NBC has a problem -- Jay Leno.
He is ticked off.
From the New York Times:
Pressed by affiliates and shrinking ratings, NBC has a plan in the works to radically alter its late-night television lineup, restoring Jay Leno to his old spot at 11:35 each weeknight, while pushing the man who replaced him, Conan O’Brien, to a starting time of 12:05 a.m.
NBC executives held extensive discussions with Mr. Leno and Mr. O’Brien on Thursday about the future of the network’s late-night lineup.
And while NBC officially said no final decision on the plan had been made, two senior NBC executives who had talked to the top management about the moves said that under the plan being discussed, Mr. Leno would definitely shift back to 11:35 but in a half-hour format, while Mr. O’Brien would slide back his start time by a half hour and then produce an hourlong show.
“We remain committed to keeping Conan O’Brien on NBC,” the network said in a statement Thursday evening. “He is a valued part of our late-night lineup, as he has been for more than 16 years, and is one of the most respected entertainers on television.”
The third NBC late-night star, Jimmy Fallon, would then begin his show at 1:05 a.m., the executives said. The revised lineup would go into effect after NBC concludes its coverage of the Winter Olympics on Feb. 28.
What a mess!
I can't imagine Leno being satisfied doing a half-hour show as the lead-in to two more talk shows. That would really be monologue overload.
NBC messed with success when it agreed to give O'Brien Leno's time slot.
I was a regular viewer of Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. I think both shows seriously suffered in the shake-up.
I think O'Brien worked better out of New York. He seemed more comfortable in the smaller studio. Everything clicked there.
The same was the case for Leno. Everything clicked. He was #1, beating David Letterman in the ratings decisively virtually every night for years and years.
Leno's new format hasn't worked. After the monologue, it's all downhill. Superficial set changes, like getting rid of the desk, are an annoyance. Leno looks so uncomfortable without it. "Earn Your Plug" is so lame. Leno's "Green Car Challenge" is a complete waste of time. I find nothing entertaining about it.
Jimmy Fallon's show is the most enjoyable of the three. There's energy, great chemistry, and lots of fresh ideas. There have been some really funny episodic pieces, 7th Floor West and The Real Housewives of Late Night. It would be a shame to push back its start time.
Bottom line: There's no way that NBC is going to keep both Leno and O'Brien. It's just not going to work. The experiment failed.
I really can't see Leno returning to his old time and acting as if the previous months had been just some sort of bizarre dream sequence in the drama of late night TV.
NBC gambled with success and lost.
On their shows Thursday night, O'Brien didn't discuss the rumored upheaval. Leno, however, addressed the matter head on.
Video.
Monologue, Transcript
JAY LENO: Well, I'll just start off by wishing 'happy birthday' to Katie Couric. It's Katie Couric's birthday today; and you know, she left NBC for another network. I've got to give her a call, see how that's working out.
As you may have heard, there's a rumor floating around we may have..., we were cancelled. I heard it coming in this morning on the radio. So far nobody said anything to me. But, Kev, you know if we did get cancelled, it would give us time to maybe do some traveling.
KEVIN EUBANKS: That would be wonderful.
LENO: In fact, I understand FOX is beautiful this time of year.
EUBANKS: It really is, really.
LENO: Beautiful. Actually, I don't think..., I don't think there's any truth to the rumor. See, it's always been my experience NBC only cancels you when you're in first place. So we're fine. We're actually OK.
Actually, you know what happened? NBC found four guns in my locker. Yeah, I was suspended.
EUBANKS: I'm glad they didn't find them in my locker.
LENO: No, no. But we'll keep following this story. It's going to be fascinating to hear what happens.
Leno's got that right.
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