# DreamWorks Television

DreamWorks Television was an American television distribution and production company based in Universal City, California, that was a division of DreamWorks.

## History

DreamWorks Television was formed in December 1994 as DreamWorks Pictures agreed to a $200 million seven-year television production joint venture with the Capital Cities/ABC. The company was set up to produce series for broadcast networks, cable channels and first run syndication with no first look for the ABC Network, but financial incentives favored ABC. The first show, Champs, was scheduled as a mid-season replacement for the ABC network. Dan McDermott was named division chief executive in June 1995. DreamWorks Television's first success was Spin City on ABC. The Walt Disney Company bought Capital Cities/ABC in February 1996.
In 1997, DreamWorks Television had a falling-out with NBC over the development of various TV shows. The dispute was eventually settled, and went to being a development slater for NBC in 1998. In 1998, DreamWorks has struck a deal with Paramount Domestic Television to syndicate Spin City for off-net syndication.
In 2002, the company's joint venture agreement with ABC ended. This agreement was replaced by a development agreement with NBC with a first look clause, financing for series pickups by the network while taking a financial stake in the show. DreamWorks Television could finance shows sold to other outlets, and NBC paid an annual fee to it.

## TV shows

Much of the pre-2008 DreamWorks Television catalogue is currently owned and distributed worldwide by Paramount Global Content Distribution with the exception of the programs Line of Fire, Carpoolers and Oliver Beene (distributed by Disney–ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution), Las Vegas (distributed in North America by NBCUniversal Syndication Studios and internationally by MGM Worldwide Television Distribution), Father of the Pride (distributed by NBCUniversal Syndication Studios), Off Centre (distributed by Warner Bros. Television), Band of Brothers (distributed by HBO Enterprises), Miracle Workers (distributed by Lionsgate Television), and Rescue Me (distributed by Sony Pictures Television); Paramount also co-distributes the following DWTV programs including The Job (with Disney–ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution), Boomtown (with NBCUniversal Syndication Studios in North America and MGM Worldwide Television Distribution outside North America) and Alienators: Evolution Continues (North American joint distribution with WildBrain; international joint distribution to the series has been held by Sony Pictures Television and WildBrain).

### TV series produced by DreamWorks Television
#### 1990s

| Title | Years | Network | Notes |
| Champs | 1996 | ABC | Co-production with Ubu Productions |
| High Incident | 1996–1997 | ABC | Co-production with Johnson/Pavone Productions (season 1), Nothing But Net, Inc. (season 1) and Downwell Productions (season 2) |
| Majority Rules | 1996–1997 | KPNX | |
| Spin City | 1996–2002 | ABC | Co-production with Ubu Productions and Lottery Hill Entertainment |
| Ink | 1996–1997 | CBS | Co-production with Shukovsky English Entertainment and Addis/Weischer Television |
| Arsenio | 1997 | ABC | Co-production with David Rosenthal Productions and Arsenio Hall Communications |
| Toonsylvania | 1998–1999 | Fox Kids | Produced by DreamWorks Television Animation |
| Invasion America | 1998 | The WB | Produced by DreamWorks Television Animation |
| Anna Says | 1999 | | Co-production with Lottery Hill Productions |
| It's Like, You Know... | 1999–2000 | ABC | Co-production with 42 Pound Productions and EWH3 Productions |
| Freaks and Geeks | 1999–2000 | NBC | Co-production with Apatow Productions |

#### 2000s

| Title | Years | Network | Notes |
| The Others | 2000 | NBC | Co-production with Delusional Films and NBC Studios |
| Battery Park | 2000 | NBC | Co-production with Ubu Productions |
| The Job | 2001–2002 | ABC | Co-production with The Cloudland Company, Apostle and Touchstone Television |
| Band of Brothers | 2001 | HBO | Miniseries; co-production with Playtone, HBO Entertainment and British Broadcasting Corporation |
| Alienators: Evolution Continues | 2001–2002 | Fox Kids | US co-production with The Montecito Picture Company, DIC Entertainment and Dentsu Produced outside the US by Columbia TriStar Television Based on the 2001 film Evolution by DreamWorks Pictures and Columbia Pictures |
| Undeclared | 2001–2002 | Fox | Co-production with Apatow Productions |
| Off Centre | 2001–2002 | The WB | Co-production with Weitz, Weitz & Zuker and Warner Bros. Television |
| Boomtown | 2002–2003 | NBC | Co-production with Nemo Films and NBC Studios |
| Taken | 2002 | Sci-Fi Channel | Miniseries |
| Oliver Beene | 2003–2004 | Fox | Co-production with Steven Levitan Productions, ge.wirtz Films and 20th Century Fox Television |
| Las Vegas | 2003–2008 | NBC | Co-production with Gary Scott Thompson Productions, NBC Studios (season 1), NBC Universal Television Studio (seasons 2–5) and Universal Media Studios (season 5) |
| Line of Fire | 2003–2004 | ABC | Co-production with Battle Plan Productions and Touchstone Television |
| Rescue Me | 2004–2011 | FX | Co-production with The Cloudland Company, Apostle and Sony Pictures Television |
| Father of the Pride | 2004–2005 | NBC | Produced by DreamWorks Animation |
| The Contender | 2005–2008 | NBC (season 1) / ESPN (seasons 2–3) / Versus (season 4) | Co-production with Mark Burnett Productions and ESPN Original Entertainment (seasons 2–3) |
| Into the West | 2005 | TNT | Miniseries; co-production with Voice Pictures |
| Miracle Workers | 2006 | ABC | Co-production with Renegade 83 |
| Dog Bites Man | 2006 | Comedy Central | |
| On the Lot | 2007 | Fox | Co-production with Mark Burnett Productions and Amblin Television |
| Carpoolers | 2007–2008 | ABC | Co-production with T.R.O.N.T., 3 Arts Entertainment and ABC Studios |
| United States of Tara | 2009–2011 | Showtime | Co-production with Showtime Networks |
| Wedding Day | 2009 | TNT | Co-production with Mark Burnett Productions |

#### 2010s

| Title | Years | Network | Notes |
| The Pacific | 2010 | HBO | Miniseries; co-production with Playtone and HBO Entertainment |
| Falling Skies | 2011–2013 | TNT | Seasons 1–3 only; seasons 4–5 produced by Amblin Television |
| Smash | 2012–2013 | NBC | co-production with Madwoman in the Attic, Inc. (season 1) and Universal Television |
| The Americans | 2013 | FX | Pilot; co-production with Fox Television Studios and FX Productions |

### TV specials produced by DreamWorks Television

* The Secret World of Antz (1998)
* When You Believe: Music From "The Prince of Egypt" (1998)
* Galaxy Quest: 20th Anniversary — The Journey Continues (1999)
* The Hatching of "Chicken Run" (2000)
* Gladiator Games: The Roman Bloodsport (2000)
* We Stand Alone Together (2001)
* What Lies Beneath: Constructing the Perfect Thriller (2001)
* Woody Allen: A Life in Film (2002)

### TV series produced by DreamWorks Animation

These are TV series produced by DreamWorks Animation (DWA) that were distributed by DWTV around the world. In 2004, the animation division of DreamWorks was spun off as a separate company (and now bought by NBCUniversal in 2016) and thus animated shows after 2004 do not apply here.
* Toonsylvania (1998–1999)
* Invasion America (1998)
* Father of the Pride (2004–2005)