Rysher Entertainment

Background
Rysher Entertainment was founded by former Warner Bros. syndication executive Keith Samples in 1991 as a television syndication company, expanding into TV and feature film production. Cox Enterprises bought Rysher for $15 million in 1993. Rysher was shut down in 1999 by Cox, distribution rights to the company's library was acquired by Paramount Television (now "CBS Studios" and "CBS Media Ventures") the ownership of the library was later acquired by 2929 Entertainment in 2001 and by Qualia Capital on March 29, 2006. Most of the company's film library is currently owned by Paramount Pictures with the following exceptions: The Opposite of Sex (Sony Pictures Entertainment/Sony Pictures Classics), Big Night, Foxfire, and Hard Eight (Samuel Goldwyn Films, formally The Samuel Goldwyn Company). As for the television library, it is currently owned by ViacomCBS and distributed by CBS Media Ventures, while the Saved by the Bell franchise and California Dreams are currently owned by NBCUniversal Television Distribution while CBS Studios International and MGM International Television has international rights to Saved by the Bell.

1st Logo (1991-1993)
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Nicknames: "Starry Chyron", "Star Night"

Logo: We see a black/dark blue gradient background with dozens of stars tingling away. The words "Times New Roman" fade in on the background in a white Belwe font. "Times New Roman" is on top of "Times New Roman" with both words centered and has two stars on the left and right of "Times New Roman" fade in respectively.

Variants:
 * On the first season of Highlander, there is a still shot where it says "Times New Roman" on top and "Times New Roman" is replaced with "DISTRIBUTION".
 * On The Making of Highlander: The Series, the distribution variant is seen animated and without "Times New Roman" above it.

FX/SFX: The animation is simple, early CGI.

Music/Sounds: With a deep pin drop sound and chimes, we hear a jazzy saxophone tune that almost sounds like Kenny G playing.

Availability: Uncommon. Seen on early 90s syndicated prints, Saved By the Bell reruns, which are seen on Me-TV and the DVD box sets. Other local syndicated reruns of Saved By the Bell now have the NBCUniversal logo instead of this one. The distribution variant is very rare, as new prints of Highlander do not feature this logo.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (1993-1995)
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Nicknames: "The Buildings", "City Skyline", "Starry Night's Cousin"

Logo: On the top half of the screen, there is a picture of a city (with hills in the background) at what appears to be sunset. The sun "sets" and stars and the lights in the city buildings appear, as do the words "Times New Roman ENTERTAINMENT" in beige. "Times New Roman" is in a large extremely condensed Times New Roman-style font and "ENTERTAINMENT" is seen in a smallish font below it. A comet streaks in the city sky as the animation finishes.

Variants:
 * When Rysher merged with Television Program Enterprises in 1993, the text read "Times New Roman", with a line under "Times New Roman", and the text shrinks as it sets.
 * Sometimes, "in association with", "And in Association with", or "Produced in Association with" would be seen above the logo.
 * One version of the logo featured the text "Times New Roman" with "Times New Roman" below.
 * Another variant exists where the animation seems to be slowed down.

FX/SFX: The sky fading and comet.

Music/Sounds: A mellow horn tune with synth drums plays, with what sounds like a bird screeching (probably just a flute) at the end of the music. In other cases (usually with the "Cox Company" variant), it used only the opening/closing theme of the show or TV movie, or it's silent.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * There is also an extended version of the jingle.
 * A short version of the music exists.

Availability: Common.
 * It appears on syndicated reruns of Saved by the Bell: The College Years and season 2-4 (and some early season 5 episodes) of Highlander.
 * The Rysher TPE logo is rare, but still remains intact on all 4 episodes of Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style, a handful of Highlander episodes from 1993-1995, and appears on the pilot of Robocop: The Series entitled "The Future of Law Enforcement", which can be found on VHS.
 * The "Rysher Entertainment and" variant can be seen on Shattered Image. The extended variant was seen on Thunder in Paradise.
 * The "slowed-down" variant appeared on a Polish dub of the TV movie Siringo.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Logo (April 28, 1995-September 23, 2003)
Nicknames: "The Buildings II", "CGI City Skyline"

Logo: Modeled on the last logo, this time with more detail; the lights in the buildings flicker on and off and we see car lights moving, the hills have been changed to mountains, and the sky is more blueish (it was purple on the last logo). The words are now done in CGI and are in copper, with "RYSHER" fading in with a zoom-in and "ENTERTAINMENT" fades in. The byline "A COX C O M P A N Y" appears beneath the logo, and shortly afterwards, a comet streaks through the sky.

Variants:
 * Early versions don't use the Cox byline. The "ENTERTAINMENT" text was also larger.
 * A short version was used on TV around this time, which starts before the comet shoots through the sky. The longer version was primarily seen on some feature films produced by Rysher from 1995-1997, as well as a few TV shows.
 * Feature films often had the text made smaller, depending on what aspect ratio it was shot in.

Music/Sounds: None.
 * CBS airings of Nash Bridges and Four Corners used a generic theme.
 * On some shows, the first logo's music can be heard.

Availability: Editor's Note: None.
 * The logo can be seen on the first 3 seasons of Nash Bridges (except for season 4, which is plastered by the CBS Television Distribution logo, H&I airings use the DVD prints), seasons 4-6 of Highlander, all episodes of Highlander: The Raven, and the first season of Judge Mills Lane from 1998-99 which airs on ViacomCBS owned Pluto TV.
 * Films that use this logo include Destiny Turns on the Radio, Three Wishes, White Man's Burden, Private Parts, Zeus and Roxanne, It Takes Two, Turbulence, House Arrest, The Eighteenth Angel, and Kingpin.
 * Also appears on international prints of HBO TV-movies from the time period, such as Rasputin.