Screen Gems Network

Screen Gems Network
Screen Gems Network logo, used from 1999–2002; based on the 1992 Columbia Pictures logo
Developed by	Barry Thurston
Narrated by	Billy West
Theme music composer	Peter Himmelman
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Douglas Ross Greg Stewart J. Rupert Thompson
Production company	Evolution Media
Original release
Network	Broadcast syndication
Release	September 20, 1999 (1999-09-20) – September 9, 2002 (2002-09-09)

The Screen Gems Network (SGN) was an American afternoon television program which ran in syndication from September 20, 1999, to September 9, 2002, launched by Columbia TriStar Television Distribution and produced by Evolution Media. The concept for the program was announced on January 11, 1999^[1] and it began airing on September 20, 1999; for the block's first season, only half-hour sitcoms were part of the block, with the second season expanding to include hour-long drama shows. (While not part of the Screen Gems Network itself, CTTD and Evolution also produced 130 half-hour compilations of shorts featuring The Three Stooges in a similar manner to that of the Screen Gems Network.)^[2]

SGN was the first broadcast-based service airing classic shows from the Columbia Pictures Television vault, airing shows with a resource base of 58,000 episodes of 350 television series from the 1950s to 1980s, included were shows created by Columbia Pictures Television, Tandem Productions, and ELP Communications.^[1] The announcer of the program was Billy West, who was tapped by CTTD to be the announcer for the program on August 11, 1999.^[3][4]

Programs were creatively grouped for theme weeks such as "Love is in the Air", "Pilots", "Best Music Videos" and "Before They Were Stars". Holiday based theme weeks include promotions for Halloween, Christmas, Mother's Day and Father's Day, among others.

The block was intended to be carried by stations in daytime slots, primarily afternoon and early evenings; for instance, WNYW in New York ran the block at 2 p.m., while WUAB in Cleveland aired it at 11 a.m.^[5] The block covered 62% of the country by March 1999; this number had risen to 80% of the stations carrying it by January 2000.^[6][7] The block was still being advertised by CTTD as late as May 2001.^[8]

• Father Knows Best (1954–1960)
• The Donna Reed Show (1958–1966)
• Hazel (1961–1966)
• Bewitched (1964–1972)
• I Dream of Jeannie (1965–1970)
• Gidget (1965–1966)
• The Monkees (1966–1968)
• The Flying Nun (1967–1970)
• Here Come the Brides (1968–1970)
• The Partridge Family (1970–1974)
• The Paul Lynde Show (1972–1973)
• The Farmer's Daughter (1963–1966)
• HAWK (1966)
• Batfink (1966–1967)
• Iron Horse (1966–1968)

• Starsky & Hutch (1975–1979)
• Charlie's Angels (1976–1981)
• What's Happening!! (1976–1979)
• Fantasy Island (1977–1984)
• Benson (1979–1986)
• What's Happening Now!! (1985–1988)

• All in the Family (1971–1979)
• Maude (1972–1978)
• Sanford and Son (1972–1977)
• Good Times (1974–1979)
• Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986)
• Sanford (1980–1981)

• The Jeffersons (1975–1985)
• One Day at a Time (1975–1984)
• The Facts of Life (1979–1988)
• Silver Spoons (1982–1987)

• Bewitched & I Dream of Jeannie
• The Partridge Family & The Monkees^[9]
• The Jeffersons & Benson