Studios USA Television
Jason Jones and Shadeed A. Kelly
Captures by
Eric S., V of Doom, EnormousRat, Shadeed A. Kelly, ClosingLogosHD, Mr. Gann, and Pygmalion X
Editions by
Shadeed A. Kelly, V of Doom, mr3urious and Michael Kenchington
Background
When Universal Television, USA Network, and the Sci-Fi Channel were sold to Barry Diller's HSN Inc. from The Seagram Company in 1998 (though they kept a 45% interest in Diller's operations), the company was renamed to Studios USA Television LLC. However in 1998, Universal Studios acquired PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and then folded PolyGram into Universal, forming Universal Studios Network Programming when the acquisition was completed in 1999. In 2001, USA Networks' entertainment assets were purchased by Vivendi Universal, reuniting Studios USA with Universal Studios, and renaming Studios USA to "Universal Network Television" and Studios USA Television Distribution to "Universal Domestic Television". In September 2002, the Universal Network Television and Universal Domestic Television logos replaced the Studios USA logo.
1st Logo (placeholder logo) (1998)
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Visuals: On a gray background, there are the words "STUDIOS USA" in silver lettering with the word "STUDIOS" above in a small font and "USA" in a large font below with a shadow effect behind the letters. There is a blue line in between the words.
Technique: A still computer-generated graphic.
Audio: The end-title theme.
Availability: This was only a placeholder that was only seen on the unsold/unaired pilot of Hollyweird.
2nd Logo (July 8, 1998-September 1, 2002)
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Filmed version
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Visuals: There are many red and blue lines spinning through a white background. The words "STUDIOS USA" slide in near the left of the screen with "STUDIOS" above "USA". The lines make a stop to reveal a U.S. flag motif.
Variants:
- For co-produced shows, "IN ASSOCIATION WITH" appears above the logo.
- There is a variant of this logo where it is up-close.
- A filmed version of this logo exists.
- On HD prints of some season 2 episodes of Law & Order: SVU, this logo is cropped to 16:9.
- Starting in 2000, the logo was enhanced. The flag animation in the beginning is slightly different, the text is now 3D, the "USA" text now has a shadow, and the flag "waves" once the logo is finished forming.
- For co-produced shows, "In association with" in a spaced-out Gill Sans font is seen above "STUDIOS".
- On Crossing Over with John Edward, "distributed by" is seen above "STUDIOS".
- A widescreen version of this logo exists for the 2000 version.
- There was a still shot of the 1998 version seen on the short-lived series, Payne and Brother's Keeper.
- On USA Network TV movies from 1998-1999, a still/filmed version of this logo appears.
Technique: CGI using LightWave 3D.
Audio: Whoosh sounds are heard when the flag animates.
Audio Variants:
- On Xena: Warrior Princess starting with season 4, only one whoosh sound is heard.
- On later episodes of Young Hercules, the finishing of the 1994 Renaissance Pictures logo's music plays over it.
- Some shows, like Maury, Jerry Springer and some season 2 episodes of New York Undercover on Centric, have wind sound effects following the whoosh sound.
- Starting in 2000, the above sound variant is used, but more whoosh sounds are added for when the flag animates.
- Season 1 episodes 2-14 of Cleopatra: 2525 have a three-note piano theme (which is actually the last three notes of the 1998 Sally Jessy Raphael theme music).
- Depending on how long the 2000 enhanced variant of this logo is shown on-screen, descending wind sounds may be heard when the flag starts waving.
- Sometimes, the logo is silent, or the end title theme of any show or TV movie may play over.
- NBC, CBS and ABC airings used a generic theme.
Availability:
- It appears on network and syndicated shows of the time such as Law & Order episodes from the era, The Agency, season 1 of The District, Jerry Springer and Maury, among others. Reruns of the latter two shows will however have the NBCUniversal Television Distribution logo. It was previously seen on Crossing Over with John Edward on Sci-Fi Channel (now Syfy).
- It appears on 4:3 prints of 1998-2002 seasons of Law & Order (not on the Sundance airings, which use the 2004 NBC Universal Television Distribution logo, nor widescreen DVD releases, which use the NBC Universal Television Studio logo instead, or on local reruns, which use the 2011 NBCUniversal Television Distribution logo), the first three seasons of Law & Order: SVU on MyNetworkTV and intact on its DVD box sets, the final two seasons of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys on TeleXitos, H&I, and when last aired on the Hub Network (before the rebrand to Discovery Family). It also appears on Arrest & Trial, which was last aired on the now-defunct Fox Reality Channel.
- It also appears on Xena: Warrior Princess on DVD starting on season 4, some season 2 episodes of New York Undercover last seen on Centric (now BET Her) plastering the 1991 Universal Television logo, and also appears on The Mummy: The Animated Series, in which Peacock's prints and DVD releases retain this.
- The still/filmed variant of the logo can be only found on original airings of TV movies produced for NBC or USA Network from 1998 to 1999, like Every Mother's Worst Fear or The Color of Courage, and Exiled: A Law & Order Movie.
- However, home media releases and reruns of these films remove this in favor of the 1997 Universal Pictures logo at the start of the films with the exception of the 2012 DVD release of Exiled: A Law & Order Movie.
- The logo was also seen when ABC briefly aired season 1 episodes of USA Network's Monk in 2003.
Copyright Stamps
Here is some information about the copyright stamps on the Studios USA Television series and TV movies:
- 1998-2002: Copyright © [YEAR] Studios USA Television LLC. All Rights Reserved.
- 1998-2001: Copyright © [YEAR] Studios USA Television Distribution LLC. All Rights Reserved.
