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The Tonight Show has a new host which hasn’t been widely accepted by fans of the old host. They think the new guy’s style of humor isn’t very funny. Some of them just find the new host annoying. Many fans of The Tonight Show question whether the new host will last.
Oh, I should probably mention, the year is 1992. The new host is Jay Leno.
I remember when Jay Leno took over for Johnny Carson. He didn’t go over very well at first. People who loved Johnny, and we were numerous in number, had trouble adapting to Jay. Leno had a different kind of humor, a different style of presentation, guests that appealed to a younger audience than Carson… you name it, most everything was different.
Yet, through all the criticism, Jay Leno eventually did find his audience.
I think the exact same thing is going to happen with Conan O’Brien. Eventually, if given enough time, Conan will find the audience that’s looking for him.
That’s one reason why I think Jay Leno should step down from his own show instead of letting NBC bump Conan O’Brien’s.
However, my biggest reason why I think The Jay Leno Show should not take the spot immediately following local news doesn’t have anything to do with whether I think one man is funnier than the other. I think both comedians are truly hilarious and very skilled as hosts.
But, The Jay Leno Show in prime time was always considered as an experiment. That means NBC and Leno took a gamble they knew might not pay off. Well, apparently, it didn’t. Affiliates are not happy with the lead-in going into their local news.
The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien was never, as far as I could tell, considered an experiment. NBC had long term plans to keep O’Brien in the big chair. They built him a brand new set from the ground up. They even extended his contract as host of “Late Night” so he wouldn’t jump to another network before taking over as the new host of The Tonight Show.
In my opinion, and I could very well be in the minority, audiences have already accepted the fact that Conan O’Brien is the new host of The Tonight Show, even if they don’t like him as much as they did Leno. (This is where I invite all of you to add your comments)
The Jay Leno Show is a failed experiment in its current time slot. So, now, NBC wants to try another experiment? Shuffling everything around and putting Jay Leno on for 30 minutes makes it seem like the network is desperate for short-term ratings instead of promoting and building the show they based their long-term plans on. NBC would be taking another gamble, which may not pay off, by completely revamping their late night programming. It could alienate the viewers The Tonight Show already has.
Of course, contracts should be honored, and Jay should get the full compensation he was promised. But, if Leno’s experiment didn’t work, it shouldn’t be forced into a time slot that was promised to someone else.
Of course, there’s a possibility Leno won’t take the proposed slot at 11:35, 10:35 Central and Mountain. But, if he is interested in taking the slot, I would ask him not to. Mr. Leno, you’re a fantastic host, and a truly gifted comedian. But, you and NBC negotiated your successor. You both need to honor the deal.
The experiment didn’t work out the way you hoped. Let it go.
