Late Night Musical Chairs
Those who follow the late night TV wars know that NBC is retreating to a past position, moving Jay Leno back to his 11:35 p.m. foxhole and moving Conan O’Brien…well, no one knows where Conan will land yet.
It’s an interesting mess the network has created for itself, and one has to wonder how viewers and advertisers will react once the smoke clears.
Even though Leno himself never even seemed thrilled about the concept “The Jay Leno Show” at 10 p.m. every night must have seemed like a good idea to someone…maybe bean counters who noticed that chat shows are cheaper to produce than scripted drama.
Personally, the only time my husband or I ever tuned in was if there was absolutely nothing else on we wanted to watch, and thanks to the DVR, that wasn’t often. And when Leno’s show was on, it was usually ignored, as we read or worked on our computers. Riveting television, it was not.
I always preferred Letterman to Leno, and for the past year or so, have liked Craig Ferguson’s show better than all the others combined. I have watched O’Brien’s “Tonight Show” on occasion, liked it, and thought it would build an audience over time.
Apparently, it’s not being given that chance. 12:05 was not the time slot O’Brien signed on for, so who knows what he’ll do. And then consider how Jimmy Fallon or Carson Daly feel, now that their shows are (in the former case) bumped to 1:05 a.m., or (in the latter case) likely cancelled.
Once upon a time, NBC was the late night gold standard. They weren’t just a late night brand, they were the late night brand. Thanks to the fumble of moving Leno into prime time—who was, remember, first place in the late night ratings—and now shuffling him back again, they’ve tarnished their crown.
Will viewers and advertisers resume supporting Leno now that he’s gone back to late night? And if O’Brien jumps ship to Fox or cable, will they follow? What do you think?
EDIT: And the plot thickens…Conan O’Brien has decided that he will not go quietly into the later night. Good for him.
