Althouse: "For the third time in the past twenty years, NBC seems serious about replacing Jay Leno with the funnier guy in the 12:30am slot."

March 21, 2013

"For the third time in the past twenty years, NBC seems serious about replacing Jay Leno with the funnier guy in the 12:30am slot."

"While he remains atop the ratings (overall and in 18-49s), Leno's current deal expires in fall 2014, and, gosh, never seen this sentence before: 'Given the past turbulence involved in changing hosts, NBC wants to make the transition ... as smooth as possible.'"

84 comments:

Peter V. Bella said...: Who is Leno?; 3/21/13, 2:11 PM
Nonapod said...: He'll be gone for good, there's just too much acrimony on both sides this time and not enough reason to make nice anymore. Lorne Michaels will take over the Tonight Show with his boy Fallon, NBC will continue lurching along, as it becomes more and more overtly left leaning and its relevance and ratings will continue to plummet.; 3/21/13, 2:12 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Who is Fallon?

Leno doesn't need the work. He can retire and play with his cars.; 3/21/13, 2:13 PM
Kensington said...: They won't bring him back again. Even if it turns out to be the right thing to do, they won't do it because they won't want to look like assholes again.; 3/21/13, 2:14 PM
Anonymous said...: Ha. This is a big "Fuck You" to Conan. Hilarious that NBC is doing this so shortly after the fiasco with O'Brien. Leno must have really pissed off everyone with his antics.

And then moving the show to NYC for newbie Fallon/ Lorne Michaels? Wow. Conan moved his entire crew to LA at great expense to accommodate the idea that the Tonight show had to stay in LA. A real big Fuck You to Conan. I'll bet the carrot top asshole is absolutely pissed and destroying things at his basic cable studios.

I hate everyone involved, so this is like watching Hitler and Stalin duke it out. Blue on blue on blue on trashy, unserious network.

This is like a pro wrestling angle. A bunch of heels turn on each other and start a chair brawl. When does the Iron Sheik come out?

Pass the popcorn.; 3/21/13, 2:17 PM
Kevin said...: You missed an option:

Who the f watches TV?

Apart from Mad Men, Game of Thrones, and Portlandia, I wouldn't care if it all burned.; 3/21/13, 2:27 PM
George M. Spencer said...: Hope the new guy is nicer to Jay than he was to Johnny Carson.; 3/21/13, 2:29 PM
traditionalguy said...: Leno is an entertaining host with a good personality for telling the writer's jokes. The replacement is a comic genius who would be far better as a guest on Leno's show.

The host has to be good at hosting. Duh.; 3/21/13, 2:34 PM
edutcher said...: Leno had the temerity to diss Da Messiah.

How dast he!!!!; 3/21/13, 2:35 PM
Darrell said...: Fallon a funnier guy?
His best work is in those commercials with the baby. And they're scripted. Doctors use Fallon tapes to suppress laughter fits.

Leno pissed off a boss at NBC with his jokes about the ratings (and that boss.) And the boss proves he is not a businessman because he doesn't care how big the loss will be for the company and the shareholders.; 3/21/13, 2:36 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Isn't fallon the guy from the capital one commercials? didn't Jimmy play alongside the over-rated Tina fey on late night for dnc?

I don't think the NBC execs like that on rare occasions, Leno points out the lightworker's flaws with a joke. bad leno. bad.
Must worship Obama all the time – like on Conan.; 3/21/13, 2:37 PM
Seeing Red said...: Lorne Michaels?

Another aging FITB.

Is Michaels still involved w/SNL?; 3/21/13, 2:39 PM
lemondog said...: What age group watches late night tv?

Except for old movies don't watch tv.

Maybe Oprah will approach Leno in an effort to revive her moribund network.; 3/21/13, 2:40 PM
X said...: Leno is too white.; 3/21/13, 2:44 PM
caseym54 said...: So, I guess they decided not to replace Leno with Piers Morgan.; 3/21/13, 2:47 PM
damikesc said...: Yeah, Fallon. Good luck with that. Unlike Conan, you're not all that funny.

didn't Jimmy play alongside the over-rated Tina fey on late night for dnc?

He was also terrible on SNL, laughing on camera in what seemed to be every skit he was involved with.

His laughter nearly killed the Blue Oyster Cult "More Cowbell" skit.

God he sucks.; 3/21/13, 2:50 PM
el polacko said...: i did check out fallon's show for a couple of weeks. his enthusiastically-agreeing-with-everything-a-guest-says style of 'interviewing' wore very thin very quickly for me. his music parodies can be funny but that schtick can only be stretched so far. i'm not a big leno fan but this seems like a losing proposition to swap him for fallon. then again, maybe this whole late-night talk show thing is just fading away. letterman has been stale for years, telling exactly the same jokes he told 20 years ago. kimmel and ferguson can be fun but...so what? aren't there 'american dad' reruns on the cartoon channel ? think i'll watch that instead.

p.s. gotta love these folks who "don't watch tv"...except for their favorite shows. always cracks me up.; 3/21/13, 3:03 PM
dmoelling said...: Nobody studies Johnny Carson any more. He was the consummate host. He had good timing and sense for his own jokes, but never presented himself as a comedian. The suits take a middling comedian and miss the idea of a host. Perhaps ego's are getting a little too big; 3/21/13, 3:03 PM
Amartel said...: NBC will soon be the nonbroadcastingnetwork. They can't even be polite to their one franchise. Nothing against Fallon, he's had his hilarious moments, but Leno is consistent and has been for years. He's a known and comforting presence at that hour and they're treating him like shit. Who knows why, but it's just colosally stupid and arrogant.; 3/21/13, 3:05 PM
Amartel said...: Also, I'm tired of controversy from whiny late night comics. This includes Conan, Letterman, and Kimmel. Leno, and Fallon, have conducted themselves with dignity, at least in public. These guys get paid a boat load of money for an easy job and should not be whining about money and position. Tear each other apart behind the scenes but smarten up have a care for your public image.; 3/21/13, 3:08 PM
Anonymous said...: I perceive no problems with this clusterfuck.; 3/21/13, 3:13 PM
edutcher said...: AprilApple said...

Isn't fallon the guy from the capital one commercials? didn't Jimmy play alongside the over-rated Tina fey on late night for dnc?

Speaking of that, is Tina way-too-Fey ever going to find something else to do but a lame Sarah Palin?; 3/21/13, 3:15 PM
great Unknown said...: This is not ratings/demographic related; it is political. Therefore, a) don't expect Leno back on NBC and b) do expect him elsewhere, working as hard as he can to destroy the Tonight Show.

Methinks The Messiah is about to get a much more powerful dose of lampooning, courtesy of Mr. Leno.; 3/21/13, 3:20 PM
Mel said...: I think NBC will regret this in less than six months, but I don't think Leno will bail them out again. I don't watch the show - a 6am workday will make you an early to bed type - but from what I've read lately, Leno is burning his bridges in his monologues.; 3/21/13, 3:21 PM
ampersand said...: I am old enough to still think of Johnny Carson as the new guy.; 3/21/13, 3:37 PM
Gahrie said...: Replace Leno?

They haven't managed to replace Carson yet.....; 3/21/13, 3:37 PM
RonF said...: I actually like Fallon. Yes, he brings on celebrities and fawns over them just like all the others. But then he puts them into ridiculous situations that forces them to make fools of themselves willingly.

Example, for those of you who don't watch him: he and his guest sit facing each other at a spotlit table on a darkened state. His #2 guy brings out a dozen eggs in a box as if it was a box of dueling pistols. 1/2 of them are hard-boiled, 1/2 are not. They each alternately take an egg and smash it on their own forehead. The first guy to smash 3 raw eggs on his forehead loses. It punctures the ego of some of these people - and Fallon isn't afraid to look the fool if his number is the one that comes up.; 3/21/13, 3:47 PM
Darrell said...: Fallon would be a riot in pre-school. Low information voters have a new prince.; 3/21/13, 3:49 PM
RonF said...: Also, he doesn't leer too blatantly at young attractive women guests. Leno and Letterman's faults in this regard are too numerous to mention.; 3/21/13, 3:50 PM
Will Cate said...: Great unknown -- absolutely correct. Another network will pay him a zillion dollars, and he'll crush the Peacock.; 3/21/13, 3:52 PM
Baron Zemo said...: There is only one person who can bring the ratings and credibility back to NBC Late Night.

Honey Boo Boo.; 3/21/13, 3:55 PM
Revenant said...: Meh.; 3/21/13, 3:58 PM
Anonymous said...: I thought Fallon's Slow Jam fellation of Obama as the "Preezy of the United Steezy" set an all-time cheesey low in presidential politics. I'll not forget that anytime soon.

It was also on Fallon's show that his drummer played "Lyin' Ass Bitch" when Michelle Bachmann appeared on Fallon's show.

The Tonight Show, after a fashion, is one of the few remaining centrist venues in American culture. It will be a shame for a partisan ass to take that over.

However, Fallon was surprisingly good as a guest star on "Sons of Anarchy."; 3/21/13, 3:59 PM
Steven said...: Last time, they gave Leno a show, so he was still at NBC to move back. This time they aren't going to repeat the bomb that was the Jay Leno Show, so how are they going to bring him back?

Leno might actually retire . . . or he might be handed a show by Fox or a basic cable channel. Or, hey, CBS might finally drop their ratings loser in favor of Leno when the contract expires in 2014.; 3/21/13, 4:01 PM
YoungHegelian said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/21/13, 4:04 PM
YoungHegelian said...: @edutcher,

Speaking of that, is Tina way-too-Fey ever going to find something else to do but a lame Sarah Palin?

Actually, one of the running gags of "30 Rock" is what a mess NBC corporate is, so clearly Leno is not alone in his judgement of the "suits vs the talent".

"30 Rock" is not what I'd call "conservative humor", Ed, but the Straussian secret teaching of the series is that the characters who think that they are hip, with-it, and urbane are actually a bunch of nasty fuck-ups.; 3/21/13, 4:06 PM
machine said...: "the over-rated Tina fey"

....obviously do not understand what you are talking about...; 3/21/13, 4:07 PM
Baron Zemo said...: Tina Fay makes Charo look like Dame Maggie Smith.

She belongs in the overrated "Hall of Fame" right next to Bob Dylan, Woody Allen and Aaron Rodgers.; 3/21/13, 4:22 PM
Anonymous said...: My vote:

What's TV?; 3/21/13, 4:32 PM
YoungHegelian said...: @machine,

The line in my post about Tina Fey is a quote from an earlier post from edutcher, which lost its HTML italicization on a re-posting.

I am not in the Edutcher/Zemo hate on Palin crowd here. And let me just add my complete & utter surprise that those two don't like Fey (rolls eyes).; 3/21/13, 4:36 PM
YoungHegelian said...: Ooops!

Replace Palin with Fey in previous post!

Jeez, YH, just because they look alike doesn't mean they're spelled alike! Sorry!; 3/21/13, 4:39 PM
machine said...: Understood...; 3/21/13, 4:49 PM
Amartel said...: Tina Fey's Excellent Hollywood Adventure or How To Succeed in ShowBiz by Saying the Right Things:

Emphasize passing resemblance to beautiful Republican VP candidate with nasally accent for political gain.
Obtain pass to
1. Write/Produce/Act in High School 2000s movie;
2. Write/Produce/Act in Alec Baldwin Insane Celebrity TV showcase.

She's probably got a third act in her. I mean, they're still giving out awards to Julianne Moore for her palid Palin portrayal so why not?; 3/21/13, 4:52 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Ed said..
Speaking of that, is Tina way-too-Fey ever going to find something else to do but a lame Sarah Palin?

Does fey still do that? How boring.
Fey throws her arms up in the air, and that counts for cute commedy.
Everybody loves it. Have no Idea why.; 3/21/13, 5:04 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Just what America needs - more pro-Chicago style politics pimped through the late night funnyman.
Letterman, Conan and Fallon can link arms and sing the pro-President Capone anthem.; 3/21/13, 5:10 PM
caseym54 said...: So, I guess they decided not to replace Leno with Piers Morgan.

But CNN could do wonders replacing Piers Morgan with Leno.; 3/21/13, 5:19 PM
edutcher said...: There was a little item on Yahoo News that she's still doing Miss Sarah and I could only ask, "That's all she's ever gonna do?".; 3/21/13, 5:41 PM
FullMoon said...: I suppose the threat to replace Leno has nothing to do with contract negotiations.; 3/21/13, 5:47 PM
bleh said...: Fallon is the first of the contenders who's actually less funny than Leno. NBC's slide to irrelevance continues.; 3/21/13, 5:53 PM
Anonymous said...: Just what America needs - more pro-Chicago style politics pimped through the late night funnyman. Letterman, Conan and Fallon can link arms and sing the pro-President Capone anthem.

That's pretty much my take.; 3/21/13, 6:00 PM
Known Unknown said...: Great unknown -- absolutely correct. Another network will pay him a zillion dollars, and he'll crush the Peacock.

What other network?

CBS has Letterman. ABC has KImmel. NBC has Fallon. TBS has Conan.

Spike? The Food Network? AMC?

Please.; 3/21/13, 6:18 PM
Known Unknown said...: Leno's best move would be to get out of TV and do a web show that he can control everything.

It would probably be terrible, but he'd have no one to jerk around but himself.; 3/21/13, 6:19 PM
Known Unknown said...: Leno's best move would be to get out of TV and do a web show that he can control everything.

It would probably be terrible, but he'd have no one to jerk around but himself.; 3/21/13, 6:19 PM
Amartel said...: "What other network?"

FOX
Leno's contract ties him up until mid-2014.; 3/21/13, 6:30 PM
virgil xenophon said...: If this doesn't prove that corporate America isn't always strictly all about the bottom-line, nothing will. Leno's leading in the ratings over-all and in the key demographics and they push him out? The older Leno audience will never tune-in to Fallon and the bulk of young white males are first-person shooter gamers. NBC is shrinking the pie with no guarantee or even prospect their slice will grow..; 3/21/13, 6:34 PM
Big Mike said...: No, they won't bring him back. But they're about to replace a winner with a loser, and that can't be good for the bottom line.; 3/21/13, 6:40 PM
Anonymous said...: @EMD:
What other network? CBS has Letterman. ABC has KImmel. NBC has Fallon. TBS has Conan. Spike? The Food Network? AMC? Please.

---No one thought TBS was in contention, but Conan got them and has put together a semi-competitive show. Comedy Central has become a late night place for Stewballs and Coljerk.

AMC could be. It has branched out to TV and original series.

Fox is always on the lips.

The CW could make a play.

As could USA; remember: characters welcome.

And HBO isn't shy about talk shows.

HLN....

Bottom line is this Leno asshole has options if this Fallon Asshole takes his job with this Lorne Michaels Asshole helping him the way no one helped that Conan Asshole and that Letterman Asshole beat this Leno Asshole on that Network of Assholes.

In conclusion, fuck the left.; 3/21/13, 6:44 PM
Unknown said...: I've never seen Fallon make a funny quip. He's a good host/ sport but he might actually be the only host less funny than Leno.; 3/21/13, 7:16 PM
Mark Daniels said...: If funniness at 11:30 at night is the issue, then NBC should have canceled SNL over a decade ago.; 3/21/13, 7:32 PM
machine said...: Don't forget head writer on SNL for 6 years....

Yep....she obviously has no talent....; 3/21/13, 7:42 PM
DADvocate said...: Who is this Jay guy? There's a red headed guy on TBS I love to watch. Unless it's a sporting event, there's not a single show I watch on NBC.; 3/21/13, 7:47 PM
hombre said...: Leno is not reliably progressive. Goodbye, Jay.; 3/21/13, 8:09 PM
hombre said...: Leno is not reliably progressive. Goodbye, Jay.; 3/21/13, 8:10 PM
Gene said...: Leno writes stories on classic car restoration for Popular Science (or Popular Mechanics). He's knowledgeable, sensible and funny. If all he did was write car stories for the rest of his life he'd make a major contribution.

There are no politics in his car stories. I don't know where the network is going to find someone willing to make jokes about Obama (and really mean them) if they ditch Leno. It will be pro-Obama propagandists all night everywhere.; 3/21/13, 8:35 PM
Known Unknown said...: Don't forget head writer on SNL for 6 years....

Yep....she obviously has no talent....

Fey is great as Liz Lemon on 30Rock, where she mostly pokes fun at herself, and acts like a semi-competent buffoon.

The only problem with 30Rock was that it wasn't as popular as everyone in the media wanted it to be.

She's tried to do features with limited success. I envision her winding up in another well-written sitcom in the future.; 3/21/13, 8:57 PM
alan markus said...: Tentative state budget includes ‘Jimmy Fallon’ tax credit to lure ‘The Tonight Show’ back to New York; 3/21/13, 9:10 PM
virgil xenophon said...: Gene & hombre get to the heart of the matter...this is not about money, this is about politics. NBC is not working hard at entertainment, NBC is hard at leftist politics as usual..; 3/21/13, 9:26 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Big Hollywood get all the tax breaks. It's why they don't give a rats ass when obama and the corruptocrats hike taxes.; 3/21/13, 9:30 PM
madAsHell said...: I like Jay Leno. I like Conan O'Brien.

Jimmy Fallon is like the "the Guy at the Country Club Holding a Martini Making Snide Comments About Everyone Else"

yeah...I don't like Fallon. He's smug like that fugger in the white house.; 3/21/13, 10:20 PM
k said...: tl;dr - but who is still watching these guys? I only hear the (questionably) funny stuff the next morning on Imus or Fox n Friends, depending on my cable/internet connex; 3/21/13, 10:46 PM
AlanKH said...: They haven't managed to replace Carson yet.....

Winner.; 3/22/13, 12:42 AM
AllenS said...: I don't think that Leno is going to quit TV altogether. I think it's in his blood. Gene @ 8:35 said just about what I think would be a good idea. A car/light humor show would have an audience, but I'm not sure how big it would be. Wouldn't have to be on late night, probably best for Saturday/Sunday mid-morning.

On every show he could have as a co-host, Courtney Hansen.; 3/22/13, 6:27 AM
damikesc said...: I've never seen Fallon make a funny quip. He's a good host/ sport but he might actually be the only host less funny than Leno.

Letterman is measures less funny than Leno.

The only problem with 30Rock was that it wasn't as popular as everyone in the media wanted it to be.

It's like Colbert --- tons of attention but, damn, the ratings are terrible.; 3/22/13, 8:34 AM
furious_a said...: I hear Keith Olbermann's schedule has freed up.; 3/22/13, 9:01 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: Who watches any of these shows? Why?; 3/22/13, 9:08 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: I'm incredibly square, and late night talk show comedy is too square for me.; 3/22/13, 9:12 AM
MadisonMan said...: Who can stay up that late? Not me.; 3/22/13, 9:18 AM
furious_a said...: They haven't managed to replace Carson yet.....

...but they've certainly done away with the dress code for guests.; 3/22/13, 9:22 AM
MadisonMan said...: His laughter nearly killed the Blue Oyster Cult "More Cowbell" skit.

And yet you remember it. That's not a condemnation of a SNL skit.

So bad it's good comes to mind.; 3/22/13, 9:22 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: Who can stay up that late? Not me.

Ha. Same.; 3/22/13, 9:31 AM
William said...: Letterman's one lasting contribution to American culture has been the politicization of late night comedians. I pine for the days when comedians were judged by the funniness of their jokes rather than by the sharpness of their mockery of Republicans. Letterman is relentless. During the election his monologues were infomercials for Obama.....I prefer Leno. He's as comfortable as an old shoe. Late night comedy should go down like warm milk. I don't want to go to bed mad......I like Ferguson the best. He's the most apolitical of all the late night comedians.; 3/22/13, 10:25 AM
Baron Zemo said...: SNL hasn't been funny since John Belushi quit.

Tina Fey is your typical smug, over praised liberal snot with an ocean of pretentiousness and thimble full of talent.

No wonder machine likes her.; 3/22/13, 10:43 AM
Baron Zemo said...: The perfect host would be Louie CK.

He is as liberal as they come but he is funny as hell and very talented.

But NBC is not interested in talent. They want political correctness.; 3/22/13, 10:44 AM
rcocean said...: "SNL hasn't been funny since John Belushi quit"

Disagree. Will Ferrell, Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Mike Meyers, Dennis Miller, Chris Farley. The early 90s, late 80s, pretty funny. Plus Norm MacDonald, Bill Murray and Eddie Murphy were funny - even if the rest of the casts weren't. I'm looking at you A. Whitney Brown; 3/22/13, 11:55 PM

How long do you think it will take before they bring back Leno this time?
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	More than a year.
	This time he's gone and he's never coming back.

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Althouse

March 21, 2013

"For the third time in the past twenty years, NBC seems serious about replacing Jay Leno with the funnier guy in the 12:30am slot."

84 comments:

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March 21, 2013

"For the third time in the past twenty years, NBC seems serious about replacing Jay Leno with the funnier guy in the 12:30am slot."

84 comments:

Amazon

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