So, summer’s here, school’s out, and we at USDemocrazy are, of course, unemployed. What do we do with all of this free time when we’re not earning money? Watch late-night television, OBVIOUSLY!
Though channel-surfing is fine from time-to-time, we’re all about loyalty. In the past few weeks, so much fuss has been made over the Leno-to-O’Brien transition on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” that we’ve decided to scope them out. When Conan took the stage in Los Angeles on Monday night, we sat in rapt attention.
Being the media junkies we are, we also we paid rapt attention to the subsequent reaction to the change-over ( of which there was reaction-a-plenty!)
Most people thought Conan opened his run on “The Tonight Show” pretty well, if safely. He steered mostly clear of topical jokes, possibly to avoid offending delicate political sensibilities.(Boring!)
On Tuesday, Conan’s second night as host, not as many people tuned in. Still, Monday night’s ratings beat prime late-night competitor, David Letterman.
For years, Leno and Letterman were late-night rivals of the best kind, and now that that head-to-head is over, some people, like Sam Anderson at New York Magazine, wonder what kind of relationship Conan and David will have:
If Letterman-Leno felt like a decades-long slow-motion death match, Letterman-Conan threatens to be its opposite: sweet, cute, possibly even boring.
The late-night shuffle began with Jimmy Fallon taking Conan’s late night seat, followed by Conan taking Leno’s “Tonight Show” slot.
Jay Leno does not plan to retire. Most of you may know that he’ll be offered a nightly prime time show on NBC at 10pm for the fall line-up. And yes, the promos have started. It will be a long summer.
Leno may appear to be getting a new lease on life, but The Daily Beast’s Kim Masters notes that maybe this was a tough move for the generously mandibled (read: big chinned) host:
They say that Leno is angry and upset that he allowed himself to be talked into taking the 10 p.m. slot. He has realized that the new arrangement will alter the kind of show that he has to deliver far more than he anticipated.
Sure, he’s feeling a lot of pressure, but who doesn’t in this recession? Conan has already made a few allusions to NBC’s struggle to survive on his new show, and thus if the network is going to survive, ratings have to keep up.
Luckily, Mr. O’Brien got a boost from none other than the Prez himself, when he talked about the big late-night transition to Brian Williams in the middle of another NBC show: “Inside the Obama White House.” (See video here.) Though, it does seem like Obama might have forgotten Conan’s name for a second, which Conan of course noted on Tuesday night’s show.
So, whether you think Conan’s take-over of the “Tonight Show” was a “yawn” , “good” or not very “memorable,” Conan clearly has some work to do. Ratings need to stay strong. Conan will need to make the “Tonight Show” distinctly his fast.
We’ll leave you with The Daily Beast’s compilation of the most talked-about moments from Conan’s still young run on “The Tonight Show!”
