 2001, SBS inked a deal/joint venture with Fox World to launch a northern European-based production company. The company was shut down by FTVS in 2005. Daniella Welteke would remain as head of the division. On November 22, 2004, Hayley Babcock was named senior vice president of production at the Fox World studio.

Fox Lab

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

, originally formed in 1986 as Fox Television Stations Productions (or STF Productions) and was responsible for the development of ''

A Current Affair ''A Current Affair'' may refer to: * ''A Current Affair'' (Australian TV program), 1971–present Australian current affairs program that airs on Nine Network * ''A Current Affair'' (American TV program), a 1986–1998 American television news ...

'', '' Cops'' and '' America's Most Wanted''. 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 usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...

'', 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 '' America's Most Wanted'', ''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 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 * ''Clas ...

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

and

Fox Corporation Fox Corporation (stylized in all-caps as FOX Corporation) is a publicly traded American mass media company operated and controlled by media mogul Rupert Murdoch and headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in New York City. Incorporated ...

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. 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. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

, which was a division of the

, part of

Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...

's 21st Century Fox. The company produces, the FX series ''

Sons of Anarchy ''Sons of Anarchy'' is an American action crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter for FX. Originally aired from September 3, 2008 to December 9, 2014, ''Sons of Anarchy'' follows the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club ope ...

'', ''

Terriers Terrier (from Latin ''terra'', 'earth') 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. Terrier breeds vary g ...

'' 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 rep ...

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

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

reality series ''

Beauty and the Geek ''Beauty and the Geek'' is an American reality television series that premiered on The WB on June 1, 2005. It has been advertised as "The Ultimate Social Experiment" and is produced by Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg and J.D. Roth. The show's ti ...

'', the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

series ''

Homeland A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial 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 ethn ...

'', the

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...

series ''

Brickleberry ''Brickleberry'' is an American adult animated sitcom created by Waco O'Guin and Roger Black for the basic cable network Comedy Central. Executive produced by O'Guin, Black, and comedian Daniel Tosh, the series follows a group of park rangers ...

'', the

WGN America WGN America was an American subscription television network that was owned by the Nexstar Media Group, and was the company's only wholly owned, national cable-originated television channel. The channel in its final form under the WGN branding ra ...

series '' Salem'' and the '' Lifetime'' series ''

Witches of East End ''Witches of East End'' is a 2011 novel by author Melissa de la Cruz and the first entry in her ''Beauchamp Family'' series. It was published on June 21, 2011, by Hyperion Books and follows a family of Long Island witches struggling against da ...

''. On December 4, 2014, Fox Television Studios merged with Fox 21 to form Fox 21 Television Studios. Fox 21 was formed in 2004 by 20th Century Fox Television executives

Dana Walden Dana Walden (born 1964) is an American businesswoman and the Chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content. Early life and education Dana Freedman was born to a Jewish family in Los Angeles in 1964. Her father was in the travel industry and ...

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 (unofficially abbreviated MyTV, MyNet, MNT or MNTV, and sometimes referred to as My Network) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its ...

, 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 is an American television Filmmaking#Production, production studio that is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios, a division of Walt Disney Television, which is part of the List of assets owned by The Walt Disney Company#Disne ...

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

series ''

''. In early 2015, Mythology Entertainment signed a first look deal with the company and its sister studio 20th Century Fox Television while announcing the head of its TV division. The company produces or had produced the FX series ''

'', ''

Mayans MC ''Mayans M.C.'' (also known simply as ''Mayans'') is an American crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter and Elgin James, that premiered on September 4, 2018, on FX. The show takes place in the same fictional universe as '' Sons of ...

'', ''

The Americans ''The Americans'' is an American historical drama, period spy fiction, spy drama television series created by Joe Weisberg that aired on the FX (TV channel), FX television network for six seasons from January 30, 2013, to May 30, 2018. Weisberg ...

'' 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 FX had cancelled the serie ...

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

series ''

The Chi ''The Chi'' ( ) is an American drama television series created by Lena Waithe about life in a neighborhood on the South Side, Chicago, South Side of Chicago. The pilot was directed by Rick Famuyiwa. It premiered on Showtime (TV network), Showti ...

'', the Hulu series ''

Chance Chance may refer to: Mathematics and Science * In mathematics, likelihood of something (by way of the Likelihood function and/or Probability density function). * ''Chance'' (statistics magazine) Places * Chance, Kentucky, US * Chance, Mary ...

'', the

series ''

'', the

series '' Salem'' and the Lifetime series ''

''.

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' president David Madden being promoted to

Fox Broadcasting Company The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations an ...

and the fact that both units were focusing on the same market, cable TV. The combined operation is headed by Fox 21 president Bert Salke. In January 2020, Fox 21 reached a first-look deal with

Marta Kauffman Marta Fran Kauffman (born September 21, 1956) is an American television writer and producer. She is best known as the co-creator of the NBC sitcom '' Friends'' with her longtime friend, David Crane. Both Kauffman and Crane were also executive p ...

'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

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 is an American television production studio that is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios, a division of Walt Disney Television, which is part of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Company. T ...

. The renamed Touchstone Television studio retains a

typewriter A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical machine for typing characters. Typically, a typewriter has an array of keys, and each one causes a different single character to be produced on paper by striking an inked ribbon selectivel ...

-styled logo similar to the previous Fox 21 and Fox 21 Television Studios brandings. 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

Programming produced

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 Former News Corporation subsidiaries

Predecessors

Fox Television Studios

Fox Television Studios International

Fox World

Fox Lab

Foxstar Productions

The original incarnation of Touchstone Television

Fox 21

History

Programming produced

See also

References

External links