CBS Studios

Credits

Descriptions by
Kris Starring and Donny Pearson

Captures by
AsdfTheRevival, Bob Fish, snelfu, V of Doom, EnormousRat and CookieDerp01

Editions by
Bob Fish, V of Doom, SilverSword55, Shadeed A. Kelly, Donny Pearson, BenIsRandom, indycar, Mario9000seven, Sagan Blob, HifiSara9000seven, Michael Kenchington and TheRealMarcel2000

Video captures courtesy of
JohnnyL80 ,Colby Thibault, Broken Saw and Mr. Gann

Background

On May 15, 2009, the post-2006 CBS Corporation (formerly the "old" Viacom) ended its three-year licensing rights to the Paramount name and logo from the post-2006 Viacom, which owned Paramount Pictures. As a result, the CBS Paramount Television Group and its network television arm were rebranded as "CBS Television Studios". In addition, the then-revived CBS Paramount International Television was renamed "CBS Studios International", and the revived CBS Productions was reincorporated as its in-name-only unit. For the first time on network television since 1966, the "Paramountain" or anything resembling Paramount's symbol is nowhere to be seen; however, the post-2006 Viacom relaunched Paramount's television division in 2013. New and returning television shows have copyright for CBS Studios Inc. with exceptions of the new seasons of the CSI franchise, which have copyright for CBS Broadcasting Inc. On October 8, 2020, ViacomCBS (now Paramount Global) announced that CBS Television Studios would be rebranded to simply "CBS Studios", as part of a major rebrand that unifies all CBS operations and divisions.

CBS Television Studios

Contents 1st Logo (May 1, 2009-) 2nd Logo (3rd logo placeholder) (April 6-22, 2020) 3rd Logo (June 25, 2020-January 7, 2021)

CBS Studios

Contents   Logo (October 8, 2020-)

CBS Television Studios

1st Logo (May 1, 2009-)

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  Early variant (turquoise background)

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  Later variant

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  The Twilight Zone variant

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  Console Wars variant

Visuals: On a blue background, the CBS Eyemark logo zooms in from the right to the left at warp speed. Then the text "CBS" (in the Akzidenz-Grotesk font), with the words "TELEVISION STUDIOS" (in Myriad) below and the Eyemark next to it, zooms out to its distant position with reflections fading in below them afterward.

Variants:

• This logo is available in standard 4:3 and widescreen 16:9 formats.
• On some shows, the widescreen 16:9 version is cropped to widescreen 18:9 or scope 21:9/2.35:1.
• A sped-up version exists.
• A more common short version starts with the logo zooming out.
• A one-second short version exists where it only shows the finished product of the logo with the background still animating.
• A still version exists.
• An early version of this has a turquoise background. This was seen on the 2009 revival of Melrose Place, the failed pilots of The Body Politic, Happiness Isn't Everything, Waiting to Die, Washington Field and Back, and seasons 1-4 of NCIS: New Orleans.
• On Console Wars, the logo is set on a TV and is pixelated, and only portions of the blue background are revealed through pixels. The logo glitches near the end.
• The black & white version of The Twilight Zone uses the aforementioned colors' variant.

Technique: CGI animation.

Audio: A 6-note horn/orchestral sounder with a timpani roll and suspended cymbal roll on the second-to-last note and the ringing of a bell at the end; composed by James Horner (and bears a vague resemblance to the 2006 CBS Evening News theme, which Horner also composed).

Audio Variants:

• For the shortened version, it's the last two notes of the theme.
• On some shows, only the last note is heard.
• On the 2018 revival of Magnum P.I., the first note of the short theme is cut in half.
• Sometimes, some shows would have the end themes accompany this logo, or none at all.
• On the pilot episodes of the short-lived 2nd incarnation of Melrose Place and Vegas, the 2009 CBS Productions music is heard.
• A warp-speed version of the fanfare exists.
• S6-S9 episodes of CSI: NY have the normal logo with the short music.
• Another arrangement of the fanfare exists on shows like Extant (season 2 episodes), Zoo and The Neighborhood, in addition to some shows co-produced by Warner Bros. Television, Universal Television and Sony Pictures Television. This arrangement is basically an altered version of the fanfare: it has the first five notes of the fanfare, but in a higher octave.
• CBS' own network (including the voiceover announcements until the fall of 2020), The CW, ABC and Fox used their generic themes.
• On Console Wars, the opening theme is playing with a whoosh sound and zapping noises on it.
• On online prints of NCIS, the second-half of the Belisarius Productions logo's theme plays over it.

Availability:

• This was first shown on the failed pilot of Waiting to Die, and then it officially debuted on TV screens with the series premiere of the short-lived 2nd incarnation of Melrose Place (starting on September 8, 2009; although the CBS Productions logo appears on off-network prints) and The Vampire Diaries on The CW, as well as other then-new shows and seasons of returning shows on CBS.
• It also debuted on the new season premiere of Medium, once aired for four years on NBC and then on CBS for its final two.
• It also appeared on The Game seasons 4-9 on BET, as well as other shows on other networks and streaming services like Paramount Network and Netflix.
• The one-second short version appears on Jane the Virgin, Flashpoint, and the 2018 revival of Magnum P.I.
• The still version appears on the Starz original series Power.
• Despite this logo being replaced due to the CBS Studios rebranding, this logo can strangely be seen on the VOD releases of the season 11 premiere of Blue Bloods, while the CBS airings used the new CBS Studios logo. This logo is also still seen on the Power spin-offs.
• The short version makes a surprise appearance on the DVD release of the 2003 made-for-TV movie Finding John Christmas, right after the Viacom Productions logo.
• This logo and the ABC Studios logo never appeared on season 15-31 episodes of The Amazing Race, even though the two companies produced that show.

2nd Logo (3rd logo placeholder) (April 6-22, 2020)

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Visuals: Same as the CBS Broadcasting logo, but "BROADCASTING INC." is replaced by "TELEVISION STUDIOS". This time, it's also still and next to the Blackjack Films, Mayhem Pictures and Silver Reel logos.

Technique: A still image.

Audio: None.

Availability: It is seen only on season 1 of Most Dangerous Game.

3rd Logo (June 25, 2020-January 7, 2021)

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Visuals: Same as the 1st logo, but animated differently. On an animating background in different shades of blue, there is the CBS Eyemark, slightly tilted, zooming in with the same movement as the 1st logo. Then it segues into a bright flash that soon dissipates, revealing the text (with "TELEVISION STUDIOS" now in a blue-black gradient) rotating into their positions. A white line is drawn in the center below the logo and the byline "A VIACOMCBS COMPANY" slides in from the line, similar to the Microsoft PowerPoint "Peek In" effect.

Variants:

• Widescreen 16:9, 18:9 and scope 2.39:1 versions of this logo exist.
• A short version exists, starting from when the eye and text rotate into position.
• Like the 1st logo, a black & white variant is used on the B&W version of season 2 of The Twilight Zone.

Technique: Like before, this logo uses CGI animation.

Audio: Same as the 1st logo.

Availability: This logo had a short life span due to the rebranding to CBS Studios.

• It appears on the second season of The Twilight Zone (2019).
• It also appears on the third season of Star Trek: Discovery and early episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
• This logo also made an appearance on The Comey Rule, despite the next logo having already debuted by then.

CBS Studios

Logo (October 8, 2020-)

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  ViacomCBS byline scope variant

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  Bylineless variant

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  Paramount byline variant

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  Paramount byline scope variant

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  Copyright stamp variant

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  Most Dangerous Game variant

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  Opening variant

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  For shows co-produced with Imagine Television Studios

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  For shows co-produced with Warner Bros. Television

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  For shows co-produced with Universal Television

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  Ghosts opening variant

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  Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol opening variant

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  Star Trek: Picard season 3 opening variant

Visuals: Same as CBS' 2020 ID, except that the eye moves to the left as the text "CBS STUDIOS" in TT Norms Pro wipes in to the right, and the byline fades in below.

Bylines:

• October 8, 2020-: "A VIACOMCBS COMPANY". This is still used on The Talk.
• April 21, 2022-: "A PARAMOUNT COMPANY" in the Paramount Peak Sans typeface.

Variants:

• A three-second short version exists, which starts with the Eyemark zooming out.
• An alternative two-second short version also exists, which starts when the Eyemark moves to the left and the name forms.
• A widescreen 18:9 version exists.
• A still version also exists.
• A scope version also exists, wherein the logo is cropped to 21:9/2.35:1 and the byline is also shifted up.
• An opening version also exists. On a black background, there is the white text "A CBS STUDIOS PRODUCTION" fading in and out.
  • On the final season of Dead to Me, the font is different.
• On shows co-produced with another studio, the opening text is different:
  • On Why Women Kill, the opening text reads "A CBS STUDIOS AND IMAGINE TELEVISION STUDIOS PRODUCTION". Also, it cuts in and out rather than fading in and out.
  • On The Republic of Sarah and season 3 of In the Dark, the opening text reads "A CBS STUDIOS AND WARNER BROS. TELEVISION PRODUCTION".
  • On Magnum P.I. starting with season 4, the opening text reads "A CBS STUDIOS AND UNIVERSAL TELEVISION PRODUCTION".
  • On Ghosts, the opening text reads "A CBS STUDIOS AND LIONSGATE TELEVISION / BBC STUDIOS PRODUCTION".
  • On Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol, the opening text reads "A CBS STUDIOS, IMAGINE TELEVISION STUDIOS, AND UNIVERSAL TELEVISION PRODUCTION".
  • For season 3 of Star Trek Picard, the text is rendered in the style of the opening titles of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
• In Antfood's CBS jingle case study video on Vimeo, the logo is bylineless. Furthermore, a 30fps version also exists on Antfood's CBS jingle montage video on Vimeo.
• On season 2 of Most Dangerous Game, the logo is seen next to the Blackjack Films, Mayhem Pictures and Silver Reel logos.
• On season 2 of Your Honor, the entire logo plays in warp-speed, but the audio is normal (with the exception of the last two episodes - in these, the end theme plays).
• On NCIS: Sydney, a copyright stamp appears below the logo.

Technique: 2D animation, same as the 2020 CBS National ID, designed by Gretel.

Audio: Same as CBS' 2020 ID composed by Antfood, with the addition of a camera shutter.

Audio Variants:

• Sometimes, the closing theme plays over or none.
• On the first two season 3 episodes of the 2018 version of Magnum P.I., the 2011 Universal Television and 2009 CBS Television Studios jingles play over this logo, due to an editing error.
• On some shows, the jingle is sped up.
• On Clarice and even episodes of the 2021 reboot of The Equalizer, only the last four notes of the jingle are heard.
• On The Man Who Fell to Earth and Fire Country, the camera shutter sound is absent.
• CBS, The CW, NBC, and Fox airings use a generic theme on this logo.

Availability: First seen on the CBS Studios social media pages on the day of CBS' rebrand, October 8, 2020, and later seen on new seasons of their current and then-current shows.

• It also appears on their new and future productions that they produced from 2020 onwards.
• It also appeared on the CBS Broadcasting shows The Late Late Show with James Corden (until January 19, 2023) and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (until 2022), until both shows went back to being produced by CBS Broadcasting.
• It also plasters both CBS Television Studios logos on Paramount+ (formerly CBS All Access) originals as of March 4, 2021.
• It also appears on shows produced by CBS Eye Animation Productions (such as The Harper House and Star Trek: Prodigy), CBS' television animation studio that was founded in 2018, as they do not use their own logo.
• The version with the Paramount byline debuted on Bull, starting with "The Other Shoe".
  • It was also used in tandem with the ViacomCBS byline until January 19, 2023 on most shows, as The Talk still uses the ViacomCBS byline. However, with The Talk ending in December 2024, the ViacomCBS byline may officially be retired in the future.
• This and the Paramount+ logo also remain intact at the end of season 2 of Star Trek: Picard on the Amazon Prime Video international print, in which the show was shown in other countries unlike season 1 which removes the CBS Television Studios and CBS All Access logos.
• Again, this logo and the ABC Signature logo do not appear on later episodes of The Amazing Race, even though the two companies produce that show.

Copyright Stamps

Here is some information about the copyright stamps on CBS Studios shows:

• 2009-: Copyright © [YEAR] by CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.
• 2009-2015; 2021-2023: Copyright © [YEAR] by CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. (Used on the CSI franchise and The Late Late Show with James Corden.)

◄ CBS Paramount Television CBS Productions CBS Films

CBS Studios