Descriptions by MatthewLMayfiend, Jason Jones, Jess Williams, bmasters9, Logophile, and Donny Pearson
Captures by Eric S., Shadeed A. Kelly, mr3urious, JohnnyL80, V of Doom, snelfu, CuriousGeorge60, Subzero917, thehugetvfan, Mr.Logo, Logophile, originalsboy11, ClosingLogosHD, TVB, and TheEriccorpinc
Editions by Shadeed A. Kelly, V of Doom, Hoa, Bob Fish, mr3urious, Mr. Logo Lord, Lee Cremeans, CuriousGeorge60, thehugetvfan, Kris Starring, KramdenII, Unnepad, Jesse Coffey, Blue2000 and Michael Kenchington
Video captures courtesy of JohnnyL80, Donny Pearson, mcy919, digitalvideo1982, korranus, Eric S., SCMediaWorks, Broken Saw, Sagan Blob's Logos, ClosingLogosHD, Jordan Rios, Peakpasha, LogicSmash and EDC4
Background
Universal Television has its roots going back to 1947 when they entered the television market via United World Films. But after very little success, they shifted into producing TV commercials under Universal-International Television, with the United World Name being renamed Universal Television by 1956.
Revue Studios (first known as Revue Productions, Inc.) was founded in 1943 by MCA when they originally produced live shows. The partnership of NBC and Revue extends as far back as September 6, 1950, with the television broadcast of Armour Theatre, based on the radio show Stars Over Hollywood. The company was renamed "Revue Studios" after MCA purchased the Universal Studios lot in 1958. Then in 1962, following the acquisition of Decca Records, who owned Universal-International Pictures at the time, Revue was renamed as Universal Television. They co-produced many shows with Jack Webb's Mark VII Limited such as Adam-12 and a revival of the 1951 series Dragnet in 1967. In 1988, Universal Television and MCA TV formed a sub-division known as MCA Television Entertainment (or "MTE").. In 1990, Uni TV began the Law & Order franchise. The same year, Universal was acquired by the electronics company Mastushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (now "Panasonic Corporation"). In 1995, Universal was acquired by The Seagram Company and later acquired a 50% stake in Brillstein-Grey Entertainment and Viacom's 50% stake in USA Network and Sci-Fi Channel. In 1996, MCA was reincorporated as "Universal Studios" and acquired Multimedia Entertainment from Gannett, Inc., and Universal Television's distribution arm, MCA TV, as well as its sub-division, MTE were renamed to Universal Television Enterprises and Universal Television Entertainment respectively. On October 20, 1997, Universal sold off USA Network, Sci-Fi Channel and Universal Television to HSN Inc. (a company owned by Barry Diller) for $4.075 billion, who renamed it to Studios USA Television LLC. In 1998, the breakup of United International Pictures' TV arm led to Universal reforming its own international television distributor, Universal Worldwide Television. It handled international distribution of Studios USA shows, while Studios USA handled domestic distribution of Universal's own library. In 1998, Seagram bought PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, which included PolyGram Television. The deal closed in 1999, and the name PolyGram was soon scrubbed and replaced with the Universal name, and thus, Universal Studios Network Television was formed. However in 1999, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios used its debt to acquire most of the pre-1996 films (1,300 titles) by PolyGram from Seagram. Also in 1999, Universal sold off its 50% stake in BGE. In 2001, Vivendi Universal acquired USA Networks' entertainment assets for an estimated $10.3 billion and made Diller as CEO of VU Entertainment. The deal closed in 2002, and Studios USA and Studios USA Television Distribution were renamed to Universal Network Television and Universal Domestic Television respectively, Universal Studios Network Television was folded into UNT. On May 12, 2004, General Electric (GE) acquired 80% of Universal Studios and merged the studio with NBC to form "NBC Universal, Inc." (now "NBCUniversal Media, LLC") and merged the two television companies to form "NBC Universal Television" (now "NBCUniversal Syndication Studios"). However, the company decided to keep the NBC and Universal Television names in the end credits from any series by NBC or Universal. On June 14, 2007, NBC Universal Television Studio was renamed to Universal Media Studios (UMS). On September 12, 2011, Universal Media Studios was renamed back to its original name, "Universal Television".
Logo: On a curtain background, we zoom in on a shot of a rotating television camera, revealing the phrase "A REVUE PRODUCTION" inscribed onto the camera base. Then it later fades to the MCA-TV "Filmreel" logo.
Technique: All done in live action.
Music/Sounds: A dramatic 1940s-esque horn fanfare.
Availability: Extremely rare, as the "Filmreel" is long gone. This has appeared for a short time on some episodes of The Adventures of Kit Carson, among a few others.
2nd Logo (1953-1957)
Logo: Over a light shaded background, we see the phrase "Produced by REVUE In Hollywood". The word "REVUE" is taller than the rest of the words, and appears in a very slim, 3-dimensional state. The angle is on the right, looking downward, with a small shadow behind the letters. The words above and below are seen in a cursive font.
Variants:
This logo is shared with the MCA TV "Filmreel" logo on several TV shows.
On Tales of Wells Fargo, the logo is superimposed into the background and the word "REVUE" is in 2D.
Technique: None.
Music/Sounds: None or the closing theme of the show.
Availability: Uncommon, though a variant of sorts can be found on first season episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents on Antenna TV and on DVD, as well as the pilot episode of Leave It to Beaver on TV Land, Antenna TV, and DVD, and The Adventures of Kit Carson on DVD.
3rd Logo (1957-1958)
Logo: An in-credit version of the previous logo, but the text is in Franklin Gothic and reads "filmed at revue in Hollywood" with "revue" in bold lettering:
filmed at revue in Hollywood
The MCA Arrowhead above it is located near the logo.
Variants:
"Exclusive Representatives" was later changed to "exclusive distributor" on the MCA-TV logo.
Sometimes the phrase "IN ASSOCIATION WITH" is seen above the arrowhead.
At other times, it would say "produced by revue in Hollywood".
Technique: None.
Music/Sounds: The end title theme from the show.
Availability: Common.
It's seen on almost the entire 1st season and a few early episodes of the 2nd season of Leave It to Beaver on Me-TV, Antenna TV and DVD.
It also appears on the first season of Wagon Train on Encore Westerns and 1957-1958 episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents on Antenna TV and Bachelor Father.
4th Logo (1958-1963)
Logo: Two filmstrip-like lines with letters (the top one being black and the bottom one being gray move in opposite directions of each other, with the top line moving left and the bottom line moving right. To the tune of the fanfare, five letters stack horizontally together, unevenly, spelling the name "revue". Then the remaining letters move away, revealing a white-outlined rounded rectangle shape (similar in shape to the Warner Bros. \\' logo). Then, the inside turns into a dark gray color under the black and gray blocks of letters, with the words "filmed in hollywood at" above the blocks, "studios" below, and "MCA-TV EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR" under the shape appearing with it. The MCA byline, underneath the logo, is usually accompanied by its own union bug, which is a small globe with the words MCA over it.
Trivia:
The letters featured on the lines are the following:
Top Right: xazcnaqurpemscvxuozserncv
Left: azcvrzsnoxureaocvucxozrsx
The top of the row also spells "revue": xazcnaqurpemscvxuozserncv
Variants:
This logo has a few length variations:
There is a long version that features the full-length version of the fanfare.
Some shows, such as those produced in association with Kayro Productions, feature an abridged version of the logo that starts with the TV tube zooming out and a shortened fanfare.
There are also several versions of this logo used for co-productions, such as for Kayro shows, JaMco Productions, Hubbell-Robinson Productions, Top Gun Productions, and Shamley Productions; those feature the company name alongside a smaller version of the Revue logo.
In 1962, a color version was introduced. The regular logo now takes place on a wallflower-type background with 60s star designs in orange, similar to the 1st logo of Universal Television. The filmstrips on the top are orange and those on the bottom are teal. The animation is the same, but the television tube inside later turns ivory instead of black.
Another variation existed with the blocks blinking, which later fades to the co-producer's card. This version is bylineless.
Another variation existed with this logo on a light blue background, but the inside is red with a white outline and the "r", "v", and "e" blocks are black and the "e" and "u" ones are blue. The only animation used was the TV tube finishing zooming out and later fading to the 1964 Universal Television logo in color.
Early versions have a conjoined Revue/MCA logo, with the Revue logo on the left in a solid-lined TV tube border, and an MCA Arrowhead logo in a dotted-line TV tube connected to it on the right, Venn diagram-style. The usual Revue info is written on the left tube, and "mca tv exclusive distributor" is written on the right tube. The company name in which the show had been co-produced is written above, as usual. An MCA T.M. logo bug is sometimes seen in the lower left hand corner.
One Kayro Productions variant had "Produced by Kayro productions" in a strange font (with "Kayro" in very large letters) and the TV tube containing the Revue logo with no additional text.
On season 2 of Leave It to Beaver among other series, it has the words "productions inc." on the Revue logo, which later changed to "studios" in 1959.
Technique: Camera-controlled/cel animation.
Music/Sounds: A loud but majestic horn fanfare accompanied by drums and a xylophone. The music has a few length variations, corresponding with the logo. There were two jingles, a (rarely-heard) long version and a short version both arranged by Stanley Wilson and Juan Garcia Esquivel. The long version has the first note longer and 4 extra notes. The short version has the 1st note shorter and deleted the 4 extra notes.
Music/Sounds Variants:
Over the years, some shows have the regular jingle plastered with the 1964 Universal Television theme.
The 1962 logo featured a higher-pitched version of the theme.
There is a long version that doesn't feature the echo.
On an Amazon Freevee print of S4E05 of Wagon Train, the logo is silent.
Availability: Common.
It's currently seen on Leave It to Beaver on TV Land, Me-TV, and Antenna TV, S1 of McHale's Navy and Alfred Hitchcock Presents on Antenna TV with the in-credit logos from 1958-1960 and the animation from 1960-1963.
This logo also appears in the credits of specific programs. Sometimes, only the name appears, like the previous logo.
The color version is rare and was last seen on the first season episodes of The Virginian on Starz Encore Westerns and Laramie and the other on the color episodes of McHale's Navy.
More recently, the color version has been spotted on several color episodes of Laramie on Encore Westerns, followed by the 1960-63 NBC Studios "Snake" logo.
Final Note: Kayro Productions and Revue Studios formed a partnership by forming Kayro-Vue Productions in 1964.
Universal Studios
1st Logo (1963-1964)
Logo: It looks just like the 1962 Revue "Blinking Negatives" logo, without the additional animation. The company name flickers 6 times, during the first 5 bars of the fanfare and makes a stop during the rest of the jingle. The phrase is "filmed at universal city, MCA-TV EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR" with a small MCA logo bug next to the distributor's byline (which was outside the logo as always). The color version has a wallflower-type background in red with white '60s-type star designs over it. The filmstrip blocks are red and blue, the background of the tubular border was light blue, and all the block colors revert to black and white over and over. The B&W variation of the logo was the same as the B&W version of the Revue logo, but the only block colors that flicker are the black and white ones.
Variant:
On some series such as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, the B&W version appears without the MCA byline, and then fades to the co-producer's card.
Sometimes a B&W version of the colorized version existed on old TV recordings that still in B&W era.
Technique: Cel animation.
Music/Sounds: Same as the 1960 Revue logo theme.
Music/Sounds Variant: A sped-up version of the short 1960 Revue jingle was heard when Hallmark Channel reran The Virginian due to time compressing.
Availability: Rare. The B&W version is seen on season 2 of McHale's Navy, Suspense Theatre, and The Jack Benny Program, as well as season 7 of Wagon Train and season 2 of The Virginian.
2nd Logo (February 1964-April 1969)
Logo: Like its then-current movie logo, the rotating globe zooms in, along with the two Van Allen radiation belts. The text:
FILMED AT THE STUDIOS OF UNIVERSAL CITY MCA-TV EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR
is superimposed simultaneously. The text, in the same font as the then-current movie logo (minus the texture), will usually appear in the normal near-yellow font with a shadow effect, but a bronze/brown or white color appears sometimes. The MCA union bug appears with the byline.
Trivia: The logo was designed and animated by Universal Title, who also designed and animated all of the logos by Universal until 1990 and handled all title and optical effects for all films and Universal Television series.
Variants:
The logo would either appear in color or B&W.
On some shows, the MCA byline is not present below the Universal City name. This happens on most co-productions. This is seen on The Munsters from the Kayro-Vue logo. On the short-lived series Pistols 'n' Petticoats, this was seen before the Kayro-UTV in-credit. On The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, this logo is always seen before the Shamley Productions logo.
Some shows (mainly those produced by Jack Webb's Mark VII Limited, like Dragnet) would have a shot over the globe saying "In Association With (UNIVERSAL TELEVISION)" centered in the same font (and sometimes color) used in the closing credits. This text would then fade out, the globe would zoom and appear as usual. This text may or may not be written in all caps.
On early Dragnet episodes in '67, the "Universal Television" text was not shown.
Some shows would feature this logo after a Revue logo (as seen on McHale's Navy) or a Kayro-Vue logo (as seen on The Munsters). The theme would start on the Kayro-Vue logo and finish on the Universal logo.
There is a variant that says "A UNIVERSAL PRODUCTION" or "A UNIVERSAL PRESENTATION", in the same style (but not in the same font) as the then-current movie logo. This was usually only seen on made-for-TV movies and TV pilots and was seen from 1966-1969.
On the short-lived show Court Martial, the text reads "FROM THE STUDIOS OF UNIVERSAL CITY".
On Wild and Wonderful, the text says
FILMED AT UNIVERSAL CITY
instead.
Technique: Fading effects.
Music/Sounds:
1964-1965: Same as above.
1965-1967: A re-arranged version of the two previous jingles, done by Jack Marshall.
September 14, 1967-1969: Another long version by Marshall.
Music/Sounds Variants:
From September 17, 1966-1967, a short version of the first Marshall theme was sometimes used. Played on some made-for-TV movies through the 1967-68 season, including the first Columbo movie Prescription: Murder.
A short version of the 1967 theme was used in 1967-1968.
From 1968-1969, another re-arranged short version was done by Marshall. There is a warped version of this theme that was heard on The Virginian due to time compressing when it was aired on Hallmark Channel years ago.
The opening variant uses the opening theme of the TV movie or it's silent.
Availability: Common. It's seen on seasons 2-4 of McHale's Navy, It Takes a Thief, and Adam-12, Dragnet, season 1 and first half of season 2 of Ironside, and season 3 and beyond of The Virginian, as unlike other companies, Universal's past logos are kept quite well.
3rd Logo (January 1969-1973)
Logo: Same as above, but the phrase now appears as:
FILMED IN UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIF. AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS MCA-TV EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR
The entire text is in a different font (which is Eurostile Bold, the same font also used in the opening credits of Ironside), compared to the previous logo, which Universal's name was all yellow from that point on. The MCA union bug appears with the byline.
Variants:
Just like the last logo, co-productions like those by Mark VII Limited would have the phrase "IN ASSOCIATION WITH UNIVERSAL TELEVISION" in a yellow Compacta BT font.
There is also an opening variant that says "A UNIVERSAL STUDIOS PRODUCTION" or for TV movies (especially pilots of TV series) "A UNIVERSAL STUDIOS PRESENTATION", in the same style (but not in the same font) as the then-current movie logo. This was seen only on made-for-TV movies from 1969-1973, such as the pilot movie of Marcus Welby, M.D., entitled "A Matter of Humanities," originally broadcast on ABC March 26, 1969, but filmed in December of 1968. This is saved on the recent DVD release of Welby.
An enhanced version of the logo was used during the fall 1970 season.
Later on, the text says "FROM UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIFORNIA, UNIVERSAL STUDIOS".
Technique: Same as the 2nd logo.
Music/Sounds:
Same as the 2nd logo.
Later on, it was a re-arranged and shortened jingle with ten notes by Pete Rugolo.
Availability: Pretty common. Should be saved on any Universal show of the era such as It Takes a Thief, S2 of Adam-12, and the final season of Dragnet '67, as well as the second half of season 2 and seasons 3 and 4 of Ironside among others, as well as the 1st season of Marcus Welby, M.D. The later version was only used for 8 months, but it's still saved on any Universal series during this era, such as Marcus Welby, M.D., Adam-12, Columbo, and Night Gallery, as well as the final season of The Virginian and the 1st season of Alias Smith and Jones. It's also seen on the final season of It Takes a Thief.
4th Logo (September 1971-December 8, 1973)
Logo: Same as the previous logo, but this time, the globe is just a still picture. The shortened text fades in, in the same yellow bold font from the logo above:
FROM UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIFORNIA UNIVERSAL STUDIOS MCA-TV EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR
Variants: This one has five other variations:
"IN ASSOCIATION WITH UNIVERSAL STUDIOS"
"AND UNIVERSAL STUDIOS"
January 31, 1973?: The text "UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIF." was added below the "UNIVERSAL STUDIOS" text.
Like the 3rd logo, there is also an opening variant that says "A UNIVERSAL STUDIOS PRODUCTION" or for TV movies (especially pilots of TV series) "A UNIVERSAL STUDIOS PRESENTATION", in the same style (but not in the same font) as the then-current movie logo. Also, the rotating globe zooms in, along with the two Van Allen radiation belts.
On season 4 of Emergency (which they co-produced with Mark VII Limited), there is in-credit text that reads:
MARK VII LIMITED And UNIVERSAL STUDIOS UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIF. MCA-TV EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR
...all sporting the MCA union bug alongside the said company byline. Was only referred to as "IN ASSOCIATION WITH UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. MCA-TV EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR" during the 1971-72 season (the logo's first).
Technique: Fading effects, combined with the movie logo's animation.
Music/Sounds: The same as above, changed depending on the year, all arranged by Quincy Jones.
1971-1972: Composed on strings, doesn't lean on Wilson/Esquivel, Marshall, or Rugolo's versions.
1972-1973: A bit slower than the first, composed on horns.
September 26, 1973: Another slow theme using horns.
The opening variant uses either silent or the TV movie's opening theme.
Availability: Uncommon.
It's seen on Adam-12 starting from S4 and S1 of Kojak.
This variant also plastered the 3rd logo on a 1968 episode of Ironside on a Me-TV rerun.
It's seen on many early episodes of Columbo.
The "Universal City" variant is extremely rare as it used during the last 3 months of this logo, but should be reserved on a few season 3 episodes of Emergency.
The opening variant can be seen at the beginning of the pilot film San Francisco International Airport, featured in a 1994 episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, which shows the logo as Mike, Crow and Tom enter the theater.
Universal Television (first era)
1st Logo (October 7, 1973-April 30, 1975)
Logo: Same backdrop as the previous logo, but the phrase was shortened again to...
FROM UNIVERSAL <span style="color:AN MCA COMPANY
">AN MCA COMPANY
This time, "UNIVERSAL" is in the same font as used in that era's movie logo and also appears textured (in fact, this looks like a still of the 1963-1990 movie logo, with MCA information added in afterwards). The MCA byline is also the same, although the position is a bit shifted to the right due to the MCA union bug's appearance with the byline, and the byline may be shifted closer up in some appearances. The MCA globe bug is bigger than the recent and is seen to the left of its respective byline. The top text line sometimes reads "AND" or "IN ASSOCIATION WITH".
Technique: Fading effects.
Music/Sounds:
1973-1974: Same as the 6th logo from September 1973.
1974-1975: Two more re-arranged jingles done by Quincy Jones. These arrangements vary upon years.
1974: A rearranged theme almost the same as the 1973 version.
Music/Sounds Variants:
Series like Switch and Ironside among others would have different variants.
2-part syndication edits of double-length season 1 episodes of The Rockford Files use the 1978-1980 Universal jingle. This is the case with "Backlash of the Hunter" (the original pilot movie) and "This Case Is Closed."
Availability: Uncommon.
Can be seen on UFO. It was also seen on Kolchak: The Night Stalker and Marcus Welby, M.D. It's also seen on late season 1 and season 2 of Kojak, late season 6 and the final season of Adam-12, late season 3 to season 4 of Columbo, and season 1 of The Rockford Files, as well as the 1st season of Baretta.
This is also seen on season 4 episodes of Emergency! (though newer print reruns of season 3 inexplicably seemed to use the 5th logo), as well the final season and a half of Ironside and the 1st 2 seasons of The Six Million Dollar Man.
2nd Logo (September 14, 1975-October 29, 1991)
Logo: Same as the previous logo, but with a few differences:
The font color seems to be mainly white, ivory, pink, or yellow (though this may be due to film deterioration), while still a bit planetary.
The "UNIVERSAL" font is different from the movie version, and is much skinnier and stretched out.
The MCA globe bug common with previous logos is no longer included with the logo (as it was moved to the copyright notice on the ending credits).
On the "<span style="color:ANMCACOMPANY">ANMCACOMPANY" byline, "<span style="color:MCA">MCA" seems to be taller the rest of the other letters.
The top text line had the same "FROM", "AND" and "IN ASSOCIATION WITH" lines centered in from previous logos.
On The A-Team, it used the "FROM" top line and added the word "AND" (which later turned green starting in the 1984-1985 season) below the MCA byline. This was done to present the Stephen J. Cannell logo that followed it.
Variants:
There is also an opening variant where the globe is animated like in the movie logo, but before the globe finishes zooming, the word "UNIVERSAL" fades in over the globe. A second later, the byline,"ANMCACOMPANY" appears under "UNIVERSAL". That has appeared at the beginning of few TV movies from that time such as the 1979 TV movie, The Seekers.
On the 1991 TV movie Keeping Secrets, the logo fades out instead of cutting out.
On the first 2 seasons of The A-Team, starting with the season 1 episode "A Small and Deadly War", there is a "wipe" effect that brings forth the Cannell logo. The later seasons replaced it with a straight fade.
On Still the Beaver, the entire logo just fades in as it's just a still image.
On the Magnum P.I. finale in 1988, the Universal TV logo is shown on a TV in the Masters mansion. The TV is turned off once the logo finishes.
Technique: Fading effects.
Music/Sounds: A new 5-note fanfare that retains the first four elements of the classic Revue theme but does not feature the 9-note trademark fanfare used since the Revue days (this new version sounds like a variation of "Happy Birthday to You"). There are many versions of this jingle, with the orchestration changing with each rendition. All were arranged by Robert Prince.
September 14, 1975-1976: The first theme uses a timpani roll mixed underneath the fanfare. The first notes are on horns with orchestration on the final note, maintained on all other themes.
1976-1978: A second version of the fanfare, using a bass drum roll on the final note.
1977-1981: A third version of the fanfare.
1980-1982: A much slower version that has an elevator-like sound on the first note, possibly produced by a vibraphone. Simon & Simon used this until 1982.
1981-1982, October 6, 1985, 1987-1990: Another slower version. Charles In Charge used it from 1987-1990, albeit abridged.
1982-July 27, 1989: Another version, using an ascending/descending electronic tune played on a keyboard (almost sounds like a flute) accompanied by a trombone ensemble. Though most shows dropped it by 1986, it was used sometimes on Magnum P.I. in 1988, Simon & Simon, and Coming of Age until 1989.
Late 1986-October 29, 1991: Final versions of the theme with a different keyboard sounder, accompanied by a much powerful french horn ensemble. Miami Vice first used it in late 1986, other shows didn't use it until 1987.
Music/Sounds Variants:
Sometimes, there's also a variant of the 1975 theme where the drum roll finishes abruptly.
Low-tone variants of the 1980, 1982, and 1986 themes were used. Starting on season 2 of Charles in Charge in 1987, an abridged 1981 theme was used.
On parts 2-4 of the 4-part miniseries Masada, it uses one final Universal variant based on the end-title theme. Composed and conducted by Mort Stevens.
An abridged, low tone version of 1982 theme was used starting on season 1, episode 3 of Charles in Charge.
On the series Still the Beaver, a quicker version of the theme was used, composed on what sounds like an organ.
Some shows used abridged and warp-speed versions of the 1986 theme. In exceptional cases, mainly on TV movies, it used only the closing theme of the show. Although this also happened on at a final season episode of Marcus Welby, M.D. called "The Covenant."
On HD releases of season 4 episodes of Airwolf, this oddly plasters the MCA Television logo, while retaining the latter's theme.
On the DVD print of both the Murder, She Wrote TV movie South by Southwest and also on the Murder, She Wrote season 8 episode "Danse Diabolique", it uses the 1991 logo music from the 9th logo. It's probably because of an editing mistake. Overseas and ITV3 airings of the former also use the logo as well.
On the opening variant and on the TV movie It Happened One Christmas, it's silent.
Availability: Common.
It's currently seen on The A-Team, Miami Vice, season 1 to early season 8 of Murder, She Wrote, season 5-early season 10 of Columbo, seasons 2-6 of The Rockford Files, seasons 3-5 of Kojak, and season 1 to early season 4 of Quantum Leap, and on the 7th and final season of Marcus Welby, M.D. It's also seen on Knight Rider, Airwolf and season 1 to early season 4 of Coach.
It's also seen on DVD releases such as Charles in Charge (starting with season 3), The A-Team, Knight Rider, seasons 3-5 of Kojak, Miami Vice (international Universal DVD prints, as well as Mill Creek releases), and the first three seasons of Coach, among others.
It's not seen on local reruns of season 1 episodes of Law & Order because it's been replaced by the 2011 NBCUniversal Television Distribution logo. However, the Netflix, Amazon Prime and On Demand prints plaster it with the 2004 NBC Universal Television Studio logo, except on the episode "Out of the Half-Light", where the logo is retained in widescreen. However, it is still preserved on the DVD release of the 1st season of said show.
It's also not seen on the complete series of Baa Baa Black Sheep (a.k.a. Black Sheep Squadron) because it's been plastered by the 1998 Universal Worldwide Television logo.
One of its last appearances was on the Murder, She Wrote S8 episode "Thicker Than Water". Season 1 episodes of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (The Hardy Boys in its 3rd and final season) on Netflix have this logo inexplicably cut off while seasons 2-3 retain this logo.
Due to an editing mistake, the DVD print of the Murder, She Wrote TV movie South by Southwest uses this logo. Other prints including the original CBS airings use the 4th Universal TV logo instead.
Legacy: This logo is notorious among some viewers for its dramatic logo themes and the less friendly-looking typeface on the logo contributing to it.
3rd Logo (1987-1991)
Logo: Just the end of the 1973 Universal Pictures logo used in place of the TV logo.
Technique: Live-action model work.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Extinct. Was seen on the '80s syndicated series The Woody Woodpecker Show, which was co-produced and distributed by The Program Exchange.
4th Logo (September 16, 1991-July 12, 1997, 1998, 2000)
Videotaped variant
Videotaped "In Association With" variant
Stretched starfield variant
Logo: It's nearly the same as its 1991 motion picture counterpart, but with a few differences:
This logo is animated entirely in CGI.
There is no flash at the beginning.
"IN ASSOCIATION WITH" usually appears in white centered above all other text.
The MCA byline is white.
The logo starts at a slightly different angle. The text is already rotating over the globe, and the camera moves faster in this version. Once the logo settles, the MCA byline fades in at the bottom.
Trivia: This logo is based on the print movie artwork logo designed by Glen Wexler.
Variants:
Most of the time, "IN ASSOCIATION WITH" appears above the logo.
This logo was made in two versions: a filmed version, and a videotaped version. The filmed version was more prominent at first, as most of Universal's shows were still shot primarily on film, but changed to the videotaped version as time progressed. The filmed version isn't as crisp as the videotaped version and features that unfortunate effect known as "Film-O-Vision" and the MCA byline is shifted up a little.
On some shows, one of the two alternate variations of the company's phrase fades in above the Universal name, followed by the MCA byline.
Since then, during the 1996-1997 season, the logo became bylineless, in observance to the studio's acquisition by Seagram and Sons and MCA, Inc. was reincorporated into Universal Studios during that time. Also, the "®" symbol has shifted up on the top right end of "UNIVERSAL", though Spy Game kept the byline through July on the first 9 episodes. The 1994 MCA TV logo and the 1994 Multimedia Entertainment logo were replaced with the 1990-1997 Universal Pictures logo, which was also bylineless.
Original CBS airings of Murder, She Wrote: South by Southwest used the bylineless version, but had the "®" symbol below "UNIVERSAL".
From 1994-1997 on some shows, like Murder, She Wrote, Law & Order and New York Undercover, the starfield background is stretched.
On some shows such as Sliders, American Gothic, and M.A.N.T.I.S. (excluding the pilot episode), there was a still version of the 1994 variant of this logo, but "IN ASSOCIATION WITH" has been replaced by a small black rectangular box with "DISTRIBUTED THROUGH" in it at the top of the globe.
A French version of the variant above with "DISTRIBUE PAR" appears on the French dubbing of American Gothic.
This logo was shown on the left alongside with the 1992 Warner Bros. Television logo on the right, as seen on Family Dog.
On The Rockford Files TV movie "Friends and Foul Play", the logo is slowed down, but the music still plays normally.
For shows by Action Pack, this logo has "PRESENTS" replacing "TELEVISION". Plus, it fades in after the logo forms instead of sliding in with "UNIVERSAL".
On S8 and some S9 episodes of Murder, She Wrote, as well as the unaired TV pilot of Darkman: The Series and some S9 episodes of Coach, the text "IN ASSOCIATION WITH" isn't displayed above the logo.
On some French-dubbed shows such as New York Undercover, "EN ASSOCIATION AVEC" appears on a blue bar.
A rare German version of the bylineless variant of the 1990 movie logo, where the globe is oriented towards Europe and Africa, and the texts "Eine Produktion von" and "und das redaktionsbüro" exists.
Open matte and widescreen versions of the logo exists.
The widescreen version of the original 1991 and bylineless 1997 variants can be seen on at least 3 episodes of Columbo on Blu-ray.
The widescreen version of the 1994 stretched starfield variant is very rare and was spotted on an overseas airing of a 1994 Law & Order episode.
Technique: CGI animation.
Music/Sounds: A majestic 7-note French horn fanfare, based on Universal's long version of its 1990 jingle. Composed by James Horner.
Music/Sounds Variants:
A low tone variant was also included starting in 1991 on the Quantum Leap season 4 episode "Justice".
In other cases, the ending theme of the show or generic network music (as on NBC and CBS starting in 1994) is used.
On the first four season 2 episodes of Law & Order, it uses the late 1986 logo theme from the previous logo.
On the un-aired TV pilot of Darkman: The Series, it's mostly silent.
On The Hub airings of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, the first couple seconds of the opening theme from Action Pack is heard on the "PRESENTS" variant of the logo.
Availability: Fairly common. With most Universal logos, they are usually retained on any repeat broadcasts.
Mid-2010s local reruns of a few season 3 episodes of Law & Order have this logo plastered with the 2011 NBCUniversal Television Distribution logo. However, it was used in tandem with the 2nd logo until a month later after it debuted.
Was seen on seasons 2-7 of Law & Order years ago and currently seen seasons 8-12 of Murder, She Wrote beginning with the episode "Lines of Excellence", mid season 4-season 9 of Coach, and was some seasons 2-3 episodes of New York Undercover (sometimes plastered by the next logo below or the Studios USA logo), among others.
It is preserved on Universal shows of the period on Hulu and Peacock.
The "PRESENTS" variant of the logo is intact on early seasons of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
The "Distributed Through" variant can be found at the end of Doctor Who: The Movie, following the early '90s BBC Worldwide logo, and on some episodes of Sliders and M.A.N.T.I.S.
Also seen on 2nd half season 14-early 1st half season 15 taped episodes of Sally Jessy Raphael and 2nd half season 6-early 1st half season 7 taped episodes of Jerry Springer, replacing the 1994 Multimedia Entertainment logo on Nosey TV. This version was also used on a Sleuth airing of Singapore Sling, a reprint of the 1994 TV movie Children of the Dark, and an old Lifetime Movie Network (LMN) airing of the 1992 TVM Breaking the Silence.
Despite the logo ending in 1997, it made a surprise appearance on current HD widescreen prints of the 2000 TV movie Murder She Wrote: A Story to Die For. However, the original CBS airing doesn't have it, while older SD/fullscreen prints have the next logo instead.
A Polish airing of the 1993 TV movie Torch Song has this plastering over the Multimedia Motion Pictures logo.
The rare German version is found in the talk show Vera Am Mittag, which aired on SAT1.
5th Logo (September 7, 1997-July 23, 2004)
Filmed variant
Filmed widescreen variant
Filmed variant
"In association with" variant
Logo: The final few seconds of the 1997 Universal Pictures logo, with the globe still rotating and the glow shining. Text appears below the logo (in Universal's corporate typeface, Universal Tertiary), as listed below:
September 1997-1998: "UNIVERSAL TELEVISION ENTERTAINMENT" (formerly MTE)
September 7, 1997-July 18, 1998: "IN ASSOCIATION WITH UNIVERSAL TELEVISION" (seen on co-produced programs from that era)
September 1997-1998: "UNIVERSAL TELEVISION ENTERPRISES, INC. EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR" (formerly MCA TV)
September 29, 1999-July 23, 2004: "www.universalstudios.com" (in the Macintosh "Charcoal" typeface, the 2002 version has it in the Universal Tertiary typeface)
September 27, 2002-May 19, 2004: "(in association with) UNIVERSAL NETWORK TELEVISION, (www.universalstudios.com)"
September 2002-2004: "(in association with) UNIVERSAL DOMESTIC TELEVISION, www.universalstudios.com"
September 2002-July 17, 2004: "UNIVERSAL TELEVISION DISTRIBUTION, www.universalstudios.com"
Variants:
Sometimes, the logo doesn't feature any text underneath the globe.
Sometimes, the logo fades in and out.
On some TV movies from 1997-1998 such as The Rockford Files TV movie Murder and Misdemeanors, there is a filmed version of the Universal Television version. Plus, the name is already there and is a bit bigger.
The miniseries House of Frankenstein uses the same version, but with the Universal Television Entertainment text.
The Columbo episode "Ashes to Ashes" uses a filmed version without any text underneath the globe. Fullscreen prints have the copyright cropped.
On season 4 of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and season 3 of Xena: Warrior Princess, the word "PRESENTS" in spaced-out letters, fades in under the "UNIVERSAL" text. The copyright is intact.
Sometimes for Universal Television Enterprises and Universal Worldwide Television and mostly for Universal Television Entertainment, there is a longer version of the logo, starting out with the "UNIVERSAL" name making its way to the front of the globe, and the name appears below the logo after it before the logo finally zooms back to its position before the copyright appears.
On the 1999 5F movie Anya's Bell, some episodes of the first two seasons of Monk, as well as widescreen reruns of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, the tail end of the movie logo, which features the globe zooming back, is shown.
On the 2002-2004 variants, the text's shadow is not there.
On original ABC and NBC airings of shows from 2002-2004, the URL is not shown.
For a short time in late 2001 and early 2002, Universal's TV and movie departments were celebrating the 20th Anniversary of E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial, with a special logo featuring E.T. and Elliot flying across the globe. The TV version's logo is similar to the normal version, except that E.T. and Elliot are flying behind the bold "UNIVERSAL" text, and the words "E.T. 20TH ANNIVERSARY" with "E.T." in its own movie logo font, are featured under the globe.
There is also a B&W variant for classic Revue/MCA/Universal shows in B&W.
On early S4 episodes of The Steve Harvey Show and Just Shoot Me!, the logo (minus the text and the URL) is seen on the right with the 1995 Brillstein-Grey Entertainment logo on the left inside a white outline box against a gray stone spotlight background.
On later episodes of The Steve Harvey Show and Just Shoot Me! since season 4, the logo (minus the text and the URL) is seen on the bottom along with the Brad Grey Television logo above.
A widescreen version exists starting in 2002.
Technique: CGI animation.
Music/Sounds: A short version of the movie counterpart's theme. On some shows, it's silent. NBC, CBS and ABC used their generic themes. Variations of the theme are listed below. All composed by Jerry Goldsmith.
1997-2000: A longer version of the theme used for Universal Television Entertainment and the longer version of Universal Television Enterprises and Universal Worldwide Television. It was used for the first two until 1998 while it was used for the latter until 2000.
1997-April 21, 2003: An odd short version only heard on Roar, New York Undercover, Sliders and Robbery Homicide Division.
2002-2004: Another odd short version with four notes.
2003-2004: Final short version using the first three notes playing fast and the last note of the theme.
Music/Sounds Variants:
In rare cases, the ending theme of the show/movie plays over it or none.
On season 4 of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and season 3 of Xena: Warrior Princess, the first couple seconds of the opening theme from Action Pack is heard on the "PRESENTS" variant of the logo.
One 1996 season 3 episode of New York Undercover on Centric (now BET Her), has the 1991 Universal Television logo theme playing on the Universal Domestic Television logo, due to plastering.
On the R2 release of Baa Baa Black Sheep (a.k.a. Black Sheep Squadron): The Complete First Season on DVD, the French audio track has the 1977 logo music playing over the 1998 Universal Worldwide Television logo due to bad plastering.
On-demand prints (i.e. Tubi and The Roku Channel) of Xena: Warrior Princess season 5 episode 4 "Animal Attraction" have the 1997 fanfare in a high pitch.
2002 episodes of Maury have the last few seconds of the bird chirping sounds from the MoPo Productions logo.
Availability: Common. Can still be found on most, if not all Universal-produced shows of this time such as the Law & Order franchise (except on Sundance and local reruns), among others. When Universal merged with NBC in 2004, this logo was retired.
Especially shown on USA Network, Cloo, WGN America, and local syndication, Sitting Ducks and Maisy, the earliest episodes of House, M.D., and shows from this era on Hulu.
It's also seen on season 4 and the final season (except the original Sci-Fi Channel airings) of Sliders.
The Universal Television Entertainment logo has appeared on the 1997 miniseries House of Frankenstein, and was seen on original TV prints of TV movies such as No Laughing Matter. VHS releases have the logo removed in favor of the 1997 Universal Pictures logo at the beginning.
The longer version of the Universal Television Enterprises logo has appeared on some later episodes of Jerry Springer and Sally Jessy Raphael during the 1997-1998 season and the standard version is retained on season 4 on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys when seen on The Hub (later Hub Network, now Discovery Family) and on DVD, season 3 of Xena: Warrior Princess on DVD, and Team Knight Rider on Hulu.
The long version of the Universal Worldwide Television logo was seen on reruns of In Search of... from the late '90s.
The Brillstein-Grey/Universal (Brad Grey Television/Universal) combo variant is seen on The Steve Harvey Show and Just Shoot Me.
The Universal Domestic Television logo is retained on every season 1 episode, early season 2 episodes, and some late season 4 episodes of New York Undercover last seen on Centric (now BET Her).
The Universal Television Distribution logo can be seen at the end of Leave It to Beaver reruns on MeTV and previously on Antenna TV. It also appears on international airings and the MPI Home Video DVD releases of Family Affair (whose non-USA TV distribution rights are held by NBCUniversal) in place of the logos of American distributor CBS Media Ventures and its predecessors.
Strangely, Horror Channel UK's print of The Incredible Hulk season 2 episode "Wildfire" and the Xena: Warrior Princess season 5 episode "Animal Attraction" on Tubi and The Roku Channel, the version with the website URL plays before the start of the episode, confusingly enough.
Universal Media Studios
(November 1, 2007-October 19, 2011)
Logo: The logo starts on a black background with a golden burst of light (very likely intended to be a sun). Then a half-globe motif figure with the features of Earth in its negative space zooms back and "UNIVERSALMEDIA STUDIOS" with "UNIVERSAL" in the Copperplate Gothic Bold typeface and "MEDIA STUDIOS" in the Akzidenz-Grotesk Extended Medium typeface and underneath "UNIVERSAL", is below it. While that happens the golden burst of light gets brighter and expands, a la the 1988 ABC Productions logo.
Bylines:
Early 2009-2010: "A DIVISION OF NBC UNIVERSAL" (in Copperplate Gothic)
Late 2009-October 19, 2011: "A Division of NBC Universal" (in Akzidenz-Grotesk Extended Medium)
Variants:
Both long, short and still versions exist for this logo.
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and Last Call with Carson Daly have the NBC Studios, Inc. (later NBC Studios, LLC) copyright stamp. The version on Fallon's show has a very cheap-looking zoom out effect.
The 2010 edition of NBC's Christmas in Rockefeller Center has the NBC Universal, Inc. copyright stamp below the NBC Universal byline.
On Crusoe, the logo is still and shares the screen with the Power logo.
A prototype version exists where the earth is realistic.
A rare variant without the earth exists.
Technique: CGI animation.
Music/Sounds: A 5-note rock jingle. Composed by 5 Alarm Music.
Music/Sounds Variants:
A short version exists where only 3 notes are heard.
Some series such as House, used the 1999 NBC Studios low tone theme on some early episodes.
On The Marriage Reef, the theme is high-pitched and sped-up.
It is usually seen on shows produced in this era such as Friday Night Lights, House, The Office, Community, The Event, Life, the final season of Heroes, and Parenthood.
Surprisingly, this logo has appeared on syndicated episodes of Jerry Springer and Steve Wilkos replacing the NBC Universal Television Distribution logo for a while. However on later rebroadcasts of Springer and Wilkos they would use the current NBCUniversal Television Distribution logo.
Starting in November 2008, it didn't appear on shows produced for cable such as Monk as those got their own logo for Universal Cable Productions (now Universal Content Productions).
It was also seen on on-demand prints of some new NBC shows in the 2011-2012 season including Up All Night, Whitney and Free Agents. Original airings of these shows starting in September 2011 used the next logo.
Universal Television (second era)
1st Logo (September 14-October 2011)
Logo: We zoom out from a Western Hemisphere view of a detailed globe with some clouds. As we pan out, a sunburst appears and shines in the northeastern arc of the globe. A bluish/purple starfield with a few nebular clouds appear in the background. The white text "UNIVERSALTELEVISION" (in a sans-serif font called "Folio" and "UNIVERSAL" in bold) without a space between and with an abstract arc above is vertically wiped in front of the Earth globe with a translucent line once we are at a comfortable distance.
Technique: CGI animation.
Music/Sounds: The closing theme of the show or NBC's generic theme with a voice over.
Availability: Extinct.
It debuted (as a placeholder) on new season premieres of Parenthood, Community, and The Office, among others before the split-screen credits on network TV.
This logo also appears on original prints of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and Last Call with Carson Daly. Like the returning series mentioned above, it was also seen on new shows such as Whitney, Up All Night, and the American version of Prime Suspect, among others, all on NBC before the split-screen credits.
On-demand prints of new season episodes (i.e. Hulu, NBC.com) of these shows retained the Universal Media Studios logo.
2nd Logo (October 13, 2011-)
Early variant
Later variant
Prototype variant
Bylineless variant
Saturday Morning All Star Hits! variant
Logo: Against a bluish starfield background that's almost similar to the one from the previous logo with some nebular clouds, we see a much more detailed Earth globe zooming out from the front right to the center which is now rotating forward this time like the other Universal logos. As the globe reaches the center, a sunburst appears flashing on the top-right part of the globe. As this happens, the text "UNIVERSALTELEVISION", in the same font as before with the abstract arc above it, appears rotating in from the left and making a stop in front of the globe as the sunburst dims down a bit. Some light rays are seen behind the globe and some nebular clouds are seen moving in front of the globe. The byline "A Division of NBCUniversal" appears under the logo.
Trivia: This logo was created and animated by Imaginary Forces. The logo has some elements from the 1991 Universal Television logo.
Variants:
A short version exists.
In the logo's later years, the "UNIVERSALTELEVISION" text, along with the abstract arc above, appear wiping in vertically like the previous logo instead of rotating in as the globe goes into the center. Also, a couple of light rays are omitted.
In 2013, the logo was enhanced, with darker tones and a dimmer sun. This version is bylineless, presumably to reflect the new 100% Comcast ownership. This variant is only seen on the Imaginary Forces website.
There is also an unused version where the "UNIVERSALTELEVISION" text is replaced by the "UNIVERSAL NBC TELEVISION" text, and the "A Division of NBCUniversal" byline is replaced by "An NBCUniversal Company".
A shortened version exists on the 2018 revival of Magnum P.I. wherein it only shows the finished product of the logo.
On season 3 of Master of None and full-screen prints of the final season of House, M.D. starting with "Risky Business" and The Office (U.S. version) episodes starting with "Spooked", the logo is in 4:3.
On Saturday Morning All Star Hits!, the logo is in 4:3 and videotaped like the show itself.
On 5 More Sleeps 'til Christmas and later season 2 episodes of Master of None, the logo is in scope and bylineless.
The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon has a very wide version of the logo with a copyright stamp when it is formed below the "UNIVERSALTELEVISION" text.
On The Gilded Age, the logo is still.
Technique: CGI animation.
Music/Sounds: A three-note (F-D-E♭) orchestrated theme, consisting of the first two notes of the three-note NBC chimes jingle and a final note that sounds similar to that of the 1997 Universal Pictures fanfare, composed by Jerry Goldsmith. The theme was composed by FirstCom Music, and it sounds quite similar to the NBCUniversal Television logo music.
Music/Sounds Variants:
On three S3 episodes of Community and the first two S14 episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the Universal Media Studios logo music is heard.
The "UNIVERSAL NBC TELEVISION" prototype version has a triumphant, news-like rendition of the NBC chimes. Composed by The Elements.
A pretty common warp-speed version of the music exists, with a cymbal crash on the last note.
On the first two season 3 episodes of the 2018 revival of Magnum P.I. (whereas the theme carries off to the 2020 CBS Studios logo along with that of the shortened 2009 CBS Television Studios logo, due to an editing error), 5 More Sleeps 'til Christmas and As We See It, it is silent.
Original NBC and CBS airings use a generic theme and a voiceover.
Otherwise, it's the ending theme of the show.
Availability: Current.
It debuted on the October 13, 2011 episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and was used in tandem with the previous logo.
It is currently seen on new seasons of current and then-current shows which are Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Parks and Recreation, Community, Will and Grace, Parenthood, House, Up All Night, and The Office.
It also appeared on new shows that they produced from 2011 onwards such as The Blacklist, Law & Order: Organized Crime, the FBI franchise, Ted Lasso, Manifest, the 2021 revivals of both Punky Brewster and The Equalizer, Kenan, Duncanville, the Chicago franchise, Grimm, The Endgame, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Mr. Mayor, Superstore, Master of None, and Shades of Blue, among many others.
On cable television, it can be seen on The Jack & Triumph Show airing on Adult Swim, and it is also seen on The 90th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
It also appears on shows produced by Open 4 Business Productions, as they do not have their own logo.
If a rare, prototype version was used before the name change to Universal Television, this is possible to be used in the future.
This plasters the 1997-2004 logo on Paramount Network airings of Law and Order.
Copyright Stamps
Here is some information about the copyright stamps on the Universal Television series and TV movies:
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