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May 18, 2013

Leno says he'd go back to 11:35 if NBC asked

by Bob Sassone, posted Nov 2nd 2009 1:01PM

LenoThe whole "Leno at 10PM" thing has been analyzed to death, so let's analyze it a little bit more!

Leno has an interview with Broadcasting & Cable and he says, among many other things, that if NBC asked him to go back to 11:35 for whatever reason, he'd do it, but it's not his decision to make.

It seems that Leno is definitely trying to make things work at 10, and he's always been a good network soldier and will happily do what they want him to do because he has nothing to prove. But at the same time it seems like he truly would have preferred staying on The Tonight Show, and you get the sense that he's not 100% happy about how everything went down.

Leno talks about nearly everything, actually, from what David Letterman is going through right now to how he thinks Conan is doing to what he thinks of shows like Burn Notice doing well on NBC-owned USA Network. He even talks about his loyalty to NBC (and their loyalty to him), the difference between friends and acquaintances, and how he could walk away from it all. There's also an interesting section where he talks about how he enjoys hitting rock bottom. It's a very honest, even edgy, interview.

[Watch clips and episodes of The Jay Leno Show and other shows at SlashControl.]

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nick

Leno was never that great on the Tonight Show. He's mildly funny. And I think his audience skewed MUCH MUCH older, people who tune in because they're used to watching the Tonight Show.

Carson WAS always funny. Dave IS funny. Conan CAN be funny, but is a better writer than comedian. Leno WAS somewhat funny PRIOR to the Tonight Show, but lost whatever edge he once had.

NBC is in a downward spiral because they put themselves there. GE has NO BUSINESS operating a network. They're more interested in the bottom line, and the short term returns. The schedule is in taters. I still can't believe NBC gave up 10 o'clock. Outside of the Office, I don't watch NBC at all anymore. It's a joke of a network these days. Literally.

November 03 2009 at 1:08 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
WhatI

For those who think NBC should have left things alone: Leno and Conan were both putting out sub-par shows before the switch and both needed the change. Am I watching Jay now? Not very often, but it's mainly because it is a conflict with shows I've been watching for awhile. Take Mondays - Castle wins because I enjoy the show and started watching it last year. If ABC cancels it, moves it, or puts something else in the slot, I might click over to Leno. When Top Chef ends, I may find myself tuning in too. I thinks it's up to the audience coming to Leno eventually, but don't expect a big increase in numbers - viewers will come and go depending on many factors, including who the guest is that night - it's the nature of that type of program. I also think the gap between Leno and Conan harms both shows, even though it's been a selling point for the affiliate's newcasts' revenue. I know I'd be watching Leno nearly every night if he was on at 11pm, and sticking around for Conan too - Letterman's lucky they didn't go that route.

November 02 2009 at 5:52 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
mark Masterson

jay, why can't you just write articles for topgear and find a nice show on the speed channel... it's really closer to what you love, and you're much better at cars than comedy at this point...

November 02 2009 at 3:50 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jim

This brings to mind the expression, "Don't go away mad. Just go away."

Good riddance, Jay.

November 02 2009 at 1:41 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
John

Leno needs to collect his self respect and leave TV. It's so sad to see a grown man cry. 11.30 is now Conan's slot and Leno needs to man up and walk away. It's not like they took it away from him. He was the one that wanted to walk away on top.

November 02 2009 at 1:31 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to John's comment
Mike

What are you talking about?

Leno didn't want to leave the Tonight Show. Never. Period.

Here's the funny part, NBC didn't want him to go either.

Once again, the generals are fighting the last war. This time the TV execs decided to avert the same sort of thing that happened when Carson exited by providing a clear and timed hand-off. At that point they gave the show to Conan on paper by date certain... the penalty for not doing it was like $50M. They considered paying the penalty.... Nobody wanted Leno to move, least of all Leno... from the start.

The only reason there is a Tonight Show with Conan O'brien is because he had it contractually sown up in HIS contract in like 2002. That forced the network's hand and it forced Leno's.

And the only reason he's on at 10 is because, while not wanted to shell out $50M to Conan for doing nothing, the bigger fear was Leno going elsewhere at 11:35 and costing them their Tonight Show franchise when Leno buried it in the ratings.

So, not that I'm a fan of Leno, but let's get our facts straight.

November 02 2009 at 5:17 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Vito

Leno signed off on the deal. Unless someone held a gun to his head, I think he wouldn't have done so. Last I checked, Leno has always had more clout than Conan O'Brien. The NBC executives wanted to make the switch, and Leno clearly thought he'd be okay with it. He changed his mind, but Conan, knowing how Leno had screwed Letterman AND Carson over, wisely got a guarantee. Turns out he was right to have done so, otherwise Leno would have screwed him over too.

November 02 2009 at 6:53 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
John

I can't wait until that stupid picture comes back to haunt him with the caption something like, "Leno prayed to be successful at 10, but we all know how that turned out..."

November 02 2009 at 1:19 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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