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Last night on NBC’s The Tonight Show, Jay Leno was doing his Monday night “Headlines” segment when he held up a TV Week cover with a picture of himself and a cutline that said “Host of The Tonight Show on ABC”. When the few laughs died down, Leno looked into the camera and smirked, “It’s like a headline from the future.”
Look, I’ve always thought that Leno and ABC were a logical fit when he leaves NBC (notice I don’t say if he leaves NBC) next year. Yes, Fox gets more ink as his possible next home. But ABC doesn’t seem to want edgy programming, so Leno’s exaggerated mainstream appeal makes sense for the network — even if his advanced age doesn’t. Here’s the problem with both Fox and ABC for Jay: he wants to go head to head with Conan and Letterman. So Nightline would be history.
Back in 2002, Disney’s Bob Iger was ready to jettison the late night news show in a heartbeat if he could lure David Letterman away from CBS. It almost happened — that is, until word leaked out that Disney was axing ABC’s best news program starring its best news anchor Ted Koppel. There was a shitstorm of protest.
Then, in 2004, Iger sought again to steal a late night host — this time, Conan. That was when Zucker, in order to keep O’Brien at NBC, promised to make Conan host of The Tonight Show in 2009 — thus explaining the origins of Leno’s non-stop animosity towards the pint-sized Big Media prez/CEO. Given that Leno is still the late night ratings leader, Iger is circling, along with Fox and Sony television. After all, Koppel’s gone, and Nightline is an afterthought.
So that leaves just one more question mark: Jimmy Kimmel. ABC is extending its option with him by another year, keeping him at the network through at least 2010. But that’s also the earliest date that Leno under his NBC contract terms can start working somewhere else. Kimmel could stay in his time slot if Leno does just a 30-minute show, agree to do a later show, or move to Fox and do an earlier and edgier show. See, this wasn’t so hard to figure out… Stay tuned.
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I’d like to add a younger perspective here, too. I don’t know a single person, aside from my parents and their friends, who watches the tonight show. Conan, Stewart, Colbert: that’s the triumvarate. Also, where do you people get your info? Ferguson (who is also a favorite of the oldsters) topped Conan exactly one week in the ratings back in April. It was a week that his lead in was all new TV after the strike and NBC was still running on repeats. And it hasn’t happened again.
Funniest comment ever: “Jeff is putting his personal feelings – that he should honor his commitment to O’Brien – ahead of the good of NBC.”
That’s hilarious. Zucker is ‘honoring’ Conan’s much younger, much hipper audience, and securing the future of the franchise. He could care a less about personal feelings. He couldn’t risk letting Conan leave years ago and start to erode Jay’s audience back then. Because this transition has been coming for so long, it’s bought Jay extra time in the ratings. Everyone’s waiting to see how it shakes out, if it weren’t happening Jay would have faced some serious competition years ago. Jay’s audience is old and getting older. His show has no critical respect. It’s not all about ratings and money. It’s about securing the tonight show for a younger audience. Conan beats Dave now in the most valuable demographic many nights, in spite of being on an hour later.
I don’t love everything Conan does, but have no doubt he’ll do what needs to be done for Tonight. He’s smart and his show’s writing is miles beyond the tonight show. He’ll had much needed new life to a stale franchise. Stewart and Colbert will move up to replace Dave. All will be right with the Late Night world. Hail Tivo.
It would be nice to see Jay leave gracefully. Guess he’s not going with that plan.
Ferguson is definitely the funniest guy on TV, bar none – laugh-out-loud funny. Could he be as funny if they gave him an 11:35 slot? Would it rein him in too much? I’d really like to see him on earlier, though, so I could catch him every night.
“It’s not all about ratings and money.”
Yes, with Tonight, it is MOST DEFINITELY about the money.
“That’s hilarious. Zucker is ‘honoring’ Conan’s much younger, much hipper audience, and securing the future of the franchise.”
WOW, do you drink the Zucker kool-aid or what? Tonight does not have a younger, hipper audience. It never will. It makes its money from the same older audience it always has. It’s the one feather in NBC’s cap and Jeff is going to … I just can’t even type the words. I can’t believe GE is going to let him do this. He’s got you as brainwashed as GE. Except that GE is going to be PISSED, SERIOUSLY PISSED, EXTREMELY UNBELIEVABLY PISSED when their sacred cow Tonight gets sick. And no amount of dissembling, or titillating speeches, is going to get Jeff out of it.
“He could care less about personal feelings.”
He’s just super passive aggressive. You may not see it, but you cross him, and you’ll see just how “not” personally Jeff takes things. Everything with Jeff is personal.
Everyone so far has forgotten about us in Chicago, where Kimmel doesn’t follow Nightline, he follows Nightline & an Oprah rerun from that morning.
Jimmy starts at 12:06AM, which for the rest of you is 1:06AM.
It seems that The Green Bay Packer quarterback Bret Farve and Jay Leno have alot in common. They both want to return to there original employers but they both don’t want them back. I think NBC is making a mistake not retaining Jay for The Tonight Show as Conan while very funny is just not an 11:35 type talent. His comedy will go over the head of that long running Tonight Show audience. NBC’s loss will be ABC’s gain. The clock is ticking for the peacock!
The LAST thing late night needs is a woman host. Not unless the network willing to risk having one is willing to place last in the network ratings.
Earlier this year, as many of you know, Kimmel was on Jay’s show, and Jay was on Kimmel’s show, on the SAME night! INTERESTING thing there! I don’t think i’ve ever seen that happen anywhere. It could have been just Jay getting a feel for the studio where Kimmel does his show. OR maybe, Jay getting a feel for his future at ABC, warming up to the ABC brass?! Both Kimmel and Leno on ABC in 2009, back to back? Wouldn’t hurt, would it? I like Kimmel! I like Leno, too! I would like it if they were on, back to back. Who would go first? Leno, or Kimmel? Leno on at 11:30, to go against Dave and Conan? Or Leno on at 12:30, to go against Ferguson and Fallon? What a predicament!!!
What a shame, Conan will kill a tradition in 6 months..He is a goof ball!! Can’t stand to watch for 5 minutes…Watch Leno faithly..Love his class & style..Hope NBC gets its just losses that will occur with Conan at the wheel…Millions will be lost!!! R.E.L. Orlando,Florida
Ricky-Jay and Jimmy did each other’s show because it was during the WGA strike and they were desperate to fill the show(s) with something to do because they couldn’t write for themselves. well, in Jimmy’s case he couldn’t write but that’s another story…
Of all of them it seems to me that Ferguson is the rising star to watch, when he’s “On”, he’s hilarious. He’s got bonifides as both actor and writer and gives the best skit around. Could be his life experience gives him a kind of depth that O’Brien will never have which plays in well for his occasional more serious guests. I hope he doesn’t burn out early.
Being another commentator from the “younger” viewers, I absolutely think that Jay Leno is the best, and ABC would be the perfect spot for him. Conan is only funny because he acts dumb, but Jay actually rights good jokes and is the only true comedian in all of the Late Night shows. I don’t think Conan’s style is the same as the Tonight Show’s, and NBC’s going to be hurt by losing Leno, but I’ll stick with Jay wherever he goes.
I Like Jay Leno, I stay us to watch him. I couldn’t believe that NBC was putting that idiot, slapstick Conen in his place. I can’t even stand Letterman anymore, that musician butting in, I am sure it’s scripted but he just sounds stupid to me. I guess part of it is like Johnny Carson, Jay is funny, smart, and real. I am glad in a way, because now I can watch Jay earlier. but I will follow him whereever he goes, late night or not. In a world of bling and pretense it is reassuring when we see someone who tells it like it is. It disturbs me that comedy is going back to antics and pie in the face, slapstick. Even Jay’s guests bring sanity and reality to the set. Funny yes, funny, dialogue between Jay and his guests and audience. When I turn off the TV and go to my bed, I feel like I have had ‘enchanting and interesting’ people in my living room for a visit. Go Jay, take good care of yourself, the thinking public will miss you on late night, but anytime I can enjoy watching and listening to you and your guests, I will be there..God Bless You, L. Rogers
Leno… really? Why is this article so pro-Leno as if he is the victim? He screwed Letterman because originally he was supposed to take Johnny Carson’s spot. Letterman got pissed at the NBC execs and left.
They had made a deal with Conan to move him up, and that deal must be honored unless they want to breach that contract. So they moved Leno to an even earlier time. And now he’s talking about going head to head with Conan and Letterman? This is how I see things:
The funniest talk show host is Craig Ferguson (he gives the best monologues and interviews).
The most refined host is Letterman (its insane how much people respect him when they’re on his show).
The biggest potential is in Conan (he’s got a prolific well of crazy ideas and seems to experiment a lot).
Leno is peaked, and he’s still not the best, just has a timeslot that more people are comfortable staying up for because they have work in the morning.