New Line Television
New Line Television was the television production arm of the film studio of the same name.
 | |
| Industry | Television production |
|---|---|
| Fate | Folded into Warner Bros Television (later known as Warner Bros. Television Studios) |
| Successor | Warner Bros. Television |
| Founded | 1988 in New York City, United States |
| Defunct | 2008 |
| Headquarters | , United States |
| Owner | WarnerMedia (AT&T) |
| Parent | New Line Cinema (Warner Bros.) |
| Divisions | New Line Television Pay-Per-View |
History
The company was founded in 1988 to produce Freddy's Nightmares, a television series based on the studio's Nightmare on Elm Street film series. Following the series's cancellation in 1990, New Line launched its own television unit a year later.[lower-alpha 1]
In 1990, New Line bought a majority stake in Robert Halmi, Inc. Entertainment, a production company specializing in Television films and miniseries.[1][2] RHI was sold to Hallmark Cards in 1994, shortly after New Line had been acquired by Turner Broadcasting System.[3]
Turner merged with Time Warner in October 1996. From October 2006, MGM Television began distributing New Line's films and television series.
In February 2008, New Line Cinema was merged with Warner Bros. and hence ceased to exist as a separate entity. In turn, New Line Television was folded into Warner Bros.'s television division.[4]
On 13 November 2017, it was announced that Amazon had acquired the global television rights to The Lord of the Rings, committing to a multi-season television series. The series will not be a direct adaptation of the books, but will instead introduce new stories that are set before The Fellowship of the Ring.[5] Amazon said the deal included potential for spin-off series as well.[6] The press release referred to "previously unexplored stories based on J.R.R. Tolkien's original writings". Amazon will be the producer in conjunction with the Tolkien Estate and The Tolkien Trust, HarperCollins and New Line Cinema.[7] According to a 2018 report, it will be the most expensive TV show ever produced.[8]
Television series produced
| Title | Years | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freddy's Nightmares1 | 1988–1990 | Syndication | |
| Court TV: Inside America's Courts | 1993–1997 | Syndication | with Court TV |
| The Mask | 1995–1997 | CBS | with Film Roman, Dark Horse Entertainment and Sunbow Entertainment |
| Dumb & Dumber | 1995 | ABC | with Hanna-Barbera Productions |
| Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm | 1996 | USA Network | with Film Roman, Threshold Entertainment/Lawrence Kasanoff; distributed by Warner Bros. Television Distribution and Turner Program Services |
| Mortal Kombat: Konquest | 1998–2000 | TNT | with Mailbu Entertainment, Inc., Threshold Entertainment/Lawrence Kasanoff; distributed by Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
| Breaking News | 2002 | Bravo | |
| The Twilight Zone | 2002–2003 | UPN | |
| Masterminds | 2003–2007 | History | |
| Amish in the City | 2004 | UPN | |
| Kitchen Confidential | 2005 | FOX | with 20th Century Fox Television |
| Blade: The Series | 2006 | Spike | with Marvel Entertainment |
| The Real Wedding Crashers | 2007 | NBC | |
| Friday: The Animated Series | 2007 | MTV2 | with Cubevision |
| High School Confidential | 2008 | WE tv | |
| Family Foreman | 2008 | TV Land |
Television distribution series
- The Lost World (1999–2002)
Notes
- Freddy's Nightmares was distributed in syndication by Lorimar-Telepictures from 1988–1989. Warner Bros. purchased Lorimar-Telepictures in 1989 and assumed distribution for the remainder of the series's run.
References
- Citron, Alan (Jun 6, 1990). "Qintex Entertainment to Sell Virtually All of Its Assets". Los Angeles Times.
- "BUSINESS PEOPLE; President for TV Unit At New Line Cinema". The New York Times. November 16, 1991. Retrieved September 16, 2009.
- Lippman, John (Apr 27, 1994). "Hallmark to Buy TV Movie Producer RHI Entertainment". Los Angeles Times.
- "It's Official - New Line Cinema is Dead!". FirstShowing.net. February 28, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
- Axon, Samuel (13 November 2017). "Amazon will run a multi-season Lord of the Rings prequel TV series". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017.
- Gonzalez, Sandra (13 November 2017). "Amazon announces 'Lord of the Rings' TV show". CNN. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017.
- Koblin, John (13 November 2017). "'Lord of the Rings' Series Coming to Amazon". The New York Times. New York City: New York Times Company. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- "Amazon's 'Lord of the Rings' Will Be the Most Expensive Television Show Ever Made". Fortune. Retrieved 8 April 2018.