Touchstone Television
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television production |
| Predecessor | Fox 21 Television Studios |
| Founded | December 4, 2014 |
| Defunct | December 1, 2020 |
| Fate | Merged into 20th Television |
| Successor | 20th Television |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Bert Salke (president) |
| Products | Television series and films |
| Owner | The Walt Disney Company |
| Parent | Disney Television Studios |
The second iteration of Touchstone Television, formerly recognized as Fox 21 Television Studios, operated as an American television production company and functioned as a subsidiary within Disney Television Studios, part of the Disney Media Networks division under the Walt Disney Company. This entity was formed on December 4, 2014, through the consolidation of Fox Television Studios and Fox 21. Following Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox, it was rebranded as Touchstone Television in mid-2020.
On December 1, 2020, Disney revealed plans to merge this label into 20th Television.
Fox Television Studios
Fox Television Studios, Inc. served as a television production branch under Fox Entertainment Group, the principal entertainment sector of 21st Century Fox. It acted as Fox Broadcasting Company's informal production division and operated alongside 20th Television and 20th Century Fox Television as a secondary production entity. Founded on August 1, 1997, with David Grant at the helm, FTVS comprised smaller units initially including Greenblatt-Janollari Studio (G-JS), which developed comedy programming for networks such as ABC and CBS. Despite financial backing from Fox, G-JS maintained its status as an "independent mini-studio." The studio also collaborated with producer David Gerber to create telefilms and series. By the year 2000, Fox Studios initiated a joint venture named Regency Television, overseen by Gail Berman, capitalizing on Fox Entertainment Group’s investment in New Regency Productions.
The operational structure of FTVS evolved into five specialized divisions: alternative, scripted, international, Fox World, and Regency Television. The alternative division was responsible for producing series like Talkshow with Spike Feresten, The Wanda Sykes Show, and E!'s The Girls Next Door franchise. In 2002, David Martin launched Fox Alternative Productions. The scripted division developed shows including The Shield alongside various television movies and miniseries. Established in 2000, the Fox World division concentrated on creating international adaptations of reality programs such as Joe Millionaire and Temptation Island, before ceasing operations in 2014.
In March 2005, FTVS expanded its international presence by acquiring British independent producer Scream Films to penetrate the UK market. Operating autonomously within FTVS, Scream Films developed formats tailored for both UK and US audiences. By July 2006, Scream Films was renamed Fox Television Studios UK but was closed in June 2007 amid significant corporate restructuring initiated by president Emiliano Calemzuk. Following this reorganization, FTVS concentrated on creating unscripted content for domestic and global markets.
Eventually, the scripted division remained the sole active segment. FTVS pursued international co-productions focusing on direct-to-series broadcast projects, achieving notable success with USA Network's Burn Notice. In August 2010, Dave Madden assumed leadership of the scripted division and broadened its production portfolio until his elevation to president of entertainment at Fox Broadcasting in August 2014.
Fox Television Studios International
Fox Television Studios International served as the global branch of Fox Television Studios from August 1, 2000, until March 7, 2001. Daniella Welteke was at the helm before the division was integrated into Fox World.
Fox Television Studios expanded into five segments: alternative, scripted, international, Fox World, and Regency Television:
- The alternative segment was behind productions such as Talkshow with Spike Feresten, The Wanda Sykes Show, and E!'s The Girls Next Door. In 2002, under David Martin's leadership, Fox Alternative Productions was launched.
- The scripted segment handled series like The Shield alongside numerous TV movies and miniseries.
- Established in 2000, the Fox World segment concentrated on creating international adaptations of reality shows including Joe Millionaire and Temptation Island. This division was discontinued by FTVS in 2014.
Eventually, only the scripted division continued operations. FTVS engaged in international co-productions and commissioned direct-to-series broadcast projects, notably finding success with Burn Notice on USA Network. In August 2010, Dave Madden took charge of the scripted division, expanding its output until his elevation to president of entertainment at Fox Broadcasting in August 2014.
Fox World
Fox World, initially known as Fox Television Studios International, was a branch of Fox Television Studios founded in 2000. Its primary focus was producing localized versions of reality TV formats like Joe Millionaire and Temptation Island.
In March 2001, Fox World partnered with SBS to establish a production company targeting Northern Europe.
By November 2004, Hayley Babcock advanced to senior vice president of production at Fox World, while Daniella Welteke remained as the division’s leader.
Operating until its shutdown in 2014, Fox World's responsibilities were subsequently merged back into Fox Television Studios, which underwent several rebrandings before ultimately becoming part of 20th Television.
Fox Lab
Fox Lab was a production unit within 20th Television, originally founded in 1986 as Fox Television Stations Productions (FTSP). It was responsible for developing influential programs such as A Current Affair, Cops, and America's Most Wanted. The rebranding to Fox Lab occurred in 1995; however, the FTSP name continued to appear on certain programs until Cops concluded in 2013.
In 1990, Fox Television Stations debuted the soap opera Tribes, which aired exclusively on Fox owned-and-operated stations but lasted only one season. During the early 1990s, the company produced Not Just News for first-run syndication. In 1994, FTSP developed an international adaptation of America's Most Wanted titled Manhunter, which was distributed worldwide and later inspired the U.S. syndicated version America's Most Wanted: Final Justice.
By 2003, Fox Lab produced the syndicated series Classmates, which ran for two seasons. Ownership of Fox Lab’s content library is currently shared between The Walt Disney Company and Fox Corporation.
| Title | Years | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manhunter | 1994–1995 | International syndication | Co-produced alongside Straight Shooter Productions |
| What's So Funny? | 1995 | FOX | Co-production with Funny Business, LLC |
| America's Most Wanted: Final Justice | 1995–1996 | Syndication | Syndicated versions of earlier AMW episodes; co-produced with Straight Shooter Productions |
| Classmates | 2003 | Syndication |
Foxstar Productions
Foxstar Productions operated as a subdivision within Fox Television Studios.
The initial version of Touchstone Television
The original Touchstone Television was established in 1985 as part of Disney's Touchstone Pictures division. Over time, it transformed into what is now known as ABC Signature (since 2020), having previously been called ABC Studios from 2007 to 2020.
Fox 21
Fox 21 (stylized as fox21.) functioned as a budget-conscious producer of scripted and reality cable television content under the umbrella of 20th Century Fox, which was part of Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox empire. Its notable projects included FX's Sons of Anarchy, Terriers, and Tyrant; A&E's Breakout Kings; The CW's Beauty and the Geek; Showtime's Homeland; Comedy Central's Brickleberry; WGN America's Salem; and Lifetime's Witches of East End. On December 4, 2014, Fox Television Studios combined with Fox 21 to create Fox 21 Television Studios.
Launched in 2004 by Dana Walden and Gary Newman, executives from 20th Century Fox Television, Fox 21 specialized in producing distinctive content with smaller budgets. Jane Leisner served as its inaugural executive. Early achievements included FX’s Sons of Anarchy and The CW’s reality series Beauty and the Geek. Although initially overlooked for MyNetworkTV programming, Fox 21 was later considered to help reorient the network toward low-cost reality and game show formats.
In 2010, leadership shifted to Bert Salke, who brought experience from his Brancato/Salke production company at ABC Studios, leading to increased output with shows like Showtime’s Homeland. By early 2015, Mythology Entertainment entered into a first-look agreement with both Fox 21 and its sister studio, 20th Century Fox Television.
Fox 21’s slate also featured FX series such as Mayans MC, The Americans, and The Bastard Executioner; Showtime’s The Chi; Hulu’s Chance; in addition to earlier mentioned titles.
History
In December 2014, Fox Television Studios merged with Fox 21 to form Fox 21 Television Studios. This consolidation followed the promotion of FTVS president David Madden within Fox Broadcasting Company and reflected both entities’ shared emphasis on cable programming. Bert Salke continued as president overseeing the unified studio.
In January 2020, Fox 21 secured a first-look deal with Marta Kauffman’s Okay Goodnight, beginning with an adaptation of the novel The Dreamers. The subsequent month saw the studio sign a first-look agreement with the Gotham Group.
On August 10, 2020, amid restructuring at Walt Disney Television following its acquisition of 21st Century Fox assets, the studio was renamed Touchstone Television—reviving a brand that had been inactive since 2007. This rebranding was part of Disney’s effort to streamline its television production units and featured a typewriter-style logo reminiscent of Fox 21’s identity. Under this name, the studio produced only one project: the Hulu film Books of Blood.
Less than four months later, on December 1, 2020, Dana Walden announced that Touchstone Television would be shuttered. Bert Salke moved into an overall producing role within Disney Television Studios while Touchstone’s functions were integrated into 20th Television.
Television series and films
| Title | Genre | Premiere date | Final episode date | Seasons | Broadcasting network | Production company(s) | Remarks | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fox Television Studios (1997–2014) | |||||||||||||||
| The Hughleys | Sitcom | September 22, 1998 | May 20, 2002 | 4 | ABC (seasons 1-2) UPN (seasons 3-4) |
The Greenblatt/Janollari Studio and Willowick Entertainment | |||||||||
| Maggie Winters | September 30, 1998 | February 3, 1999 | 1 | CBS | The Greenblatt/Janollari Studio and CBS Productions | ||||||||||
| To Have & to Hold | Drama | December 9, 1998 | |||||||||||||
| Fast Food Films | Variety show | March 6, 1999 | September 28, 1999 | FX | Gold Coast Television Entertainment | ||||||||||
| The X Show | Magazine series | May 31, 1999 | April 2001 | 2 | Mindless Entertainment | ||||||||||
| Oh, Grow Up | Sitcom | September 22, 1999 | December 28, 1999 | 1 | ABC | The Greenblatt/Janollari Studio | |||||||||
| Ryan Caulfield: Year One | October 15, 1999 | October 22, 1999 | Fox | Mandeville Films and Regency Television | |||||||||||
| Malcolm in the Middle | January 9, 2000 | May 14, 2006 | 7 | Satin City and Regency Television | |||||||||||
| Son of the Beach | March 14, 2000 | October 1, 2002 | 3 | FX | The Howard Stern Production Company and Loch Lomond Entertainment | ||||||||||
| Soul Food: The Series | Drama | June 28, 2000 | May 26, 2004 | 5 | Showtime | Water Walk Productions, Edmonds Entertainment, State Street Pictures, 20th Century Fox Television, Showtime Networks and Paramount Network Television | Adapted from the 1997 film with the same title | ||||||||
| Backstory | Documentary | 12:00, August 2000 | Error: All values must be integers (help) | AMC | Phometheus Entertainment, Van Ness Films and Foxstar Productions | ||||||||||
| Murder in Small Town X | Reality television | Error: All values must be integers (help) | Error: All values must be integers (help) | 1 | Fox | Hoosick Falls Productions | |||||||||
| Beat the Geeks | Game show | Error: All values must be integers (help) | Error: All values must be integers (help) | 2 | Comedy Central | Mindless Entertainment | |||||||||
| The Shield | Police drama | Error: All values must be integers (help) | Error: All values must be integers (help) | 7 | FX | MiddKid Productions, Columbia TriStar Domestic Television and Sony Pictures Television | |||||||||
| John Doe | Science fiction drama | Error: All values must be integers (help) | Error: All values must be integers (help) | 1 | Fox | Camp-Thompson Productions and Regency Television | |||||||||
| The Grid | Thriller miniseries | Error: All values must be integers (help) | Error: All values must be integers (help) | TNT | Groveland Pictures and Carnival Films | Miniseries; also broadcast on BBC Two in the United Kingdom | |||||||||
| Listen Up | rowspan="2"|Sitcom | Error: All values must be integers (help) | Error: All values must be integers (help) | CBS | Regency Television and CBS Productions | Distributed domestically by CBS Media Ventures | |||||||||
| Living with Fran | Error: All values must be integers (help) | Error: All values must be integers (help) | 2 | The WB | Fringe Producers, On Time and Sober, Jizzy Entertainment, Uh-Oh Productions and Regency Television | ||||||||||
| The Girls Next Door | Reality television series | Error: All values must be integers (help) | Error: All values must be integers (help) | 6 | E! | Prometheus Entertainment and Alta Loma Entertainment | |||||||||
| Killer Instinct | Crime drama series | Error: All values must be integers (help) | Error: All values must be integers (help) | rowspan="5"|1 | Fox | Regency Television | |||||||||
| Cheerleader Nation | Reality TV series | Error: All values must be integers (help) | Error: All values must be integers (help) | Lifetime | Swim Entertainment | ||||||||||
| Thief | Crime drama miniseries | Error: All values must be integers (help) | Error: All values must be integers (help) | FX | Pariah Television, Sarabande Productions and Regency Television | Limited series format | |||||||||
| Windfall | Drama series | Error: All values must be integers (help) | Error: All values must be integers (help) | NBC | Joyful Girl Productions and Regency Television | ||||||||||
| Celebrity Duets | Reality competition show | Error: All values must be integers (help) | Error: All values must be integers (help) | Fox | SYCOtv and A. Smith & Co. Productions | ||||||||||
| The Riches | Drama series | Error: All values must be integers (help) | Error: All values must be integers (help) | 2 | FX | Maverick Television and FX Productions | |||||||||
| Burn Notice | Action drama | Error: All values must be integers (help) | Error: All values must be integers (help) | 7 | USA | Flying Glass of Milk Productions, Fuse Entertainment and Fabrik Entertainment | |||||||||
| Saving Grace | Fantasy drama | Error: Year value is required (help) | Error: Year value is required (help) | 4 | TNT | Grand Productions and Paid My Dues Productions | |||||||||
| Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants | Reality television | Error: Year value is required (help) | Error: Year value is required (help) | 1 | The CW | Swim Entertainment | |||||||||
| The Return of Jezebel James | Sitcom | Error: Year value is required (help) | Error: Year value is required (help) | Fox | Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions and Regency Television | ||||||||||
| Mental | Medical drama | Error: Year value is required (help) | Error: Year value is required (help) | Kedzie Productions and Infinity Pictures | -
... [List continues with similar entries] ... | ||||||||||
See also
- ABC Signature, previously known as the original Touchstone Television
- Touchstone Pictures, the inactive film studio label and its namesake
- 20th Century Studios (formerly recognized as 20th Century Fox)
- Fox Television Stations
- 20th Digital Studio (earlier called Zero Day Fox and Fox Digital Studio)
External links
- Articles with short description
- Pages using Module:Date time with invalid values
- Pages using start date with unknown parameters
- Pages using end date with unknown parameters
- Disney Television Studios
- American companies established in 2014
- American companies disestablished in 2020
- Mass media companies established in 2014
- Mass media companies disestablished in 2020
- 2014 establishments in California
- 2020 disestablishments in California
- Television production companies of the United States
- Mass media companies of the United States
- Companies based in Los Angeles
- Walt Disney Studios (division)
- The Walt Disney Company subsidiaries
- Disney production studios
- Disney acquisitions
- Peabody Award winners
- 20th Television