Conan to NBC "Pound Sand....and keep paying too!" (SNL, Simpsons)
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Leno is toast...burnt toast. He's committing showbiz suicide, IMO.
how is he committing showbiz suicide? He was TTS host, NBC guaranteed Conan to take over 2009 because
1.they were worried about him going to another network
2. they thought he'd be better in the 18-49 demographic than Leno
Leno didn't want to leave TTS, it's well documented, he tried the 9:00pm show, NBC came out and said in advance and knew it would be an uphill climb at 9pm and that type of show wasn't seen on prime time t.v. for many years. It was cheap to produce and NBC still made money.
now Conans numbers are way down, he's lost 50% of Leno's audience and is tied with Letterman in the 18-49 demo instead of leading like he's suppossed to. I know some will say it's all Leno's fault for Conans ratings but I don't think that's all of it.
do you pro-Conan people really think if O'Briens numbers were as good as Leno's and he was leading in the younger demo like they thought that we'd be even having this discussion? It would be "bye-bye Leno, we knew it was going to be tough but it just didn't work out".
but now NBC is screwed, they don't have faith in Conan with the nubmers and have nobody else with experience (fallon can't really take over as he's so knew) and all they have left is Leno but that's problematic as well.
I guess they could go with somebody completely new but that's probably too risky.
Conan is being portrayed as an angel in this but he pushed for the Tonight Show and you can bet he used the argument of not re-signing with NBC and going to Fox/ABC as a bargaining chip. Eveybody knew Leno didn't want to quit and the numbers were good. It was the NBC execs that pushed for this, not Leno ,he's not the bad guy everyone's making him out to be.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Camper1
Question... Who got canceled? Leno, right? Why did Leno lie about retiring and going back on the road to do stand up? I'm don't watch much Conan but I do think he is getting the short end of the stick here.
IMO.
see above, Leno never was cancelled, and lie about retiring? Leno was always doing stand up, in Vegas for instance on the weekends, while host of TTS. Leno once told the story of going on vacation in Hawaii and sitting on the beach for a few hours, becoming bored and catching the next flight back to LA. He's a type A workaholic.
Conan was set up to fail by NBC from the start. First off, NBC plugged the ever living hell out of Leno's new primetime show, while Conan got almost zero promo's. NBC had to know that no one was going to watch Leno in primetime, five night's a week. It killed Conan's lead-in and killed the local news.
I don't really know what it is about Leno that NBC loves so much. He is a good stand-up comic, but his writers, skits, etc suck beyond all words. He also can't interview worth a flip. You can also argue that Leno never deserved the Tonight Show in the first place. Letterman should still be on NBC.
Conan will be ok. Fox would be dumb not to take him. In a perfect world, Conan would go to ABC and bump Nightline and Kimmel back. The problem is that Nightline does extremely well in the ratings.
how is he committing showbiz suicide? He was TTS host, NBC guaranteed Conan to take over 2009 because
1.they were worried about him going to another network
2. they thought he'd be better in the 18-49 demographic than Leno
Leno didn't want to leave TTS, it's well documented, he tried the 9:00pm show, NBC came out and said in advance and knew it would be an uphill climb at 9pm and that type of show wasn't seen on prime time t.v. for many years. It was cheap to produce and NBC still made money.
now Conans numbers are way down, he's lost 50% of Leno's audience and is tied with Letterman in the 18-49 demo instead of leading like he's suppossed to. I know some will say it's all Leno's fault for Conans ratings but I don't think that's all of it.
do you pro-Conan people really think if O'Briens numbers were as good as Leno's and he was leading in the younger demo like they thought that we'd be even having this discussion? It would be "bye-bye Leno, we knew it was going to be tough but it just didn't work out".
but now NBC is screwed, they don't have faith in Conan with the nubmers and have nobody else with experience (fallon can't really take over as he's so knew) and all they have left is Leno but that's problematic as well.
I guess they could go with somebody completely new but that's probably too risky.
Conan is being portrayed as an angel in this but he pushed for the Tonight Show and you can bet he used the argument of not re-signing with NBC and going to Fox/ABC as a bargaining chip. Eveybody knew Leno didn't want to quit and the numbers were good. It was the NBC execs that pushed for this, not Leno ,he's not the bad guy everyone's making him out to be.
see above, Leno never was cancelled, and lie about retiring? Leno was always doing stand up, in Vegas for instance on the weekends, while host of TTS. Leno once told the story of going on vacation in Hawaii and sitting on the beach for a few hours, becoming bored and catching the next flight back to LA. He's a type A workaholic.
I'm just stating what I heard Leno say and what was on the news. He was canceled, and I was watching the night he said he was going to retire and go back on the road...
Back in the 80's I seem to recall Jay Leno was seriously considering doing sitcoms as well as stand-up. Wonder how that would had turned out? After all Jay Leno did "Alice" and even "Good Times' back in the 70's and I am almost sure Leno came close to being a regular at one point on "Mama's Family" and "Gimmie A Break" ( Nell Carter LOVED Leno !! ). I seem to recall reading in TV Guide about this back in the day.
Imagine how history would had been different had Leno did Gimmie A Break
Conan was set up to fail by NBC from the start. First off, NBC plugged the ever living hell out of Leno's new primetime show, while Conan got almost zero promo's. NBC had to know that no one was going to watch Leno in primetime, five night's a week. It killed Conan's lead-in and killed the local news.
seriously! I remember SEVERAL bus shelters in the Chicago Loop area that had built in screens showing promos for the Jay Leno Show (I remember that long skit where he runs over something in the road). I don't think the Tonight Show w/ Conan got 10% of that marketing. face it, NBC, perhaps not purposely, set him up to fail. crap marketing, crap lead ins, and little chance to build up his audience. remember, Letterman had a HUGE scandal to play off of w/ his allegations of the affairs, and people tune in when it comes to scandal (Leno's ratings when he first started TTS didn't really pick up till he interviewed Hugh Grant and I'm sure the premiere of the Leno Show got a little boost by having Kanye on so soon after Swift-gate). Conan, given more time, may have gained steam on Letterman, but who knows, esp. w/ the bad lead in issue and the overall issue of NBC being junk. as hallowed as TTS is, I don't think it could have overcome the issues of a new host, new format, juicy topic from the competition, a bad lead in, and deteriorating network.
honestly, I can see Fox being a good fit. sure, Fox News skews towards the conservative, but Fox is also the home of American Idol and Seth McFarlane (Family Guy), and I can see the type of folks who like these two liking Conan. folks who like TTS seem to prefer safer/blander (some, esp. younger viewers, would say more boring) comedic fare and Conan is very out there. or maybe Conan should just do cable, that way, he won't have to deal w/ the ratings rat race the networks engage in
Even though the Tonight Show has been a long standing tradition, it's been an ever changing show throughout the years as well.
The name of the show changed many times before settling on 'The Tonight Show with'.
The time it was aired also changed many times until Johnny Carson had it, in addition to the length of it.
It has been a variety show, news show, entertainment show and talk show.
It spent many years in NYC before moving to Burbank.
The role of 'announcer' has changed many times.
The music has been orchestra and band settings.
Until Jay Leno they always had substitute/guest hosts when the need arose.
So change is nothing new, it's just that Jay Leno has been so consistent for so long, it seems like it's always been exactly the same.
FWIW, when Carson retired, the more logical choice was for Leno to get the show as he had been the sole guest host for many years. Letterman had his own show that was very successful. The reason it became an issue was because Letterman asked for the show and Carson supported him as the choice. The network, however, chose the proven success of Leno over the chance of upsetting the whole schedule by moving Letterman.
They lost Letterman over it, but as the records show Leno out did Letterman almost the entire time he was there, so they seemingly made the best business decision after all. Especially considering Conan did well as Letterman's replacement.
This time they tried what the public seemed to want and it cost them a tremendous loss in the Tonight Show audience.
I don't like Conan's humor and never have, however I do feel for the guy uprooting his life and family.
With the exception of his salutation to 'people of earth', I think his statement was done very well and shows dignity.
He's definitely between a rock and a hard spot regarding choices.
ETA- Joan Rivers was kicked off as a host due to something she said or did, I no longer remember, so she had been long gone as a guest host when they went to just using Leno.
One of the issues that upset Conan was more for the staff and their families who moved from New York. Many bought new houses and cars in Los Angeles. They do not have the same financially stability as Conan.
What's so interesting about NBC was that the late night shows was the one area that they were leaders in audience numbers. Now they screwed that up.
Actually, IMHO, Conan is a funny guy. But, the show comes off as lame and unfunny in general. The only things I like on Conan's show are the monologue (except for his spastic contortions), the banter with Andy, and his Twitter Tracker bit.
Now I don't particularly care for Jay's 10PM format either (that is aside from the monlogue and the bits). I hope he turns the Tonight Show back into what it was before he left.
I still don't see why Jay can't do a 30 min show with the monologue and a couple of bits and then Conan can do the TS at 12:05. It would help bring in more viewers against Ol' Crusty on CBS at 11:35 until Jay retires. Then they can bring the TS back up to 11:35. But, I guess Conan would rather walk away with a few bucks and put the screws to all of the TS employees.
Conan is not funny with all his facial contortions and body jerks. His humor is that of a 13 year old.
I'm just not "smart and hip" enough to get it I guess.
for all the talk about how sophisticated he is and if you don't find him funny you just don't have a high enough understanding of upper-level commedy I actually find him to be the most juvenile of all late night talk hosts. Seriously. Maybe the guy should relay on good old fashioned jokes he makes up with his mind instead of of funny faces and contortions like an epileptic without his meds.
and PS: his entire show has turned into a big pity party for him, it's all about him and I find it very unprofessional. The show must go on and it's not all about you.
I'm really wondering why so many people can't at least blame him in part for losing halfof Leno's ratings and not being any better in the younger demographic than Letterman, a suppossed strength of his. Do you guys really think NBC's prime time lineup is soley to blame?
I think alot of people have seen his act and don't like it. He was a much better fit later when the younger college kids, stoners etc. were more prone to watch.
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