This past week in entertainment has been filled with rumors and speculation about the late night debacle at NBC. Leno’s show failed, O’Brien is being forced to a later timeslot; where does this leave Fallon and Carson Daily? I’ve scoured through the facts and the rumors to present to you the latest details in the war between Conan O’Brien and NBC.
Conan O’Brien took over The Tonight Showon June 1, 2009. Jay Leno gracefully bit adieu the 11:35PM timeslot and O’Brien has continued to pump out the funny to this day. I wish this is where the story ended, but then I wouldn’t have anything to report, right? After Leno’s departure NBC decided to green light an “experimental” late night talk show with Leno at the 10PM timeslot. Having The Jay Leno Show air 5 days a week at the 10PM spot was a major cost cutting move for NBC. Airing this show instead of different scripted drama series (like the other networks do) saved NBC a ton of money. After about four months, though, NBC declared this experiment a failure. Though The Jay Leno Show had some people watching, its weak ratings (compared to other networks) were negatively affecting local affiliates who air 11PM newscasts. Leno’s weak ratings made for a bad lead-in for these newscasts and this is why the top dogs at NBC decided the show must end and be replaced with standard scripted programming. Again I wish the story ended here, but it does not.
After February 12 The Jay Leno Showwill halt production. Jeff Gaspin, NBC Universal’s Chairman of Television Entertainment, proposed a plan that has the late night hosts (and the general public) in a scuffle. The new plan is to have Leno come back to late night TV with a show at 11:35PM in a half hour format, bumping O’Brien to 12:05AM and Fallon to 1:05AM. Carson Daily, of course, would likely be finished. O’Brien is not taking this news well, and he has every right to feel this way. He was given the prestigious job to host The Tonight Show, following the late great Johnny Carson and Jay Leno. Just because NBC’s experiment with Leno failed, this does not give them a right to push O’Brien and The Tonight Show past midnight, something that has never happened in the show’s long history. It’s about tradition and respect, and this latest proposal from NBC throws all that away. And this is why O’Brien is angry. O’Brien speaks to the “People of Earth”:
Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.
So where do we stand now? O’Brien has publicly stated that he will not move to the 12:05PM timeslot. If NBC decides to go ahead with their current proposal, O’Brien leaves. AND THIS CANNOT HAPPEN. NBC really wants to keep Leno and O’Brien, so they better think of something fast. Gapun on the sticky situation: “What’s important to Jay is telling jokes at 11:30. What’s really important to Conan is The Tonight Show. I couldn’t satisfy both 100%. That’s why I came up with this compromise.” In my opinion, Leno should be a gentleman like he was when he past the baton to O’Brien at the end of his tenure at The Tonight Show. His 10PM show was a flop; he should accept this and move on. But Leno loves two things in life: cars and telling jokes at 11:35PM. If he gets what he wants we lose O’Brien. AND THIS CANNOT HAPPEN. Sure, O’Brien lost a percentage of older viewers from the Leno era, but he dominates the coveted 18-to-49 demographic for advertisers. And he is so damn funny. (There’s been speculation that FOX is interested in picking up O’Brien if NBC loses him.)
It’s interesting how people are taking sides on the matter. “Team Conan” has been a trending topic on Twitter for days now, and even the other late night hosts are sharing their thoughts. When it comes down to it, almost everyone is on Team Conan (including myself) and we all hope for this to be resolved soon. Sure, watching O’Brien make fun of NBC and Leno every night has been a blast, but this situation needs to get sorted out so he can move on! If Leno would just bow out like he should have done before the idea for his 10PM show, everything will work out. O’Brien keeps his spot and (more importantly for O’Brien) The Tonight Show tradition carries on. I’m on Team Conan, how about you?
Look after the break for O’Brien’s “People of Earth” letter in it entirety and a few videos of other late night hosts adding to the NBC-bashing fest.
[Via IGN, here & here; EW, here, here & here]
Continue reading Pick a side: Conan O’Brien vs. NBC (+ Leno)