Carl Icahn Now Wants ALL Of Lionsgate 
Action Comedy TV: Showrunner Matt Nix 
SAG National Board Approves Joint Bargaining … 
Which is worse? Network execs too scared to change a successful formula. Or network execs too willing to turn everything on its head. It's clear that Conan's version of NBC's cash cow The Tonight Show is just more of the same old/same old. And that's how O'Brien's longtime exec producer Jeff Ross and boss Jeff Zucker want it. But while they were golfing together this weekend in a foursome at Riviera Country Club (Ross, who just moved out here, is the better player, while Zucker has a 14 handicap and can barely keep up), they both worried how to prevent primetime's The Jay Leno Show from cannibalizing Conan's late night show this fall. And my info is that it's already getting ugly.
Leno's show premieres September 14th. NBC doesn't want Conan "freaking out" as he's establishing himself. And the bosses know that booking wars on the same network are a recipe for disaster. So, already, NBC executives have barraged Jay with edicts. The first were the network's recommendations on which longtime staffers to keep or let go. The network also has demanded that Leno back off booking A-list celebrities because it would encroach on O’Brien’s turf.
You'd think Jeff Zucker and Ben Silverman would have already come up with a solution for this predicament of having two de facto Tonight Shows. But there's a reason NBC is the 4th-place network, so nooooooooooo. They only know what they don't want. So these bosses are putting Leno under pressure to think outside the box and help come up with a format significantly different from the one he’s slavishly followed for 17 years. But no one should rely on Jay for that. The last time he had an original idea, it was 1992 and it involved making his manager Helen Kushnick also The Tonight Show's executive producer. And we all know how well that turned out.
Most people wrongly attribute the start of Leno's late night ratings wins to 1995 when he asked Hugh Grant, fresh from his arrest for getting a blow job with a prostitute, "What the hell were you thinking?". But actually, in late 1993, Don Ohlmeyer was brought in to lead NBC's troops to ratings victory. And the first thing this General Patton impersonator did was to retool Jay's The Tonight Show by overseeing the design of a new set, adding more remote segments, using different camera angles, and recreating the artificial excitement of a comedy club by having people in those first rows pretend to mob Jay. After a see-saw battle with Letterman, Leno became No. 1 in late night.
Problem is, there are no leaders anymore atop NBC. Just pretenders. And, of course, Jay had no idea he'd take a backseat to Conan so soon. (Then again, Zucker sold him a bill of goods to make sure Leno didn't defect to ABC.) But Leno is the one who'll get the blame if the new show doesn't work. Zucker and Silverman have shown they're Teflon.
So Jay, Jeff, Ben: here's what you need to do:
Zucker and Silverman keep spinning how NBC is now the Comedy Network. Fine, then make The Jay Leno Show into the Comedy Hour, not the Talking Heads Hour. Yes, Leno is so insecure that he abandoned The Tonight Show's long and noble tradition under Johnny Carson of spotlighting the kind of raw stand-up talent who went on to become household names: Jerry Seinfeld, Roseanne Barr, Garry Shandling, Drew Carey, Louie Anderson, Steven Wright, Rita Rudner, Gallagher. (Well, everyone but him...) Bring back that segment. Lengthen it. Reassure Jay that this isn't an audition for his hosting spot in 2012.
Next, I have one word: raid. Make offers to feature players on Saturday Night Live, sidekicks on NBC and other network/cable sitcoms, and second bananas co-starring in Judd Apatow-type movies, to come on Jay's show for a week at a time and star in stuff -- sketches, skits, spoofs, and other updated but low-brow Carol Burnett Show-type shtick -- to help fill time and get Leno through what's going to be the dragging 10:30 PM to 11 PM half-hour. These young and old and quirky types will be like swigs of Red Bull for the mainstream audience. (With or without the cocaine.)
Finally, rescue Amy Poehler from that loser Parks And Recreation (which I hear may start changing its dreadful mockumentary style) and make her Leno's permanent sidekick equal. Women love her. And since most guys are too busy playing video games or watching internet porn to even sample Leno in primetime, you'll need females to tune in. (Just don't glam up Amy. You morons will make her look like a $10 hooker. Or, worse, Chelsea Handler.) When Jay starts whining like the pussy he is, tell him to man up and shut up.
This is a start. I'm sure DHD commenters will come up with more suggestions.
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“Women love her.”
This one doesn’t. I was relieved when she finally left SNL. Let her stay on her Parks show where I can continue to ignore her.
…harsh…
Leno is f@cked! He better tear up that contract and go to ABC today! I understand his willingness to stay with NBC is very honorable- but Geez- its getting stupid now. Nightline is useless- he could kill Conan, ( he’s already slayed Letterman for 17 years – so does he matter? ) This could be an exciting time in Late Night TV – But he’s such a company man that he’s gonna do whatever NBC tells him..That’s a shame cause he could really plant his own flag on ABC.
Hi Nikki,
Isn’t Jay Leno’s audience significantly older, as in the Senior Set? I happen to know of a few seniors back in Middle America who TiVo Leno every night and who “guffaw” over Leno’s-let’s face it-lame, political & topical jokes. Is Leno, who is in danger of becoming a fossil himself (put him in the Smithsonian already) really the right person to being youth back to NBC?
What you’re describing is a bold shake-up and probably not gonna happen. How about letting his show die a slow death, which might embolden Conan to take on some of the changes you described?
You seem to attribute the success of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to everything but Leno, but if Leno show fails it will fail because no one wants to see a late night show an hour earlier, 5 nights a week.
Leno was successful on The Tonight Show because of Leno. I’m not saying that having great guest don’t help, they help a lot, but The Tonight Show was the ratings winner for years and I don’t think every guest was “must see.” I hope Conan has the same success that Leno had, but you never know.
rip off howard stern some more
it worked for a while.
Leno could also have a “College Spotlight” segment in that half-hour where unknown university based comedy troupes can take a turn making skits after winning some sort of competition (which could promote the show with the college crowd.)
It’ll also be a good chance to mine a fresh vein of young (& cheap) talent for other projects.
As for the raiding, include Second City, Groundlings, and any other theatrical comedy group that might provide the fresh blood the show is going to need.
Plus, Jay needs to shed the insecurity that makes him feel impending doom if the spotlight leaves him for less than a nanosecond. He needs a Harvey Korman to his Carol Burnett to help pick up the slack, or he’ll be burnt out in less than a month.
Is this actually you, Nikki? The voice in this piece is sharp not shrill, satirical not obvious and pompous not arrogant. Well done!
JZ and BS….two wrongs that will never make a Wright.
you want Amy Poehler to become Jay’s Ed McMahon? huh?
Why didn’t they ask Conan to ‘think outside the box’ instead of Jay, the more traditional performer?
It should be the other way around. Have the A-listers on during prime time. The studios will love it – it will help with the traditional Thursday night media onslaught of upcoming weekend releases. Let the edgy comedians come on and innovate on Conan instead. Most of that crowd has connections to Conan’s writing staff anyway.
Tell ‘em to come on down to UCB, all the raw talent you could want waiting for their break.
These are good ideas even if I don’t generally like Jay Leno OR Amy Poehler. It would be nice to have a more down-to-earth alternative to SNL – maybe with less pot-smoking humor. I might even enjoy it every once in a while.
For someone who is not a professional golfer, a 14 handicap is not bad at all.
I take some of this blog with a grain of salt (and I don’t use much sodium/salt). The point is, Jay Leno will be fine and Conan O’brien will be fine in their new timeslots. Maybe Jeff Zucker and Jeff Ross have something to worry about and maybe not. Jeff Zucker and Ben Silverman NEED Jay’s core base and ratings to keep things looking on the positive tip for them as a viable network. Both of them simply could not afford to lose Jay to Fox or ABC. At the same time they might be worried, long term, about Conan’s shelf life and ratings over time too.
Now, if Jay’s ratings go better than Conan’s, well then they will have to suffer the consequences of their actions with both hosts and the environment of late night talk.
Everything will be Ok and so there should be nothing to get so panic stricken and paranoid over until things evolve and find out for themselves if it all works out or not. Just take a wait and see kind of attitude.
Jay Leno just might come out of all of this, the ultimate winner! There is room for both and Jeff Zucker, Ben Silverman, and Jeff Ross need to simply sit back, relax and let things happen!
How can these type of shows do well over time? People want to see stories (ie: hr and 1/2 hr shows) at some point, not ENDLESS network fluff. Between these variety shows and reality, they are just watering down their network. Locking Jay in this time slot also puts an end to any smart ADULT one hr on NBC in the 10:00 hr as long as this show is on. It’s a shame!
Trying to turn The Jay Leno Show into a “comedy of tomorrow” spotlight seems like an oxymoron. No offense to Jay, because I have respect for him as a person, but as a comedian…he’s so old fashioned and out of touch, I’m surprised America has pretended he’s relevant for this long. If this did become a Carol Burnett-style sketch show, it would be just that…muggy, “silly,” and only appealing to an older demo. Hell, look at the “sketches” they tried to do with Jay on the Tonight Show sometimes. The man doesn’t do characters, only muggy facial expressions.
Also, Parks and Recreation will always be higher rated than this thing. Also, taking a star with wattage and making her a sidekick is a bad idea, even hypothetically.
I’ve been saying it for months, Jay won’t work at 10pm. And now, NBC has no development slate in place to back him up should he “drop down to 4 nights a week”, etc.
This could be Jeff Zucker’s undoing, especially if NBC continues at it’s present spot in the ratings war and fails to improve, especially at 10pm.
A 2-hour special and Jay quietly slips off the air, followed by Jay resurfacing as the new in-residence act at Caesar’s followed by a relaunch at 11:30 on ABC for a half hour show – no band, no monologue, just 1 guest and maybe a musical act. Book it – ABC should hire me!
Thank you, Nikki, for pointing out that the Hugh Grant moment was not the only lightning rod for Jay’s turnaround. Additionally, let’s not forget that NBC was in the shitter in prime-time from ‘92-94, before their watershed lineup of introducing FRIENDS and ER, plus SEINFELD becoming a monster hit. It gave NBC a better lead-in at the time, and CBS was actually doing great (if not, older demographic) numbers in the early 90’s with MURPHY BROWN, etc. Yeah, yeah, I know people could argue that it’s an even more extreme ratings divide right now with NBC worse off than ever and Jay was still a clear #1, but there are also a lot more choices out there in latenight than there were back then.
Additionally, CBS suffered a gigantically crushing blow in ‘94 when New World changed it’s TV station affiliations from CBS to Fox, forcing CBS to scramble to get new, mostly UHF affiliates in some major markets- in some cases, these stations did not even have a local news operation, so the lead-ins to Dave were syndicated re-runs. It instantly leveled the network playing field (and Fox scored NFL around the same time), but Dave’s ratings were a major casualty of that deal.
Yeah, I prefer Letterman to Leno, but I see where the mass appeal for Jay comes from- he worked his ass off and he deserves the success. All I’m saying is that Nikki has it right- the Hugh Grant revisionist history has gotten out of hand.
A 14 Handicap when you have that much money to hire a good swing coach isn’t anything to brag about. If I remember correctly former GM chairman Jack Welch was about a 5 and he didn’t exactly look like the most athletic guy.
But then again, I don’t Zucker should be spending that much time on the links these days. Or maybe he should let his caddie pick NBC’s primetime line up? Might do better than Ben and there’s no where to go but up!
Nikki,
Shame on you for even suggesting Amy Poehler as a mere sidekick. She’s a major comedy talent and while PARKS AND RECREATION has not realized its potential, she’s FAR too talented to be relegated to a second banana job. That said, love your idea about showcasing more comedy talent on Jay’s show. New comedy talent needs more nurturing and only Comedy Central is doing it full-time these days.
This is just my opinion. The only reason Leno garnered more viewers than Dave is because of of “The Tonight Show’s” rich legacy. Anybody will watch anybody host that show as long as “The Tonight Show With____” is in front of their name. Well, Ok..maybe not ANYBODY.
Who under the age of say, 45 is going to watch anything called “The Jay Leno Show.” *Shivers*. Not me.
Jay never mentioned Helen Kushnik in his goodbye speech on his last show. Or in any of the numerous magazine interviews he’s doing lately. I haven’t read them ALL so I could be mistaken.
I was starting to feel a little sorry for Jay after hearing how NBC is treating him, but then I remembered that.
Any truth to rumors that Jay will appear on Dave’s show this summer?
I like the idea of Leno doing more to showcase standup comics. Those are his peeps, and, right now, there’s a dearth of high-quality standup on TV.
Also: now that Leno is freed from the yoke of being sort of in charge of U.S. public opinion, why can’t he go back to being more casual and a little nastier? If he would just act on his show the way he does when he’s a guest on other people’s shows, that would go a long way toward making his new show different from the Tonight Show.
I think something else that would be help would be to have him give up doing the show on Mondays very soon, and eventually to have him stop doing new shows on Fridays. That would probably ease many kinds of pressure, including booking pressure.
Finally: I think it would be awkward for Leno to have Amy as his sidekick if there really is any bad blood between Conan and Leno.
Thanks, Howard Beale for clearing that up. It was always a head scratcher how a buffoon like Leno could’ve overtaken Letterman at that time. Encouraging to know perhaps there aren’t as many moronic viewers as one would’ve thought.
I, for one, will happily stick to my internet porn, thank you very much.
And ps, I don’t know what everyone’s prolem with Chelsea Handler is; of all the latenight shows, hers consistently makes me laugh the loudest.
Jay should do a 45 minute show. Then they could start the news at the local NBC stations at 10:45. Most people watch the local news for sports and weather, which is aired halfway into the news hour. That would mean NBC stations would have sports and weather at 11:00, and they would grab all those viewers from CBS and ABC who really just want to know how their teams did and what the weather is….Conan starts at 11:20…giving his monologue a jump on Letterman….Fallon too….
Leno would have to only fill 45 minutes a night, he could loose an interview segment and concentrate on what he does best, comedy. Everybody wins and gets to go to bed earlier. You’re welcome
Jay should stay he is good
If NBC is already telling Leno who he can’t have as guests then you know it’s not long before they start to tell him who he can have. I’m guessing we’ll be seeing the casts of The Office, Heroes, and basically every other NBC/Universal show passing through on a nearly constant basis.
Conan’s ratings have gone from a 7.1 for his debut on Monday night to a 4.3 last night.* That’s a lot of people who have decided not to come back after just two shows. He’s still beating Letterman and Kimmel, but for how long? Handicapping Jay in the hopes that it would benefit Conan might work, if NBC were the only network on television, but it’s not. Ross should know better, but more importantly so should Zucker.
Just for argument’s sake: you’re only going to book celebrities on one NBC nighttime show. Would you pick the host with the Emmys or the host with the audience? Emmy awards don’t pay creditors. Conan’s an amazing talent, but until he proves he can hold the audience, Zucker shouldn’t piss off one of the only people at NBC who can make money.
I don’t think Ross’ meddling will have too much effect or that Poehler should be anyone’s sidekick. Conan’s numbers will settle at around a 3.2, and yes, I actually think his show’s great. Jay should stick to his formula and ignore all of us (like he has for 17 years) NBC will panic and drop all of its edicts when they see how many people don’t like ANY of the late night options, and his fans will tune in for him like they always do.
*Jay averaged a 3.9.
This story makes me so very happy.
(Even though I suffer a slight guilt pang because the Leno writers are really nice people.)
I am loving watch Leno being destroyed.
They offered Dave this same deal with the Devil and he turned it down. Network suits are liars and douchebags and so is Jay so he trusted them and now they are going to ruin him so that he’ll be useless for any other network.
Jay figures “I beat Letterman, I can do it to Conan, too.” The difference is Letterman didn’t see the betrayal coming. Conan knows you’re a lying scumbag.
Thank God for you Nikki otherwise we’d never know anything that’s real.
All of late night has unfortunately become a cesspool, but Conan seems like a much better guy than Leno, and a better comedian, so hopefully he’ll exceed Leno.
The network decided only one demographic was valuable to them and is paying the price.
Leno didn’t go to ABC because he likely feared it was the Tonight Show brand that held his ratings. Now that some of the history of how he leap frogged over Letterman has been explained, this seems more likely. If an ABC show failed, he’d have no one to blame. If his new show fails, he’ll just blame the time slot.
Jugdish, once again you’re mistaken. Nightline is still a very valuable commodity pulling competitive numbers (a virtual dead heat with Letterman) every night over the past couple years, while Kimmel is 100% dead weight filler.
ABC should’ve grabbed Leno and kicked Kimmel to the curb to go and host an eating competition show on Spike TV, or some shit.
This is getting fun, though. And it must be tearing that evil prick Kimmel up to know he’s never mentioned as an important player in any of these conversations.
Slightly off topic, but on last night’s Conan O’Brien show (the Wednesday episode), he told Julia Louis Dreyfuss that she was his first female guest. Wtf? There were NO female guests on the first two shows? I find that rather odd and disturbing. How do you book two whole shows, let alone your first two, without a single female guest? Odds would suggest that the male/female ratio would have been 50/50, so it appears the person selecting guests has some sort of skewed preference that is, at least to me, kind of offensive…though I know it’s popular in this country to greatly favor men over women.
NBC is diabolically brilliant. For whatever reasons they wanted to get rid of Jay Leno so the best way to do that is to give him his own prime-time show.
The ratings and format of that show will be horrible so it will be just a matter of time before the show is canceled. Other networks – like ABC – wouldn’t want to go into business with a “failure” so that prevents Jay from going on a rival network.
Now if only NBC could use that genius for good instead of evil. I know their shareholders would be happier.
Nikki, while you offer some remarkable points, it must be noted that we’re in the throes of an abysmal era in comedy. Go to Laugh Factory or the Comedy Store and you’ll see the same slate of “comedians” employing a shopworn routine of self-pitying or bombastic obnoxiousness or some other lame shtick. There’s a reason why there are no must-see comedians touring the country, creating a buzz (and BTW, Dane Cook was a pig in a poke, fueled by overhype generated on MySpace).
In addition, improv is so passe. I think audiences have reached their limits in watching buffoons acting like an electric turkey carver with a short circuit.
And while some make invoke Apatow’s success as evidence that comedy is thriving as much as ever, I just want to make this analogy: If you crave pizza, and the only place within a 30-mile radius is Papa John’s, you’ll go there because while it’s not great, it’s good enough. Same thing for Apatow and his apostles’ comedies; people really want a laugh, and they’ll go to these flicks because they’re just good enough, not memorable or great.
Personally, I prefer the writing on The Daily Show, Colbert, some Adult Swim toons and Maher, but that material is too edgy for network TV (though I’m continually amazed that Family Guy gets away with so much on Murdoch’s Fox).
Ultimately, Jay Leno’s going to regret this move. Once the show hits the nadir in the ratings, his reputation will be tarnished and he’ll wish he would’ve gone to ABC or Fox.
realworldperson – Sorry to say that even if Jay tanks, the 10pm hour will just go back to the affiliates. No chance NBC will make the $$$ investment to rebuild a full primetime line-up at this point.
Make a woman a PARTNER, not a sidekick and get rid of that dumb offensive Leno “humor.”
Just sticking a female face in as window dressing will not make women rush back in droves after being systematically driven off.
It was clear from the start that NBC is burning the candle from both ends and is going to end up with nothing.
Audiences are going to get talk show fatigue. The pool of guests will shrink because less movies and tv shows are being made. More D-list and non-celebs will be booked to fill time. That’ why talk show hosts are ping ponging back and forth as guests on each others’ shows. Viewers will fall off even more. NBC will announce the talk show format is dead rather than admitting it killed it, just like it announced sitcoms are dead rather than admitting it couldn’t or wouldn’t come up with good ones.
How can a network be run with absolutely no foresight or planning?
Oh, and Amy Poehler stands on her own.
Why wouldn’t NBC want “A” list guests in prime time? Sounds like Zucker is already devising an apologia stategy in the event that his big “experiment” fails. (Take note newbies, this is how you fail upward Hollywood style : LEAD OFF WITH YOUR FALLBACK POSITION.) If you’ve noticed too, with Zucker, if you have a relationship with him from the old days in New York – you seem to not be able to do wrong – if you don’t -not so much. We’re gonna find out just how much of a “nice guy” Conan really is. I’m looking forward to the day when “Law and Order – CSI Edition” guest starring Zach Braff and Patricia Arquette (a Zucker sweeps “Today” show-style stunt to promote the Detroit Olympics 2525) starts with a monologue.
Why don’t they just cancel Jay now and not waste the time they’re going to spend to do it eventually?
Say what you will about Jay, but he got to where he is by working harder than his peers in the business. He may not always play in L.A. and N.Y.C., but he plays just about everywhere else, including Peoria. And it’s his continued commitment to his audiences across the country that allows him to remain connected and relevant to his fans.
As comedy comes from many sources and wears many stripes, what is funny to some is often not funny to others — laughter is not a monolith nor should it be. What’s important is that men and women of comedy keep the laughs coming, and whether Jay does that at 10PM on NBC or 11:30PM on ABC (or elsewhere) is all that ultimately matters.
NBC should make Jay Leno animated in 2d. The first animated talk/comedy show. It would be very original. But the guests could be live. And certain comedy bits would 3D ala, Pixar.
To save money, Jay could have Hank Hill, Homer and Donald Duck as guests. There’s a huge library waiting to be exploited.
I know this is “out of the box,” but you don’t win by playing by the rules.
My guy at NBC tells me that one of the conditions for Jay’s 10pm show is that he drop all musical acts. Most talk shows save the musical act for the last five minutes. 50% of latenight viewers tend to change the channel once the band starts performing — no matter who is playing. NBC is worried about their lead in to the 11 o’clock news.
I like the idea of showcasing new comics and more skits.
Brett
Nikki, love ya but Parks & Recreation is hilarious.
Moving Jay to 10:00 was lame, plain and simple.
A 14 handicap is very good, probably in the top 25% or better of all golfers. Even if Ross is a scratch golfer, which is highly unlikely, Zucker would have no problem at all in keeping up with him.
i don’t watch the tonight show but i have to think jay’s success on it had less to do with camera angles and more to do with middle america liking him and his humor. it’s ridiculous in your story that he gets no credit for his success. just camera angles and a new set. ha.
I like everything but the Amy Poeler equality thing – but yes, appeal to Jay by bringing in stand up and love the idea of weekly “players” — good stuff
“on last night’s Conan O’Brien show, he told Julia Louis Dreyfuss that she was his first female guest. Wtf? How do you book two whole shows, let alone your first two, without a single female guest?”
It’s not that unusual, since the Monday and Tuesday shows only had one guest each (Will Ferrell; Tom Hanks).
wow – that’s too much good information for jay.
don’t give him any good suggestions because people will believe that he came up with them and that will make him even harder to tolerate.
he’s a complete douche bag with no redeeming qualities.
@Paul
Yes, this is part of why late night is dying.
All male hosts. All male writers. Male sidekicks. Male bands.
It was fitting punctuation, and notable before last night’s acknowledgment, that Conan’s first two shows were wall-to-wall male guests.
Creepy.
What Jay needs to do is make his show more of a news magazine with big guests across the spectrum. More political guests, more “of the moment” guests. Longer monologue, Daily Show style remotes at big events or with newsmakers. Comical investigations into pop culture stuff…
DHD remarks on this matter are about 30% news 70% navel gazing. The Poehler idea is insane and would not help at all!
Leno’s show has a long series commitment but is still very much “in development.” Edicts or no, they will do many test shows and market test the heck out of this thing. They have a lot of time to tweak before the general public sees a second of this show.
And Zucker’s decision here is nothing short of brilliant. If Leno works, it’s a win, and if Leno doesn’t it’s a win (although a seemingly more sinister win that comes at the expense of JL’s career/legacy).
Yes Leno should have taken the ABC money, even if his non-compete clause kept him off the air for nine months after his final “Tonight Show.” Jay could have toured the country with his stand-up during that time, even done more of these free recession shows, and bolstered his heartland rep in the months leading up to his ABC debut.
Zucker suckered Jay into taking a deal that has a huge upside for NBC and remains a real risk for Jay.
Your ideas would never work at NBC, as they are too ambitious and sensible.
But this assumption that once Leno’s new show tanks (well in terms of other networks, or par for the course for NBC), he’ll be “untouchable” is baseless and possibly wrong.
Mark my words: After a year or so of flailing and getting pushed around, Leno will go to Fox or ABC and compete the lights out giving the American people exactly what they want: same old, same old.
Spectacular advice…
“Recreating the artificial excitement of a comedy club by having people in those first rows pretend to mob Jay.”
Wow, you really hate Jay. The point of recreating a comedy club is because Leno was more comfortable and himself in a comedy club setting. He needs the proximity to the audience to connect.
He credits it with making the show click for him. And click it did, as he was number one forever.
I’m much more of a Letterman fan, but give the man his props.
Good ideas Nikki. I would add making the ” Jay” show once a week. Sunday. What’s old is new again. Who’d a thought talent shows would be big again. Jay could be the Ed Sullivan of the 21th Century.
NBC’s main problem is going to be talk show exhaustion. There’s already five a night, six when Jay starts up. They all have the same structure and lack of imagination. How about taking some kind of chance with some new thinking? All these networks/dinosaurs will die like GM if they don’t evolve.
Who cares? It is all crap and just dumbs down everybody, period. There is abosolutely nothing relivent that comes from either of these shows. And the writing is just as bad if not worse than regular tv shows.
Is there really that big of a difference between the new Tonight Show and The Conan O’Brien Show? Or does the issue come into play with Leno, O’Brien and Fallon?
Can’t teach a old dog new tricks. Especially a very nervous one moving to a new dog-house. Jay is topical stand up; that is his brand and comfort zone. DOuble down on it; the only choice. 10pm show should be Jay’s 10-14 minutes on topical stuff, a produced piece (sketch, remote, etc; alt jay and a few correspondents) then half-hour break. Then a permanent 7-8 minute segment with a hipper side-kick comic doing the fake news (Norm MacDonald call your agent), back to Jay with one celeb interview and close with a young stand-ups showcase. Go all comedy. Kill music.
Give Jay a chance. He is very smart about his comedy as well as his audiences. It is a great move and takes nerve and confidence from talent and management to go outside the box. Television repeats in cycles, and to go to a 10 p.m. variey time slot is not new, but unproven at this era. Those of television history know the greats who lead the way in this area.
Free television as a business in 2009 needs to embrace changes in order to survive.
I’m new to your site, and all I can say, is boy are you smart!!
You tell it like it is. Thanks!
Chelsea Handler is no $10 hooker, Ted Harbert is worth a lot more than that.
“House” and “NCIS” on USA are looking better and better.
I’d like to comment, but I’m too busy watching Internet p*rn. How else can I get to sleep?
What Jay needs to do is make his show more of a news magazine with big guests across the spectrum. More political guests, more “of the moment” guests. Longer monologue, Daily Show style remotes at big events or with newsmakers. Comical investigations into pop culture stuff…
This skews too long-hair… I really like the Carol Burnett Show/variety concept, though the more sketches and non-sequitir “characters” you put in the show, the more it starts looking like Conan.
Disposable Income –
“wall-to-wall male guests”
Yeah…two whole guests (Will Ferrell/Tom Hanks), it’s a anti-feminist conspiracy…
Also, the two biggest conan fans I know are female, he’ll do just fine…
Just don’t glam up Amy. You morons will make her look like a $10 hooker. Or, worse, Chelsea Handler.
Brilliant.
MY Fall 2009 10:00 p.m. viewing schedule:
Monday 10:00 p.m. – ABC Castle (with that yummy Nathan Fillion) – check
Tuesday 10:00 p.m. – Any Law & Order, SVU, Criminal Intent rerun I can find either on USA or TNT or wherever – check.
Wednesday 10:00 p.m. may check out Leno — save this night for the A-listers since they’ll want to promote their weekend opening movies then anyway.
Thurday 10:00 p.m. CBS The Mentalist (with that equally yummy Aussie Simon Baker — hey CBS can you do an episode where he gets konked on the head thinks he’s Australian and gets to speak with that sexy accent of his – and seriously, if he wasn’t married…!! (yes, there are still people out here in the heartland that have ethics and morals) – check
Friday – gad I hope I have a date and am not sitting at home watching ANY TV!
So frankly my dear, I could give a rat’s-ass who Jay has on, what Conan does or which executive at NBC rants about – whatever (rolls eyes)! Network TV doesn’t have much I want to watch anyway.
Luckily there’s HGTV & The Food Network – where at least I’m learning something.
why does nikki love amy pohler so much? i dont understand this. i don’t think most women love her as the article states. in fact, i think most women are annoyed by her.
That Chelsea Handler jab was so spot-on delightful, Nikki, I think you should be writing comedy…
But honest to God, the funniest show would be if cameras simply followed Jay as he stalked Conan and the Tonight Show staff every day. You think The Office generates belly laughs from awkward, uncomfortable moments? Get ready for unprecedented hilarity…
Short of that, I think we’re all missing the point: NBC doesn’t want a hit at 10:00 pm with Leno. What they want is to disarm a threat and protect their greatest asset: the Tonight Show franchise.
How do they do that?
Well, which is ultimately more costly/risky? Let Leno run to ABC or anywhere he could damage The Tonight Show as a beloved challenger with a built-in following at its height–or spend a few bucks letting him slowly bleed out at 10pm, where you have him under control, and then can eventually release him into the marketplace as damaged goods that no longer poses a competitive threat?
And all the while, NBC can officially look like the good guy: Hey, we love Jay and tried to keep him. It just didn’t work out.
It’s the deviously expedient play. Sure, you get a little bruising in the media for a while, but you split it with Leno himself–and the bruising that would come from allowing Leno to take Conan’s scalp for a rival network would surely be substantially worse (particularly financially) and get fielded by the executives alone.
Leno’s signature combination of self-serving ego and NBC-loyalty is the blind spot leading him to step cheerfully onto the trap door.
And why isn’t Conan freaking out? Because folks whisper what I just shared into his ear.
Look out below…
Chelsea Handler is no $10 hooker, Ted Harbert is worth a lot more than that.
Comment by Tom — June 4, 2009 @ 1:09 pm
But she’s not.
Richard,
“A 14 handicap is very good, probably in the top 25% or better of all golfers. Even if Ross is a scratch golfer, which is highly unlikely, Zucker would have no problem at all in keeping up with him.”
You must not play golf- a 14 handicap is NOT good- and the difference between a 0 handicap and a 2 is significant on the Golf course- Please- a 14 is good- lmao.
Did Andy Richter go to the Robin Quivers’ Laughing Academy, to prepare for his new role?
“When Jay starts whining like the pussy he is, tell him to man up and shut up.”
I have never seen a line that is so designed to have people say “wow, Nikki really tells it like it is. She speaks her mind. She’s so fearless.” That line was so predictable and forced. It sounds like something written by a Republican blogger from “the real America”. It’s a line that panders to people who think they’re badasses. Up until then I thought she made some great points. Only a Hollywood blogger could equate show business with manliness. Talk about messed up priorities. Calling someone a pussy and a whiner is really hack. Hack hack hack.
CT
NBC’s biggest problem is not Leno. Conan’s school-boy humor is already falling flat. His biggest laughs on night #3 were his self-mocking cracks about not getting the laughs he expected. Conan on Late NIght is one of the biggest mistakes in NBC history.
I like Jay fine but I prefer Conan myself and I’ve enjoyed watching the first few nights (on DVR the next day – kid duty is too tiring to stay up that late). This will be interesting to see how it plays out though, I’m not sure how it can work in the long run.
Dustintime’s Leno-the-stalker idea (above) made me think of HBO’s 1996 version of Bill Carter’s The Late Shift, in which Daniel Roebuck plays Leno-as-spy. Perhaps NBC should hire him; that is to say, Roebuck was (and could be again) more entertaining as Leno than Leno himself is.
Turning the 10 pm show into a showcase for new comedy talent is a good idea- but CONAN should host THAT show, and give TONIGHT back to Leno.Conan has much more street cred in comedy circles!
NBC deserves to have Leno tank. By putting Leno on five nights a week at 10, it takes away five hours of drama. That means over five hundred people lost jobs because Leno is on at 10 instead of the 1 hour dramas that should be there.
Anonymous @ 1:50 pm
Here we go. Cue predictable “feminist” insults and nonsensical attack. If you work on the show, it’s no wonder the script is stale.
LOL.
TEN DOLLAR HOOKER=BEN SILVERMAN.
Gimme Andy Richter in a dress, pleeeease.
Conan is already wearing thin and it’s only Thursday.
Who really gives a good f-ck about NBC in its current state of play? Seriously. Leno is the least of its worries. Zucker and Silverman are so far up one another’s arse, it’s just plain gross.
And this is the main reason why Zucker and Silverman still have jobs at NBC? Zucker is the ULTIMATE corporate kiss-ass and Silverman is Zucker’s little bitch and it’s amazing these two ass-clowns are still around but good to destroy whatever credibility this network still has going for them. can we say maybe 6th place anyone? Could happen as long as these two dicks are still there!
Paul, We thought the all male guests was odd too.
If he had all women guests guys would throw a hissy after the first night and call it a chick show.
We tuned in for a moment, got bored and tuned out
Whoever wrote the book ‘The Late Shift’ is going to have some great material for a sequel by the time all this shakes out. Is NBC repeating past mistakes?
Hello Anonymous – 1:50 — why you don’t critique the male commenter above. His thoughtful comment was suggestive of “conspiracy” as YOU name it, not the other. U R bully, oui?
I’d rather screw Chelsea Handler than a $10 hooker.
With Chelsea I still have $5 left.
(I had to slam CH in this post because NBC’s story is just too sad to mock.)
Conan is going to fail anyway. He and Fallon are a double dose of fail.
Leno doesn’t have to be involved at all.
The big winners are Letterman, Ferguson and Kimmel.
I am sorry to butt into such a lively discussion, but NBC deserves to be in 4th place. They have made poor decision even back in the 60’s. Star Trek a sort of campy show (special effects were still in someones mind) They cancel it and this year a new crew takes us back “where no one has gone before”. They cancel a show, and it is still alive and breathing these many, many year later. Judgement on what the public want is a bit lacking in the whole network. I love Brian Williams and believe what I hear on his news program. NBC lost Medium to CBS this fall season. CBS’s head honcho is smart. He has made his CSI franchise into a 5 and soon to be 6 hits. The actors are great the stories are exciting, the CBS’s failing in my eyes are the reality shows….give me a break. How can intelligent people get involved with nitwits on a tropical island trying to out smart the other ones.
As for Jay, he is a good man, no skeleton’s in his closets, he is faithfully married, he has get rapor with the A-list stars who some of which he is like a uncle to them they grew up appearing on his shows. Kevin and the band takes the place of a sidekick. Hopefully Kevin, Jay straight man will still be on the show. IF he leaves off “the stupid college kids and whose the stupidist tourament on this segment” it would serve him well.
He is known in Hollywood and I feel most guest a honored to be his guest. It not being on the Tonight Show won’t make that big of difference. Stars will go with the person they enjoy being interviewed with, Conan is a tall, silly, redhead, too bad he isn’t as talented as “H” in CSI Miami. I never could stand his comedy, his band is half decent but not as good as Kevin and his band. So IF NBC screws Leno on this deal then they really do have their heads up their asses. Leno is an institution and I for one along with my husband will be there watching Jay make his debut. In no time his numbers will overshadow those of that shallow Conan.
Jay is a everyone’s kind of man, down to earth, but rubs shoulders with the biggest star in Hollywood. He loves cars, at least it isn’t hookers. He doesn’t need any help in being funny.
Now after watching Leno, the local new, I will turn to CBS, Dave is better than Conan, a bit old fashioned but better than gagging at the silly redhead. They the cream de la cream will come on “Craig Ferguson” has more talent in his facial expressions than any of those other late night host with their jokes read off teleprompter or cards, including his boss. He does the show sort of “flying by the seat of his pants”, He doesn’t have a band, a studio that is the size of a walkin closet, but he has a lot of Ladies hearts aflutter just seeing that handsome face and those off the wall jokes.
My husband loves Leno, and until I realize he was reading his scrip off a teleprompter, it made me less impressed, but he will beat old ‘red’ with one hand behind his back. Sounds like NBC is doing just that.
I hate to say those horrible words repeat time and again, he a decent guy and he grew into Johnny shoes very well. He must have some decent deal with NBC or he wouldn’t have agreed to stay with them. He is a man, decent, giving open free standup shows to those who were caught up in the auto industry crisis. His might not be made of “steel” but he is no P***y. Shame on you….
@Anonymous at 1:50 – He didn’t have just one guest each night, he also had a musical act each night – both of them all male – which went nicely with the male host, male sidekick and male show band.
If you look at the guests for the entire week, there are a whopping 2 women out of 8 guests, along with 1 female musical act out of 5.
So on a show that is already hosted and staffed by wall to wall men, he has a first week ratio of 25% female guests and 20% female musical acts. Lame.
They should just be more honest and call it Awkward Nerdmen’s Late Nite Sausage Party.
The words ‘Kimmel’ and ‘Winner’, should never be used in the same sentence.
Kimmel won’t make it to 2010. Bet the farm on it.
In the end this move will be for the best. Its gonna be a rough 6-12 months, but in the end I think this is going to be a GREAT thing for television. I believe Conan will go on to do great, but I think it will take months before he really starts to take the reins (and the ratings). Leno will fail (and personally I think he deserves it). Then NBC exec heads will roll. Come 2010 a flurry of new line up shows will start back up under new NBC leadership, and all will be normal again until Letterman decides to retire two years later.
The solution is to put Leno back on the Tonight Show and Conan back on Late Night ASAP.
Jay Leno is loyal to a fault. He made a big mistake in judgment when he agreed to stay with NBC. He should have gone to ABC when he had the chance. Come to think of it, that’s what lawyers are for. Jay needs to be released from that ridiculous contract with NBC immediately. Get Leno to ABC asap and let Conan and Jimmy fall on their collective NBC swords. Conan stinks on The Tonight Show and the ratings will head downward with Jay gone. Jimmy Fallon was never funny on SNL and he’s worse on Late Night.
What a donnybrook this is becoming!
No Tina Fey = not funny Amy Poehler.
Always preferred Letterman to Leno, hands down (*ahem* as did Johnny Carson).
I didn’t tune into Conan regularly but I definitely like him—(he’s had some of the funniest skits over the years). Also Conan, like Dave, does come across as a genuinely good person (unlike Jay). Though for real funny, Craig Ferguson takes the cake (along with Stewart and Colbert).
Most people are getting to the point where they can DVR whichever frickin talkshows they want–or two at the same time—so there is no “latenight war” really. But there is fatigue–and the stars themselves–especially A-listers tend to get a little choosey esp with such an overloaded LA circuit. I’m definitely rooting for Conan though.
I’m also miffed five hours of NBC dramas at 10pm are gone from the lineup! talk about giving up on creating (or trying to create) real content. Soon NBC will be just a giant fluff network of advertisements and trailers for universal/GM/GE products.
In golfing circles, a 14 handicap is good, even if you are paired up with a scratch golfer. The problem is that our former Presidents are horrible golfers. I read that ormer President Clintion has an 80 handicap and that George H. W. Bush isn’t much better. I don’t know how good the son is at golfing though. Also, even with the 14 handicap, I am pretty sure that Jeff Zucker had a bad day on the links. Even Tiger Woods has a bad day once in a while.
As far as Jay is concerned, he needs to be near the people, hence the comedy club style set. However, the turning point in the late night wars was when Jay hosted the May 20, 1993 post finale party at the actual Cheers Bar in Boston with the cast involved. The other turning point is when Dave hosted the Oscars. The Hugh Grant ratings bonanza happened simply because CNN was looking for some news on a slow news day. Just wait until Susan Boyle goes stateside with an appearance on the Late Show.
Who the hell are you to be knocking Leno you P.O.S. If I were Leno I would say screw you to NBC & leave for ABC!
Chelsea Handler is the only successful female talk show host out there!
Sir. I disagree with EVERYTHING you just said. EVERYTHING. Not a single thing you just said was even remotely a good idea. Amy Pohler? Good? She isn’t even half-decent.
I like Jay Leno. I never watched the Conan Obrian show because I find him anoying with his stupid moves and redish hair. Leno’s new show this fall will destroy Conan’s ratings.