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Leno's Days Numbered At NBC - Again?

TheBigA said:
My point in mentioning Ross is that he seems to be the only foil left for Jay, now that John Melendez and Kevin Eubanks are gone.
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Ross is too much of a "sissy" character to banter. He comes across as a wuss.

Melendez never seemed to be addressed once the intro's were done. Never could figure out why they paid him for less than one minute's work. Seemed like a nice guy but, like Ross, simply target material.

And Kevin was the same way although he did, once in awhile, parry with Leno. The jokes about his masculinity and sexual preferences were funny although I'll bet they didn't impress Kevin's father.

TheBigA said:
Jay needs someone, because he alone can't drive that show.
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I think that is painfully obvious although I'm not sure his enormous ego would permit a sidekick.
 
landtuna said:
I think that is painfully obvious although I'm not sure his enormous ego would permit a sidekick.
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Leno's ego will be hurt worse if he remains in 3rd place. He simply isn't strong enough by himself to win. He should have learned that at 10PM.

If I was consulting NBC (and I'm not), and they asked what the show needs, that would be my one very simple fix. Plus freshen up some of the bits. The monologue, the guests, and the presentation are all fine. He would have needed this even without the Conan distraction. Letterman is more interesting because it's kept fresh and because there are multiple characters.
 
Over the years, I might have seen thirty to forty minutes total of Leno and not a munute of Conan O'Brien. Maybe a total of two to three hours of Johnny Carson. The last time I saw an entire show, Jack Paar was hosting.
 
DJ Tony said:
Normally I don't have anything to say on these topics, but all of this, in my opinion, sums it up in one word: KARMA.
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I will agree with you there......these ratings are everyone's way of saying to NBC "You messed up...." And they did when they basically let Conan go because they screwed up their primetime lineup with their ill gotten belief that Leno would work at 10PM, 5 days a week....and it didn't.

NBC is a network in shambles.....they have long lost that high horse they were riding when they got their savior known as Bill Cosby.

Let us hope that when Comcast completes its takeover, there will be housecleaning....and may Jeff Zucker be the first to go.
 
No matter how bad it's going to get, Leno is in place for a while. At least until the end of the current contract. NBC isn't going to admit that it got burned and made two bad mistakes (moving him to prime time, then having to move him back to 11:35) right away.

Besides, they have nothing to replace it with. The person they had groomed to take over has been shown the door.
 
The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon? (Or maybe Carson Daily?) ;)
 
There is nobody who could beat Letterman on NBC right now. (Although, given time, Conan might have made some serious inroads if given time). Jay will be around for awhile. As for major changes in format, this has been discussed for years, but the result is the lack of any new ideas. The wildcard is whether or not Conan can make a difference with his cable show. Odds are slim, but nothing surprises me anymore.
 
I watched Leno last night for the first time in two weeks and he was doing a great job. Rickey is also starting to talk a little more as well and the show is starting to get back into it's original groove minus Kevin. Too bad he doesn't do his "Rodney Dangerfield" impressions anymore hahahaha
Pretty much everyone whose going to watch Conan is already NOT watching Leno, so I don't think Leno will be effected much by Conan's arrival.
 
radiojomo said:
I watched Leno last night for the first time in two weeks and he was doing a great job. Rickey is also starting to talk a little more as well and the show is starting to get back into it's original groove minus Kevin. Too bad he doesn't do his "Rodney Dangerfield" impressions anymore hahahaha
Pretty much everyone whose going to watch Conan is already NOT watching Leno, so I don't think Leno will be effected much by Conan's arrival.
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I think you've hit on a good point, there. If you consider Leno the more mainstream middle America late night host, Conan would probably be considered more 'cutting-edge,' like Letterman, while oriented toward a younger audience. So Conan will cut into both Leno and Letterman's audience, but will likely hurt Letterman more.

The big winner here is Nightline, which will have the news and information audience all to itself while the talk show audience is carved into even smaller pieces. In case you haven't noticed, Nightline has become lighter and breezier since Ted Koppel left - more into 'infotainment,' and less concerned with hard news. I haven't hear Koppel express his opinion of the new Nightline, but I doubt he approves.
 
He may not approve, but it's irrelevant. They've seen an uptick in viewers (including younger ones) with the new multi-topic approach (some stories lighter than others, and some leaning quite "serious). Just because Koppel's approached worked doesn't mean others can't.
 
radiojomo said:
Too bad he doesn't do his "Rodney Dangerfield" impressions anymore ...
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That was an "impression"? All he did was grab his tie.

Leno would be well advised to stay in his Leno character.
 
imhomerjay said:
He may not approve, but it's irrelevant. They've seen an uptick in viewers (including younger ones) with the new multi-topic approach (some stories lighter than others, and some leaning quite "serious). Just because Koppel's approached worked doesn't mean others can't.
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I was neither stating that the new Nightline approach "wouldn't work," (quite the contrary, from their improved ratings), nor was I implying that Koppel's version was better. I was just making the observation that the show had changed, and it amused me to imagine the oh-so-serious Koppel's likely opinion of the new version.
 
landtuna said:
Leno would be well advised to stay in his Leno character.
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Judging by recent results, that might not work either. ;) Maybe more dancing Itos are in order.
 
Fair point: "Tonight" kept reinventing itself, being something different over the years. Steve Allen's show was much more variety oriented, closer to Letterman's original "Late Night" on NBC than to later incarnations. Jack Paar pioneered the monologue/guest interview format. Johnny added comedy back into the mix and brought along his goofy characters.

Since that point, the show has stagnated. The show today is essentially the same format that Johnny perfected in the 1960's. Leno's "Tonight" was Carson's show with new graphics, music, faces, and sketches. Conan's was a sort-of warmed over version of his "Late Night" pushed into the mold of Carson's "Tonight."

If NBC finally replaces Leno down the road, they need to blow up the show and do something fresh and different. The only thing that should continue from Leno to the next host should be the show's name. The format needs to evolve if it's going to survive.

Personally, I'm still holding out hope for "The Tonight Show with Ellen Degeneres," but that's just me.
 
imhomerjay said:
The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon? (Or maybe Carson Daily?) ;)
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In a few years (5-7), I could see Jimmy Fallon improving enough to take over the Tonight Show.
The only thing he lacks right now are monologue skills, his comedy bits are great and his interviewing skills are pretty good as well. Love him or hate him, but you have to admit he is improving at the late night game.
 
radiojomo said:
imhomerjay said:
The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon? (Or maybe Carson Daily?) ;)
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In a few years (5-7), I could see Jimmy Fallon improving enough to take over the Tonight Show.
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Could be, but not likely. He's a New Yorker, and that's where he'll stay. There are lots of celebrity interviewers out there, and we'll see them emerge as Larry King and Oprah leave the airwaves. The next Tonight Show host could be anyone from an emerging comic to a sitcom actor. In any case, they have about 5 years to think about it.
 
KentBrockman said:
NBC should air Carson era 'Tonight Show' reruns in the 11:35 nightly timeslot. Not only would they be worth watching... but the profit margin for the network would be huge.
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Check out Carson Comedy Classics on REELZ!! They have been on a couple times per day; although I haven't seen them listed lately.
 
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