TriStar Television

TriStar Television, Inc. (first spelled Tri-Star, and abbreviated as TT) is an American television production studio that is a division of Sony Entertainment's Sony Pictures Television. TriStar Television was launched in March 1986 by TriStar Pictures, and remained a joint-venture between Columbia Pictures, CBS, and HBO until it was acquired by Sony Pictures Entertainment, the parent of both Columbia and TriStar. After a purchase by Sony Pictures Entertainment, both companies Columbia Pictures Television and TriStar Television merged and formed Columbia TriStar Television on February 21, 1994. The television studio was relaunched twice and is currently a specialty label for Sony Pictures Television. The entity was originally a sister company of Columbia Pictures Television which was shut down in 2001.

TriStar Television, Inc.
FormerlyTri-Star Television (1986-1988)
TypeDivision
IndustryTelevision production
FoundedMarch 1986 (1986-03) (original launch)
October 1991 (1991-10) (first re-launch)
May 28, 2015 (2015-05-28) (second re-launch)
DefunctJanuary 1988 (original launch)
June 1999 (first re-launch)
FateMerged with Columbia Pictures Television to form Columbia TriStar Television and later folded into Columbia TriStar Television (formerly)
Headquarters10202 West Washington Boulevard, Culver City, California, United States
Area served
Worldwide
ParentSony Pictures Television

History

It was formed when Tri-Star Pictures joined forces with Stephen J. Cannell Productions and Witt/Thomas Productions and created a television distribution company called TeleVentures. Scott Siegler was immediately hired as president of the studio. As the Tri-Star Television studio rolled around, the company inked overall deals with various personnel, like Ron Samuels, Richard Leder, Michael Jacobs, Larry Tucker, Donald P. Bellisario, Jim Green and Larry Epstein to help develop projects for the studio and decided that they would be involved in various television movies.[1]

By December 1987, Coca-Cola owned 80% Columbia Pictures Entertainment until January 1988, when it was reduced down to 49% and Tri-Star Television was then merged with Columbia/Embassy Television into the reorganized Columbia Pictures Television (CPT) in January 1988, although TeleVentures was retained to handle sales of the existing Tri-Star programs that were inherited under contract to CPT, which would continue as a separate sales and distribution company from the CPT unit.[2] Scott remained president of the studio until he left in 1993.[3] Columbia Pictures Entertainment was sold in September 1989 to Sony of Japan.

In the late of 1988, Witt/Thomas Productions was yanked from the TeleVentures venture, ceding it to Walt Disney Television, and sold its shares to Cannell.[4] On July 11, 1990, both Tri-Star and Cannell dissolved the TeleVentures joint venture and Tri-Star sold its shares to Stephen J. Cannell Productions and TeleVentures became Cannell Distribution Co. Most of the series and the Tri-Star film packages that were distributed by TeleVentures were taken over by Columbia Pictures Television Distribution.[5]

Revival and merger with Columbia Pictures Television

CPT would continue on under Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), but TriStar Television was reestablished in October 1991 after CPT acquired some of the library of New World Television.[6] Jon Feltheimer, who was president of New World Television became the new president of TriStar Television.[6] On March 15, 1993, star Larry Hagman had inked a deal with the studio to develop their own projects for the 1993-94 TV season.[7] On February 21, 1994, TriStar Television merged with Columbia Pictures Television and formed Columbia TriStar Television (CTT).[8][9] In 1997, most new shows, and some existing TriStar shows like Early Edition, dropped the separate CPT and TriStar logos and begin placing it under the CTT logo, and also in January 1997, changed monikers from Sony Television Entertainment to Columbia TriStar Television Group.[10]

When TriStar Television's productions were folded into Columbia TriStar Television in 1999, Early Edition (a joint production with CBS) retained the TriStar copyright until 2000. The final season of Malcolm & Eddie was later produced by CTT and TriStar Television operated in-name-only. On October 25, 2001, Columbia TriStar Television and Columbia TriStar Television Distribution merged to become Columbia TriStar Domestic Television. On September 16, 2002, SPE retired the Columbia and TriStar names from television, renaming CTDT as Sony Pictures Television.[11]

Second revival

On May 28, 2015, TriStar Television was re-launched as a boutique production label for Sony Pictures Television. Until her death in March 2018, the revived studio was run by Suzanne Patmore-Gibbs after being in-name-only for 15 years.[12] The first new series was Good Girls Revolt and was piloted for Amazon Prime Video on November 5, 2015.[12]

List of shows by TriStar Television
Title Years Network Notes
Downtown1986-1987CBS
Take Five1987
Nothing in CommonNBCBased on the 1986 movie of the same name by Tri-Star Pictures
Werewolf1987-1988Foxthen produced by Columbia Pictures Television in January 1988
My Two Dads1987-1990NBC
Buck James1987-1988ABC
Get a Life1990-1992Foxproduced by New World Television from 1990 to 1991
Charlie Hoover1991
The Fifth Corner1992NBC
The Boys of TwilightCBSUnsold pilot
Forever Knight1992-1996
The Edge1992-1993[13]Fox
Mad About You1992-1999NBC
Tribeca1993Fox
Good Advice1993-1994CBS
The Nanny1993-1999co-production with Sternin & Fraser Ink Inc. and Highschool Sweethearts (1995-1999)
The Mighty Jungle1994The Family Channel
TV Nation1994-1995NBC, Fox, BBC Two
Women of the House1995CBS, Lifetime
Simon1995-1996The WB
Ned & Stacey1995-1997Foxproduced by Hanley Productions
Can't Hurry Love1995-1996CBSproduced in association with CBS Productions
Hudson StreetABCproduced by Katie Face Productions
Dead By Sunset1995NBCmini-series
Matt Waters1996CBS
The Dana Carvey ShowABC
Malcolm & Eddie1996-2000UPNColumbia TriStar Television from 1999 to 2000
Moloney1996-1997CBS
Love and Marriage1996Fox
Early Edition1996-2000CBSColumbia TriStar Television from 1997 to 2000, series co-produced by CBS, who handles domestic distribution rights while SPTI handles international rights.
Life... and Stuff1997
The Simple Life1998not the Paris Hilton/Nicole Richie series
Good Girls Revolt2015-2016Amazon Prime Videoin association with Amazon Studios
Shut Eye2016-2017Huluin association with Gran Via Productions
The Last TycoonAmazon Prime Videoin association with Amazon Studios
On Becoming a God in Central Florida2019Showtimein association with Smoke House Pictures and Pali Eyes Pictures
The Afterparty2022-presentApple TV+in association with Lord Miller Productions and Sony Pictures Television Studios

References
  1. Kaufman, Dave (1986-06-04). "Tri-Star Delves Into TV Prods; Now Making Deals Around Town". Variety. p. 43.
  2. "Coke's EBS & Tri-Star Merge TV Biz, Forming Col Pictures TV". Variety. 1987-10-21. pp. 512, 528.
  3. "Coca -Cola Entertainment and Tri-Star to merge TV units" (PDF). Broadcasting. 1987-10-19. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  4. "Action-Packed Expansion" (PDF). Channels of Communication. 1990-04-09. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  5. "IN BRIEF". Broadcasting. 1990-07-16. p. 110.
  6. "CPT TO ACQUIRE NEW WORLD PROPERTIES". Broadcasting. 1991-10-14. p. 27.
  7. "TriStar gives J.R. a shot" (PDF). Broadcasting. 1993-03-15. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  8. Feltheimer heads new Columbia TriStar TV Broadcasting via Ebsco Host Connection, Retrieved on December 18, 2012
  9. "Feltheimer heads new Columbia TriStar TV". Broadcasting. 1994-02-21. p. 20.
  10. Cox, Dan (1997-01-30). "SONY STREAMLINING". Variety. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  11. Sony Pictures Entertainment Renames Television Operations; Domestic and International Divisions Take Sony Name, prnewswire.com
  12. Sony Eyes Relaunching TriStar Television Banner Run By Suzanne Patmore Gibbs Nellie Andreeva deadline.com, Retrieved on May 28, 2015
  13. Lippman, John (1992-10-19). "Television: The Fox network is in the position of having offended its top program supplier". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-07-11.
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