NBC Studios

Logo descriptions by Jason Jones, James Fabiano, TrickyMario7654, Logophile, Shadeed A. Kelly, bmasters9, and indycar

''Logo captures by Eric S., Shadeed A. Kelly, Mr. Logo Lord, V of Doom, EnormousRat, megamanj2004, BluTheParrot, Logophile, randomtvandmoviejunk, Mr.Logo, bmasters9, Pygmalion X, indycar, TheEriccorpinc, Mr. Gann, LogoGuy94, Gilby 1385, and Edc4 Editions by Shadeed A. Kelly, PerryLuv2001, indycar, MattBr, AA2018, and Edc4''

Video captures courtesy of Ron Rondon, JohnnyL80, DanDMan16, Mr.Logo, Jordan Rios, Newave, and Pepsi9072

1st Logo (1947-1993, 1999?)
Logo: Just on screen in-credit text saying, "[NAME OF SERIES] is an NBC Television Network Presentation" that's superimposed on the credits.

Variants:

Some shows would have the card "An NBC (Television Network) Presentation", "(Produced) in association with the NBC (Television) Network", or "In Association with NBC - TV". Starting in 1967, the text is referred to as "An NBC Production". Some shows would have the text "Produced by NBC Entertainment" or "Produced by NBC Productions" would appear in the 1980s and early 1990s. Sometimes, another company is credited alongside NBC. The in-credit logo on Little House on the Prairie had the text "In Association With ED FRIENDLY," while episodes of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman had the text "in Association with CARSON PRODUCTIONS". But for Late Night with David Letterman's final season (1992-93) with NBC, the "CARSON PRODUCTIONS" credit was eliminated following Johnny Carson's retirement from The Tonight Show in May 1992 and replaced with a credit for "WORLDWIDE PANTS INCORPORATED". (They did share credits from 1990-92.) Sometimes during the '60s and '70s, it would also feature the in-credit NBC "Snake" logo. On the ultra short-lived 1979 series Supertrain, the card reads "an n.b.c. production," and below was an union bug and NBC copyright. On the unaired episode of Ed, a blue-tan gradient background and a serif typeface reading, "NBC PRODUCTIONS LOGO" was used. Considering this was an unaired episode, this was likely used as a placeholder for NBC to air.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over: Just the end theme of any show playing or silent. On some shows, mainly in the 1950s, you would hear an announcer spiel: "In association with the NBC Television Network".

Availability: Common.

It's currently seen on several episodes of Bonanza on TV Land and Me-TV, such as the season 2 episode "Day of Reckoning", Little House on the Prairie on COZI TV, and Daniel Boone on World Harvest Television and RTV. The NBC/Carson Productions in-credit logo appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (1960-1963)
Nicknames: "The Snake", "NBC Snake", "Camera Lenses"

Logo: Superimposed on the screen as a few camera lenses rotate clockwise in the background, the NBC snake logo forms and the minuscule text "TELEVISION NETWORK" appears inside the "C" of the snake.

Variant: On at least one syndication episode of You Bet Your Life had the word "FILMS" instead of "TELEVISION NETWORK".

FX/SFX: The camera lenses rotating clockwise, the snake forming, the "TELEVISION NETWORK" text appearing.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over: A horn jingle plays as an announcer either says, "Produced (in color) in association with the NBC Television Network", "This has been a color presentation of the NBC Television Network", or "This has been an NBC Television Network presentation".

Music/Sounds/Voice-over Variants: There's a very rare 1962 variant which is a different horn jingle being heard as the announcer says "This is the CBS Television...oh, godd**n it!". He might have been a mistake during the voiceover.

Availability: Extremely rare.

The films variant has been recently found on a DVD of You Bet Your Life and the normal variant has been spotted on a few episodes. This also surprisingly turned up at the end of GSN's 2003 airing of the original 1963 pilot episode of Let's Make a Deal. More recently, this logo has been spotted on several color episodes of Laramie on Encore Westerns, following the color Revue logo, making this a much easier find.

Editor's Note: A simplistic but interesting logo concept.

3rd Logo (1960-1963?)


Nicknames: "The Snake II", "NBC Snake II", "Camera Lenses II"

Logo: We zoom onto a camera rotating around in a clockwise direction, we also see a blue shadow of a cameraman operating a camera. We then see the logo form in the same way as the previous logo along with the minuscule "TELEVISION NETWORK" text. When the logo is nearly finished forming, we zoom out from the camera lens.

FX/SFX: The zooming into the camera, the camera lenses rotating clockwise, the snake forming, the "TELEVISION NETWORK" text appearing, and the zooming out from the camera lenses.

Music/Sounds: Same as before.

Availability: Very rare. The color version can be seen on some season 3 episodes of Laramie on Encore Westerns.

Editor's Note: See the previous logo.

4th Logo (1960-1966)


Nicknames: "The Snake III", "NBC Snake III", "The Cameraman"

Logo: On a black background, we see pink, red, and magenta light spots. We see a white line drawing down and zooming back from the top to form the letters "N" and "B". We later see the letter "C" forming from the bottom after the letter "B" finishes forming. As the NBC snake logo animates, we see a cameraman moving from left to right.

FX/SFX: The forming of the name, and the man moving the camera.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over: A jazzy horn rendition of the famous NBC theme or a dramatic horn fanfare from the 2nd logo with the announcer voice-over, depending on the variant:

The announcer says, "This has been a production (or presentation) of the NBC Television Network.", or "This has been a color production (or presentation) of the NBC Television Network." for the earlier shows (or programs) in color. The same announcer says just like in the 2nd logo, "Produced in association with the NBC Television Network.", or "Produced in color in association with the NBC Television Network." (for the earlier shows (or programs) in color) or "This has been an NBC Television Network presentation".

Availability: Rare, though it's a little easier to come across than the last two logos.

It's currently seen on most season 3 episodes of The Virginian on INSP. This also appeared on some episodes of Bonanza on Me-TV, such as season 2's "Day of Reckoning" & season 7's "The Lonely Ranger", and several of the "lost episodes", which recently began airing on Me-TV, followed by the CBS Television Distribution logo. The black and white version can be seen on The Perry Como Show on GetTV.

Editor's Note: See the previous two logos.

5th Logo (1966-1975, 2009)
Nicknames: "The Snake IV", "NBC Snake IV"

Logo: On a black background, we see the NBC snake forming itself from the bottom starting with the letter "C". As the snake forms the letters "B" and "N", the background changes colors from black, to teal, to dark yellow, to red. Below the logo says "PRODUCED WITH THE NBC-TV NETWORK", "PRODUCED BY THE NBC-TV NETWORK", or "PRESENTED BY THE NBC-TV NETWORK", and would later disappear as the background turns red and the logo finishes.

Variants:

This logo would appear on a light purple like background as a still shot. On a promo for Star Trek, the logo is in the bottom left corner and forms from the the center of that area. The "N" moves in the top left, the "B" in the top right and the "C" in the center bottom. Short versions exists that cuts part or most of the formation of the letter "C". This can also appear in B&W on prints in the said colors.

FX/SFX: The snake forming, and the background changing.

Music/Sounds: The NBC chimes theme from the 1950s, only sped up a little, or the ending theme of the program or promo.

Music/Sounds Variants:

On WNBC's analog shutdown, this had the original 1950's chimes. On Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, a single person clapping can be heard over the chimes.

Availability: Extremely rare.

It was last seen on current prints of the I Dream of Jeannie episode "Uncles a Go-Go" preceded by the Screen Gems "S from Hell" and followed by the Sony Pictures Television logo last aired on WGN America and last seen on several 1964 episodes of The Virginian on Encore Westerns. It was also recently spotted after The Monkees episode "Son of a Gypsy" on Antenna TV (with the Colex Enterprises logo before AND after it). Currently seen on Retro TV airings of The Doctors episodes from the era (followed by the SFM Entertainment logo). The logo was seen on original broadcasts of Star Trek (and likely other shows that aired on NBC that were not in-house productions), but is usually edited out nowadays. The "PRESENTED BY THE NBC-TV NETWORK" version also made an appearance on WNBC's analog shutdown back in 2009. As for the still variant, it's extinct and was last seen on Eye Guess. This logo was recently spotted on an airing of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In on Decades.

Editor's Note: This is one of NBC's well-known logos, especially among NBC fans.

6th Logo (1976-1981)
Nickname: "N of Doom"

Logo: We have a white background, which zooms out, revealing an abstract "N" on a black background. The text "Dolphin Productions/New York" in white fades in on the bottom of the screen. The left section of the "N" fills with red, and the right section fills with blue, becoming the NBC logo of the time. The text on the bottom of the screen fades to "NBC".

FX/SFX: It's nothing more than zoom effects and fading. This was done at Dolphin Productions in New York; the footage here was taken from a watermarked Dolphin demo reel, which explains the "Dolphin Productions/New York" at the bottom of the screen at one part.

Music/Sounds: A loud jazzy fanfare with congas.

Availability: Extinct. This is seen as a network ID starting on January 1, 1976. NBC replaced it with the "Proud N" starting in 1979, but NBC News and NBC Sports retained this logo until 1981.

Editor's Note: A fresh, new logo concept that went well at the time.

7th Logo (1982-1986)


Nicknames: "Cheesy Peacock", "Peacock Blur", "The Proud Peacock", "'80s Peacock", "NBC Peacock"

Logo: On a black background the 1979-1986 NBC Peacock turns into place. It is a blur of color as it does so, but clears up as it stops. Under the peacock are the words:

NBC PRODUCTIONS

Variants:

This logo also appeared superimposed on a blue background. A copyright stamp may appear below on some shows. On the Peter the Great miniseries, a still in-credit logo was seen with "NBC" above it.

FX/SFX/: The peacock turning/focusing.

Music/Sounds: A light version of the NBC 3-note chimes beginning in 1985, a low tone version was used once as well. In other cases, it uses the show's ending theme or none.

Availability: Rare. Since the NBC logo appears in reruns of other shows, it would stand to reason that this one would be kept as well.

It's seen on some co-produced shows, such as seasons 1 & 2 of Punky Brewster, It's Punky Brewster, and season 1 of the short-lived cartoon Kissyfur, among others. The version with the blue background appeared on the first two season DVD releases of Punky Brewster and the 1985 NBC TV special Let's All Be There, and on the short-lived 1985 NBC comedy Sara, starring Geena Davis; there, it came after the UBU Productions card, and between the two was an IAW card in stacked formation and in lowercase Broadway font in white on a black screen.

Editor's Note: The peacock turning/focusing is a little cheesy but other than that this logo is just fine.

8th Logo (November 9, 1985-May 24, 1986)

Nicknames: "The Proud N-Peacock", "'80s Peacock II", "The NBC Peacock II"

Logo: On a pine green, light gray and black gradient background is the 1979-1986 NBC "Proud N" logo with the "N" in black borders. On top is "in association with" and below that, in front of the "Proud N" logo, "NBC Entertainment". All of the words are a shiny gold color.

Variant: A later version has "Productions" in place of "Entertainment". It's also darker and a little bit narrow in appearance.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: Just the show's closing theme.

Availability: Near extinction.

This was the first real, non-in-credit NBC Productions logo ever used on Saturday Night Live, starting with episodes from the 1985-86 season on four episodes on Hulu and Netflix, but they have been taken off the respective sites. The "NBC Entertainment" version is seen on the "Chevy Chase/Shelia E" episode while, the "John Lithgow/Mr. Mister" episode has the "NBC Productions" variant. It should be retained on episodes if they're re-ran on TV again. Most reruns however, will have the 9th logo.

Editor's Note: A neat concept using both of NBC's well-known symbols.

9th Logo (May 12, 1986-September 16, 1996)


Nicknames: "'90s Peacock", "The 1986 Peacock", "The Remake of the Peacock", "The Restored Peacock", "NBC Peacock III"

Logo: Against a black background, a red CGI mound appears. As it rises, more rainbow colors are revealed. Then from the top of the screen, the head/neck of the NBC peacock swings in and the mound spreads to become its feathers. This peacock is the current version, and it backs away with a color trail around it. Below, the words:

NBC P R O D U C T I O N S

in it's typeface, NBC Futura (which is NBC's proprietary font), fly in, also with a CGI-like appearance. When they move back into their places, they take on a more "solid", 2D color.

Trivia: This logo was based off of the NBC on-air ident and NBC Sports ident, both from 1986.

Variants:

A videotaped variant exists that moves somewhat slower than the filmed counterpart. This have appeared on Saturday Night Live reruns of the era and early episodes of Late Night with Conan O'Brien. A copyright stamp may appear below on some shows. On Tapeheads, the name is written in one line, but the peacock remains above NBC. Some shows have a slight-shortened version which begins as the Peacock eases back. It's seen on some shows such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. On The Nerd, an unsold TV pilot that was produced in 1989, but did not air until 1996, season 1 of The Single Guy, the seasons 3-4 DVD's of Homicide: Life on the Street, and most NBC shows from 1994-96 due to split screen credits, the logo was still. On The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O'Brien from sometime in late 1994, the logo is a still on NBC's then-new generic split-screen closing credits on the right hand side with a copyright notice.

FX/SFX: The peacock forming, words zooming out, and the CGI colors turning solid. Pretty good CGI for 1986.

Music/Sounds: A piano version of the NBC chimes, ending in an orchestral hit, a low tone version was used on Lifetime Movie Network's airings of Her Last Chance. Normally, though, it's the ending theme of the show or generic network music starting in 1994. The NBC 60th Anniversary Celebration uses the NBC Chime theme from the 1950s.

Availability: Common.

It debuted at the end of the NBC 60th Anniversary Celebration. It was seen at the end of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air last seen on TBS and ABC Family (now Freeform), and originally seen on the third and fourth seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street when last aired on Centric and on its DVD release. Last seen on reruns of SNL on E! and the end of Malibu Fox (not the 1993 film). This also appeared on the 1st 2 seasons of the NBC/UPN sitcom In the House, as well as the short-lived 1989-1991 soap opera Generations when BET last reran that show in the '90s. This also appeared on the short-lived 1992-93 NBC sitcom Out All Night as well. It was also seen on the 1987 NBC Saturday Morning Preview Specials as well. This can also be found on the Season 1 DVD of JAG released by CBS. This was found on the majority of 1980-1996 SNL episodes on Netflix and Hulu, but were taken off the respective sites. This logo has also been added, following the Broadway Video logo, on select 1975-85 reruns of Saturday Night Live when broadcast on NBC.

Editor's Note: A well-animated logo with a refreshing change with the peacock.

10th Logo (1996-2001)
Nicknames: "Peacock in the Sky", "The Plane", "Cloudy Peacock", "NBC Peacock IV"

Logo: On a sky background, an orange biplane flies over. The camera then cuts to the seat of the plane as it flies. Then, the camera cuts to the wheels. The camera then cuts to the seat again. We then cut to the wheels and then the front of the plane. The plane then reveals a cloud version of the 6 feathered NBC Peacock with the head NBC Productions (Peacock in the sky, 1996)looking at the right and then turns into color. When the logo forms, there's no corporate text at all, but the URL "www.NBC.com" may appear surrounded by a black oval.

FX/SFX: The flying of the plane, the plane forming the peacock, and the peacock turning into color.

Music/Sounds: A dramatic theme with the sounds of the biplane's engine followed by a bell version of the 3 note NBC theme.

Availability: Extinct.

This was only seen on pre-2001 episodes of Access Hollywood in syndication. It also doubled as a network ID c. 1996.

Editor's Note: Another interesting concept with decent animation.

11th Logo (1996-2001)


Nicknames: "The Flipping Peacock", "NBC Peacock V"

Logo: We see the 6-feathered NBC peacock over a revolving set of many colored feathers in the background. The logo appears to be flipping, as if it were a book or something. It then makes a stop at the near end. There's no corporate text at all in this logo, but the URL from before may appear below.

FX/SFX: The flipping of the peacock.

Music/Sounds: Amajestic rendition of the NBC chimes, ending in an orchestral flourish.As a station ident, a series of chimes that leads into a bombastic fanfare. One time, it used the music used in 1999 for the next logo, possibly as a plaster.

Availability: Same as before.

Editor's Note: Another beautifully animated logo with a just as beautiful score (at least on the station ident variant).

12th Logo (August 26, 1996-July 28, 2004)


Nicknames: "Color Beams", "NBC Peacock VI"

Logo: Against a black background with three sets of light beams, we see a extreme close-up of a three-dimensional peacock design (much like above), which appears facing downward, which rises up, and goes backward to the center of the light beams, as the text "NBC STUDIOS" in the same font as above, blur in from above the screen and land right under the peacock. Three sets of red and blue beams radiate behind the bird.

Variants:

For syndicated programs, the text would sometimes read "NBC ENTERPRISES". A variant of the "ENTERPRISES" version has the orange beam in the middle much more visible, and the red beam on the right slides to the left before ending up in its' usual position. The more common "short" version cuts when the peacock goes backward and the company name blur in, and goes under the peacock. Some episodes of Spike TV's Most Amazing Videos and reruns of Passions have a copyright stamp attached. The "short" version just shows the still peacock, and the light beams move somewhat. This can be as short as a second long. On Sleepwalkers (the 1997 TV series), the text "in association with" is seen under the logo. On the short-lived animated sitcom God, the Devil and Bob, there is a still version of this logo.

FX/SFX: The rising peacock, and the blurring letters lowering.

Music/Sounds:

1996-2000: The regular music for the previous logo is sped up. 1999-2004: An orchestrated rendition of the NBC chimes. In some cases, it used the last logo's music. Season 1 of The Pretender had part of the MTM music play over this logo, TNT airings had this logo silent. Sometimes, the ending theme of the show was played, original NBC airings used generic music.

Availability: Common.

It's seen on Profiler on all DVD releases and on Start TV airings, seasons 5-7 of Homicide: Life on the Street on DVD and when last aired on Centric, the first two seasons of Will & Grace on WE tv, Logo TV, and DVD, seasons 4-7 DVD releases of Saved by the Bell: The New Class, 1996-1999 episodes of Saturday Night Live (1999- episodes would start using the SNL Studios logo in place of this), The Pretender on all DVD releases and on Decades, and H&I (with the current 20th Television logo following this), and Malibu Fox when they are reran. It's also seen on pre-2004 episodes of World's Most Amazing Videos, and its Spanish language counterpart that airs on Telemundo, Videos Asombrosos. This also appeared on subsequent post-season S2 episodes of the sitcom In the House, whenever that show gets reran. The "ENTERPRISES" variant can be seen on City Guys on BET, Malibu CA, and One World. Also seen on Ed from 2001-2004, Titans from 2000-01, and the final season of California Dreams. The USA Network's USA High had the version with the moving beams.

Editor's Note: Another decently animated logo with impressive CGI effects.

13th Logo (October 12, 2000-June 6, 2004)


Nicknames: "Shining Colors", "The Shimmering Peacock", "NBC Peacock VII"

Logo: We see the standard NBC Peacock logo emerging from the bottom of the screen. The logo border is in chrome and the feathers are crystal-like and tinted for each of its colors. As the logo rises upward and out, a pair of searchlights bounce light onto the feathers, making a reflection of the vibrant colors outward. The words "NBC STUDIOS", which are also crystallized, appear below the logo.

Variants:

The syndication logo was ID'ed as "NBC ENTERPRISES" with "DISTRIBUTED BY" above the peacock. There is also a HDTV widescreen version.

FX/SFX: The NBC Peacock emerging, the shimmering, and the "sparkle" from the crystals.

Music/Sounds: Same as the 1999 theme from the last logo, or a lower-pitched, quicker rendition of the 1999 theme or the end theme, NBC airings use generic music.

Availability: Uncommon. It appeared on several shows during the time period.

Currently appears on seasons 3-6 of Will & Grace on WE tv and on DVD, and on Crossing Jordan when it is reran on A&E. It was also seen at the end of It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie on DVD. The "ENTERPRISES" variant was seen on a few episodes of the U.S. version of Weakest Link and was used on early fall 2001 episodes of Access Hollywood in syndication.

Editor's Note: Yet another well-known CGI concept and animation, and a great way to end NBC Studios' line of logos.

Final Note: In 2004, NBC Studios merged with Universal Network Television to form NBC Universal Television Studio (later known as "Universal Media Studios", now Universal Television).