ABC Signature facts for kids
Final logo, used from 2020 to 2024
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The studio building on the Walt Disney Studios Riverside Drive property in Burbank, California
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Formerly
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| In-name-only unit of Disney Television Studios | |
| Industry | Television production Home video |
| Fate | Folded into 20th Television |
| Successor | 20th Television |
| Founded | 1950 |
| Defunct | October 1, 2024 |
| Headquarters |
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U.S.
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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| Parent | Disney Television Studios |
ABC Signature was a company that made TV shows. It was part of ABC, which is owned by Disney Television Studios. This studio also helped put its shows on home video like DVDs starting in 2008.
The company began in 1950 as the TV part of Walt Disney Productions. It changed its name several times over the years. In 1983, it became Walt Disney Network Television. Then, in 1985, it joined with another studio called Touchstone Television. In 2007, Disney changed the name again to ABC Studios. Finally, on August 10, 2020, it became ABC Signature after joining with ABC Signature Studios. The company stopped operating on October 1, 2024, and its work was moved to another Disney studio called 20th Television.
Contents
How Disney Started Making TV Shows
Early TV Adventures
In the 1930s, Walt Disney wasn't interested in television. But by 1950, that changed. He made a special TV show for NBC, and then another for CBS. Both shows were very popular!
Disney then started making full TV series. His first big show was Disneyland, which started on ABC in 1954. This show was a huge hit.
After Disneyland did so well, Disney made another show for ABC in 1957. It was a western called Zorro. However, Zorro didn't stay popular for long and was cancelled in 1959.
In 1961, Disney moved its weekly TV show to NBC. It stayed there for almost 20 years, until 1981. For many years, this one show was Disney's main TV program.
Trying New Shows
After NBC stopped airing the Disney show, it moved to CBS in 1981. In 1982, Disney made its first new prime-time show since Zorro. It was called Herbie the Love Bug. But it was cancelled after just one season.
Disney then made three more shows for CBS: Gun Shy, Small & Frye, and Zorro and Son. These were all sitcoms, but they also only lasted one season each.
History of the Studio
Walt Disney Network Television and Touchstone Television
After those shows on CBS were cancelled in 1983, Disney decided to try again with prime-time TV. The company started using the name "Touchstone Films" for TV shows in 1984. One of the first shows under this name was Wildside.
In 1985, Disney teamed up with some sitcom producers. The next year, they had a big hit show called The Golden Girls, using the Touchstone name. The "Touchstone" name was used for shows for older audiences. The "Disney" name was kept for family-friendly shows.
By 1986, Disney was making two shows: Sidekicks (under the Walt Disney Network Television name) and The Ellen Burstyn Show (under Touchstone Television). Both were cancelled quickly. More Touchstone shows followed, like Harry and Down and Out in Beverly Hills.
In 1987, Randy Reiss became the head of both TV units. Disney continued to sell shows to different networks. In 1989, Walt Disney Network Television and Touchstone Television were grouped together. They also made deals with new production companies to create more shows.
One of their first projects was Carol & Company. Another was The Fanelli Boys, both for NBC. Disney also signed a long-term deal with producer Michael Jacobs. He later helped create the popular show Dinosaurs in 1991.
In 1992, Touchstone Television started making longer TV movies for adults. They also signed a deal with ABC to make five TV movies.
In 1994, Richard Frank became the head of a new group that included Touchstone Television. In 1995, they started making dramas again, like Nowhere Man.
After Disney bought ABC in 1996, the TV divisions were reorganized. In 1997, David Neuman became president of Touchstone Television. By 1999, all Disney shows for prime-time TV were produced under the Touchstone Television name.
Touchstone Television (Under ABC)
In late 1999, the Disney TV studios joined with ABC's prime-time division. This created the ABC Entertainment Television Group. The "Walt Disney Television" name was no longer used for prime-time shows. All prime-time shows from Disney now used the "Touchstone Television" name.
In 2000, Touchstone Television created separate departments for comedy and drama. In 2001, Steve McPherson became president of the TV unit. In 2003, Tollin/Robbins Productions signed a deal to develop shows with Touchstone Television.
In 2004, J.J. Abrams, who created Alias, made a deal with Touchstone Television to create new series. Also, Marc Cherry, who created Desperate Housewives, signed a deal with the studio. Many other famous writers and producers also signed deals with the studio in the following years.
ABC Studios
In February 2007, Disney announced a big change. Touchstone Television would be renamed ABC Television Studio. This was part of Disney's plan to use fewer different brand names. By the time the name change happened, it was called ABC Studios.
In 2008, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment made a deal with Lionsgate. Lionsgate would distribute DVDs of some ABC Studios shows. New DVDs of ABC shows started using the ABC Studios logo.
In 2009, ABC Entertainment reorganized. They combined some business tasks for ABC Studios and ABC Entertainment. In 2010, Disney-ABC Television Group cut some jobs. In 2012, ABC Studios created a new unit called Signature to sell shows to other TV networks.
In 2016, ABC Studios International was created. This unit focused on making TV shows in other countries. They worked on co-productions and bought ideas for new shows. In 2017, they co-produced their first show, an Australian series called Harrow.
In 2017, Ryan Seacrest Productions moved to ABC Studios. ABC Studios also started a new division for unscripted shows. These include documentaries, game shows, and reality TV.
ABC Signature Studios
ABC Studios wanted to sell shows to networks other than ABC. For example, they sold Cougar Town to TBS and Devious Maids to Lifetime. So, in October 2012, they created ABC Signature Studios to keep doing this.
In 2013, Tracy Underwood became a senior vice president at ABC Signature. Signature developed Mistresses, which was picked up by ABC. Their first project for an outside network was Benched for USA Network.
In 2016, Freeform (another Disney-owned channel) ordered Cloak & Dagger. This was the first show Marvel Television co-produced with Signature. Another Marvel co-production, Runaways, was made for Hulu. Signature also developed a live-action Mighty Ducks series, which became The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers for Disney+.
Signature also worked with author John Grisham and Hulu to create a series of shows based on Grisham's books. One of Signature's shows, The Wilds, was picked up by Amazon in 2019.
Under Disney Television Studios
After Disney bought 21st Century Fox in 2019, ABC Studios and ABC Signature Studios became part of Disney Television Studios. There were some changes in leadership at the studios.
ABC Studios International was developing a show called Unsung Heroes. However, many top executives left this international unit in December 2019.
On August 10, 2020, ABC Studios and ABC Signature merged into one company. The new company kept the name ABC Signature. At the same time, another studio, Fox 21 Television Studios, was renamed Touchstone Television. This brought back the old Touchstone name, but it was later merged into 20th Television.
In 2021, several writers and producers signed deals with ABC Signature to create new shows.
Studio Shutdown
On October 1, 2024, it was announced that ABC Signature would be closed. Its work and many employees were moved to a sister company, 20th Television. Tracy Underwood, the president of ABC Signature, will now have a deal to produce shows for Disney Television Studios. ABC Signature still exists as a name used for some projects, but it no longer operates as a separate studio.
See also
- Disney General Entertainment Content
- Disney Television Studios
- Touchstone Television
- 20th Television
- 20th Television Animation
- Searchlight Television
- FX Productions
