Jay Leno going back to 11:30... Conan's future unclear

[Table 5]

It's not new by any means, and I'm sure many have read it, but I felt Conan's Harvard Commencement speech would be appropriate to post today. Read this and I dare you to tell me he's not the funniest man on television.

http://www.february-7.com/features/conan.htm

[Bigtime]

Exactly, Conan is a class act. This statement proves that. I love how he can still joke around a little while discussing the show that he obviously has always loved and wanted to honor as best he could.

[Russic]

While I'm sure it's not the only reason, I think it's a pretty awesome gesture that he doesn't want to bump Jimmy Fallon. That's a class move right there.

[gargamel]

Originally Posted by Conan

It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule.

Nice not so subtle shot at Leno there. I'd love to see Conan go to Fox and destroy Leno, which may actually happen now that Leno's core audience of retirees has gotten used to being in bed before the local news.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Russic

While I'm sure it's not the only reason, I think it's a pretty awesome gesture that he doesn't want to bump Jimmy Fallon. That's a class move right there.

Also, in its own way, a shot at Leno for basically doing to Conan what he says he isn't willing to do to Fallon.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by getbak

Also, in its own way, a shot at Leno for basically doing to Conan what he says he isn't willing to do to Fallon.

Oh ya you're totally right ... I think that may be the primary intention.

[Barnes]

Good for you Conan!

Now go out and create a show and get guests that appeal to the audience that loved you when you were on Late Night.

Start over.

Go get your Marc Maron's, Doug Benson's, Norm McDonald's, Louis CK's, Jimmy Pardo's, Mike Birbiglia's...

Make a late night show that's about comedy. Get entertaining people to do entertaining things. Find a place that will let you do that.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by barnes

mike birbiglia's

Jackal!!!

[Russic]

Originally Posted by table 5

it's not new by any means, and i'm sure many have read it, but i felt conan's harvard commencement speech would be appropriate to post today. Read this and i dare you to tell me he's not the funniest man on television.

http://www.february-7.com/features/conan.htm

lol

you see, in those days i was six feet four inches tall and i weighed 150 pounds. Recently, i had some structural engineers run those numbers into a computer model and, according to the computer, i collapsed in 1987, killing hundreds in taiwan.

[Cowperson]

Generally, a classy missive from Conan.

NBC clearly put him in a position where he's going to have to resign. They put multi-multi millionaire, a guy with oodles of "drop dead" money, in a position where his pride and manhood was going to be questioned and are waiting for the inevitable reaction. It's pretty much right out of a business textbook somewhere.

HOWEVER, bottom line is, for all the ravings of his fans in this thread, there were too few of you and Conan was a disaster at the Tonight Show slot with little sign things were improving. He can yack up about "time" all he wants but television is a what have you done for me lately entity and the pressure was building with no good news in sight.

Secondly, restoring Jay Leno to the Tonight Show is probably as close to a guaranteed winner as they can come up with. He should easily, easily do better than Conan on his return and the affiliates are back to making gravy on their local newscasts.

Thirdly, and probably most importantly, important affiliates which were threatening to leave the network are suddenly going to be very happy and probably much more profitable.

If it happens, it will have been audience driven.

And, again, perhaps one of the biggest and most costly blunders in television history.

Good luck to Conan!!! Sincerely.

Cowperson

[Hack&Lube]

If Jay Leno has any integrity, he's the one who will bow out and kill his own show and let Conan and Jimmy do their thing. He might even do this to spite NBC.

I have a feeling this might happen. I still have hopes for a great car show with Jay Leno.

[HotHotHeat]

There was a movie made in 1996 called The Late Shift. It aired on HBO and is available at rentals stores (or at least used to be). It was a well done film that gave some insight into how cut-throat late night TV is, and how respected and admired the 11:35 time slot was to comedians in the industry. Definitely worth watching if you can get a hold of it (cough torrents).

Leno essentially screwed Letterman out of the Tonight Show when he took it over from Johnny Carson, he's now doing the same thing to Conan. Leno obviously has the support of the executives at NBC, just as he did then, but that doesn't change how massive the guy's ego is. Really amazing that he could do this twice to land the same show.

Having said that, NBC is trying to dig their way out of their grave, and are going to do what they want.

It will be interesting to find out where Conan lands. Hopefully somewhere with less restraints to his comedic style. The guy was never built for the audience that tunes in to NBC at 11 30.

[Hack&Lube]

Also - I can't believe the suits at NBC Universal are so utterly stupid that they didn't TALK WITH Jay and Conan first.

They just ASSUMED that they would accept the change and then it got out into the media and now you have this very public battle just like with Leno and Letterman.

If those dumb suits had gone for coffee with Jay and Conan and talked to them, they would have realized that Conan would never go for this plan and they wouldn't have this backlash.

Conan is totally right that he expected more time to get comfortable and more support from prime time. The fact that Leno's show is before him instead of a modern version of ER or Seinfeld means talk show burn-out for audiences and no lead in diluting the ratings for Conan's show.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by Cowperson

Generally, a classy missive from Conan.

NBC clearly put him in a position where he's going to have to resign. They put multi-multi millionaire, a guy with oodles of "drop dead" money, in a position where his pride and manhood was going to be questioned and are waiting for the inevitable reaction. It's pretty much right out of a business textbook somewhere.

HOWEVER, bottom line is, for all the ravings of his fans in this thread, there were too few of you and Conan was a disaster at the Tonight Show slot with little sign things were improving. He can yack up about "time" all he wants but television is a what have you done for me lately entity and the pressure was building with no good news in sight.

Secondly, restoring Jay Leno to the Tonight Show is probably as close to a guaranteed winner as they can come up with. He should easily, easily do better than Conan on his return and the affiliates are back to making gravy on their local newscasts.

Thirdly, and probably most importantly, important affiliates which were threatening to leave the network are suddenly going to be very happy and probably much more profitable.

If it happens, it will have been audience driven.

And, again, perhaps one of the biggest and most costly blunders in television history.

Good luck to Conan!!! Sincerely.

Cowperson

I may be mistaken but part of the affiliates beef was that the lead-ins to their nightly news were not pulling the ratings they once were. To fully satisfy the affiliates, NBC needs to come up with something worth watching at 10:00 p.m. to build that audience. Moving Leno back to 11:35 may be step one in appeasing the affiliates but filling five prime time slots is a pretty tall task too.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by fredr123

I may be mistaken but part of the affiliates beef was that the lead-ins to their nightly news were not pulling the ratings they once were. To fully satisfy the affiliates, NBC needs to come up with something worth watching at 10:00 p.m. to build that audience. Moving Leno back to 11:35 may be step one in appeasing the affiliates but filling five prime time slots is a pretty tall task too.

NBC had a pretty damn great show in Southland, which was both critically acclaimed and pretty entertaining if I say so myself. It might not have had great numbers to start, but it was a good show which I think people would've caught on to. Unfortunately the genius execs there decided it was "too dark and gritty" for broadcast tv....I guess they didn't realize that that's the kind of stuff that makes HBO and Showtime successful. It would be perfect for a 10pm slot one day per week.

NBC seems to have no direction these days. It is in this rut where they try to please everyone and in the end please nobody.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by Table 5

NBC had a pretty damn great show in Southland, which was both critically acclaimed and pretty entertaining if I say so myself. It might not have had great numbers to start, but it was a good show which I think people would've caught on to. Unfortunately the genius execs there decided it was "too dark and gritty" for broadcast tv....I guess they didn't realize that that's the kind of stuff that makes HBO and Showtime successful. It would be perfect for a 10pm slot one day per week.

NBC seems to have no direction these days. It is in this rut where they try to please everyone and in the end please nobody.

It also has to do with $$$. A one hour prime time drama costs about $3M per episode. A lot of work goes into producing what can be, especially for shows like Southland, a mini-movie every week.

Leno's show, on the other hand, goes to air with a cost of about $400,000 per episode. They were already bound to pay Leno and Conan anyway so the savings in dropping the expensive dramas (and picking up Fallon) were pretty huge too.

[flip]

Originally Posted by HotHotHeat

There was a movie made in 1996 called The Late Shift. It aired on HBO and is available at rentals stores (or at least used to be). It was a well done film that gave some insight into how cut-throat late night TV is, and how respected and admired the 11:35 time slot was to comedians in the industry. Definitely worth watching if you can get a hold of it (cough torrents).

Leno essentially screwed Letterman out of the Tonight Show when he took it over from Johnny Carson, he's now doing the same thing to Conan. Leno obviously has the support of the executives at NBC, just as he did then, but that doesn't change how massive the guy's ego is. Really amazing that he could do this twice to land the same show.

Having said that, NBC is trying to dig their way out of their grave, and are going to do what they want.

It will be interesting to find out where Conan lands. Hopefully somewhere with less restraints to his comedic style. The guy was never built for the audience that tunes in to NBC at 11 30.

Did you even watch that movie? Assuming it is historically accurate Jay did not "screw" anyone.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Leno should quit and do Top Gear America

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I would still prefer Leno quit altogether and do Top Gear America.

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I still have hopes for a great car show with Jay Leno.

It appears as though you want Leno to do some kind of car show...

[Shazam]

TMZ says Leno takes over The Tonight Show...

http://www.tmz.com/2010/01/12/the-to...medium=twitter

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by Table 5

NBC had a pretty damn great show in Southland, which was both critically acclaimed and pretty entertaining if I say so myself. It might not have had great numbers to start, but it was a good show which I think people would've caught on to. Unfortunately the genius execs there decided it was "too dark and gritty" for broadcast tv....I guess they didn't realize that that's the kind of stuff that makes HBO and Showtime successful. It would be perfect for a 10pm slot one day per week.

NBC seems to have no direction these days. It is in this rut where they try to please everyone and in the end please nobody.

They actually renewed it, then cancelled when Jay took over 10pm. But they sold it to TNT, who is airing the original plus unaired episodes, and may continue on with it based on ratings.