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Big Ticket Television

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Background[]

Big Ticket Television (also known as "Big Ticket Entertainment" and "Big Ticket Pictures, Inc.") was created by the Spelling Entertainment Group in 1994 as a low-budget unit that produces half-hour sitcoms and reality shows. Founder Larry Lyttle wanted to name the company Blockbuster Television after Blockbuster, who at the time owned the Spelling group and was owned by Viacom; however, Viacom vetoed the idea, so Lyttle went with "Big Ticket" instead, after Blockbuster's iconic logo. They produced Moesha and its spin-off The Parkers for UPN (now The CW) as well as the daily syndicated court shows Judge Judy, Judge Joe Brown and later on in 2014 Hot Bench. When Viacom acquired Spelling in 1999, Big Ticket Television became a label of the Paramount Television Group. Today, Big Ticket Television is an in-name-only unit of ViacomCBS' CBS Studios.

1st Logo (September 16, 1995-November 8, 1999)[]

Nicknames: "Smiley TV", "Atom TV", "Now THIS Is Feel-Good TV!"

Logo: Against a gray background, we see a TV tube flipping in and zooming out with a cyan streak flying across it. The streak wedges into the tube and turns into a white happy smile. Then, we see the company name "BIG TICKET TELEVISION" in a purple Futura Condensed Extra Bold font and with "TELEVISION" in rainbow colors coming out of the bottom of the TV tube, then the Spelling Entertainment byline appears below.

Bylines:

  • 1995-1996: "THROUGH SPELLING ENTERTAINMENT GROUP"
  • Late 1995-1999: "A SUBSIDIARY OF SPELLING ENTERTAINMENT GROUP INC."

Variants:

  • In 1998, the registered trademark symbol "®" appears on the bottom-right side of the company name.
  • There is a more common "short" version, where the logo seems to be slightly sped-up.
  • An early version where the byline says "A UNIT OF SPELLING ENTERTAINMENT GROUP INC." was spotted on early Season 1 episodes of Judge Judy on Pluto TV.

FX/SFX: The objects flying.

Music/Sounds: A hip-hop like tune with a "Mmmm!"-like sound when the smile appears and a female chorus whispering "Yeah!" at the end.

Music/Sounds Variants:

  • Sometimes, a long version exists.
  • On season 3 of Judge Judy and season 1 of Judge Joe Brown, the closing theme is used.

Availability: Uncommon.

  • This appears on seasons 1-4 along with the first 8 episodes of season 5 of Moesha, the first season 7 episodes of The Parkers, and pre-1999 episodes of both Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown.
  • The long version was seen on Night Stand with Dick Dietrick and 1996-98 episodes of Judge Judy.
  • All five had this followed by the Worldvision logo, which is plastered by the 1995 or 2003 Paramount Domestic Television or CBS Television Distribution logos in reruns, though Pluto TV retains the Worldvision logo on Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown reruns.
  • This was also seen on the TV movie Dark Angel, which hasn't been aired since a CBS Action (now CBS Justice) showing in the early 2010s.

Editor's Note: This logo is a reference to the then-ownership of Spelling Entertainment by Blockbuster Entertainment, but the logo depicts a TV tube-like object, which makes it misleading. It is a fun logo, however.

2nd Logo (November 1, 1999-)[]

Nicknames: "Smiley TV II", "More Feel-Good TV"

Logo: Against a white background, we see the green words "BIG TICKET" in Bank Gothic MD BT font flying across from left to the center. We also see the word "TELEVISION" with a registered trademark symbol next to it in purple and in the same font underneath with the same TV tube screen from the last logo fading in above. We later see the happy smile being drawn on the tube and below the word "TELEVISION", the byline "A PARAMOUNT/VIACOM COMPANY" appears in the Viacom "wigga-wigga" font in a green code-out box. For a second, the tube tilts and goes back to is original position.

Variants:

  • Like the previous logo, a short version exists where the logo is sped-up.
  • On non-fiction shows like Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown, the tube doesn't tilt.
  • On the first episode of Wolf Lake, "Meat the Parents," the logo is on a black background. The TV tube is also already on-screen, and it tilts as the text flies in.
  • Some 2009-10 episodes of Judge Joe Brown feature a copyright notice under the logo.
  • This logo became bylineless in fall 2006 under the ownership of CBS Corporation.
  • In fall 2012, the logo was slightly enhanced to feature a slight purple-white gradient, and the words fly in more smoothly than the standard version. Also, the font for the "BIG TICKET TELEVISION" text is different.

FX/SFX: The letters flying in, the happy smile drawing. More simplistic than the previous logo.

Music/Sounds: Generally the closing theme of the show, but on later episodes of Moesha and its spinoff, The Parkers, as well as The Jamie Kennedy Experiment and Greetings from Tucson, the previous logo's theme is heard.

Music/Sounds Variant: On Wolf Lake and Hack, it's silent. CBS airings use a generic theme.

Availability: Common.

  • This was seen on later season 5 and 6 of Moesha, The Parkers starting with the episode "Quarantine," and The Jamie Kennedy Experiment.
  • The current version is seen on Judge Judy and Hot Bench, as well as Swift Justice with Jackie Glass, The Drew Barrymore Show, and Bounce TV airings of Judge Joe Brown.
  • The current enhanced variant of the logo might plaster the older variant on remastered versions of Moesha and The Parkers.

Editor's Note: It's more simplistic and not as impactful as the previous logo, but it does the job well enough.

Other[]

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