Logo descriptions by boomersmamaw, Mr.Logo, and Shadeed A. Kelly
Logo captures by Shadeed A. Kelly, Eric S., and EnormousRat
Editions by V of Doom and Shadeed A. Kelly
Video captures courtesy of Eric S, and youngleader610 (Mr.Logo)
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. Their productions include Moesha and its spin-off The Parkers, as well as the daily syndicated court shows Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown. When Viacom acquired Spelling in 1999, Big Ticket Television became a label of the Paramount Television Group, and with it, a new on-screen logo was introduced. Today, it is an in-name-only unit of CBS Corporation's CBS Television Studios, even though they still produce the only surviving court show; Judge Judy. Big Ticket also produced Swift Justice with Jackie Glass for syndication.
Background Trivia: The "Big Ticket" name was inspired on the Blockbuster corporate logo, which at the time was owned by Viacom and the owner of the Spelling Entertainment Group.
1st Logo (September 16, 1995-1999)
Nicknames: "Smiley TV", "Atom TV", "Now THIS Is Feel-Good TV!"
Logo: Against a gray background we see a TV tube zooming-out with a flying object which appears to be a white rectangle, flying around the TV tube, then we see the phrase:
BIG TICKET
TELEVISION
in Futura Condensed Extra Bold font coming out of the bottom of the TV tube, but "TELEVISION" is multicolored and the flying object becomes a happy smile then the Spelling Entertainment byline appears below.
Bylines:
- 1995-1996: "THROUGH SPELLING ENTERTAINMENT GROUP"
- 1996-1999: "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.
FX/SFX: The objects flying.
Music/Sounds: A hip-hop like tune with a "Mmmm!"-like sound when the smile appears and the sound of "Yeah!" at the end. On Judge Judy, and Judge Joe Brown, it's the end theme of the show.
Availability: Uncommon. Appears on early episodes of The Parkers on BET, Moesha on Centric and UP, and pre-1999 episodes of Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown. Also seen on Night Stand with Dick Dietrick, which is hardly reran. All five had this followed by the Worldvision logo, which is plastered by the Paramount logo in reruns.
Scare Factor: None.
2nd Logo (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 same animation used on the 2000 Spelling Television logo in the Viacom "wigga-wigga" font in a green code-out box.
Variants:
- On the first episode of Wolf Lake, the logo is on a black background.
- This logo became bylineless in Fall 2006 under the ownership of CBS Corporation.
- In late 2012, the logo was slighty enhanced to feature a slight purple-white gradient, and the words are flying smoothly than the standard version. Also, the font for the Big Ticket text is different.
FX/SFX: The letters flying in, the happy smile drawing. More simplistic than the previous logo.
Music/Sounds: The same as the last logo. On Judge Judy, Judge Joe Brown, Swift Justice with Jackie Glass and Hot Bench, the closing theme is used, while the Wolf Lake variant has a silent version.
Availability: Common. Seen on later episodes of Moesha on Centric and UP and The Jamie Kennedy Experiment. The current version is seen on Judge Judy and also appeared on Judge Joe Brown, Swift Justice with Jackie Glass (a.k.a. Swift Justice season 2) in syndication, on reruns of The Parkers on BET and currently on Hot Bench on The CW.