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Originally Posted by WindomURL
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It's crazy how many similarities exist there. They made the right choice in 92 to stick with Leno, and they're making the wrong choice now in 2010 to bring him back.
If I'm head of NBC, I'd be thinking how many more years does Leno have left? He's a 60 year old man. Even Johnny Carson only stuck around til he was 66. So, can we assume Leno will do the job for another 5 years, then what? Who's left to replace him? Jimmy Fallon? I hope that's not plan A.
David Letterman will be gone in a few years too...I assume Craig Ferguson will fill that role and not be able to take over the Tonight Show.
Meanwhile, Conan is just 46 years old. He's got a good 20 years left in him as a tv host. His show is only 7 months old, he's never had the benefit of a good lead in like Leno did throughout his time as host.
I can see how this makes sense for NBC for the next few years, but long term....eeek. Even short term, Leno is now a damaged brand. Not only did his prime time show fail, but he's coming across as the ass in all this, something which isn't going to help his ratings.
I predict the first 3 days of Leno on The Tonight Show 2.0 will do great, and after that he gets a regular butt kicking from Letterman in the ratings.