According to PopEater.com, the answer is maybe, and the rumored replacement is Jerry Seinfeld. Apparently ratings for the Tonight Show have fallen something like 50% and NBC execs are none too happy about it.
The thing is, Leno experienced something similar when he replaced Carson several years ago. It might just be a matter of giving Conan time to get things going. The difference here, of course, is that Conan was already on late night television five times a week for several years before jumping to the Tonight Show, unlike Leno who came to the Tonight Show as a virtual late night rookie.
Another theory I've seen floated: ratings for The Jay Leno Show are absolutely awful, and people who tune out at 10:00p aren't coming back. Not for Conan, not for Fallon, not even for their local NBC affiliate's 11 o'clock news. So maybe it has nothing to do with Conan at all.
Whatever the cause, I think it'd be silly to replace Conan so soon. Jerry Seinfeld is probably the only comedian in the world who could pull off a miraculous turn-around, but it seems like an unnecessary measure at this point.
Originally posted by StingArmy...unlike Leno who came to the Tonight Show as virtual a late night rookie.
Maybe I'm remembering things wrong, but didn't Leno serve as Carson's guest host about a million times before officially taking over?
Yes, which is why I said "virtual" rather than "complete." He had guest hosted many times, but so did other famous comedians. Still, Leno guest hosting a dozen times or so can't compare to the experience Conan got hosting his own show for 16 years.
He guest hosted a lot more than a dozen times - he was the permanent guest host from 1987 on and Carson was regularly taking at least one day a week off (Tuesdays, if I remember correctly - not to mention the occasional week off.). Wikipedia doesn't have the exact numbers, but it's safe to assume he guest hosted several hundred times.
Why would Seinfeld want that job? He's set for life - he's probably set for about 90 lives - and that's a high pressure role doing a job he hasn't ever done. This doesn't sound likely.
I think it'd be a mistake to replace Conan, and that maybe they ought to reconsider the way they've got their schedule set up. I've not seen a single episode of The Jay Leno Show and have no intention of doing so; I didn't watch him on The Tonight Show because I just don't like him. I like Conan, though, and have been a fan for more than ten years.
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Wasn't Leno constantly trounced by the hipper Letterman until Leno got the Hugh Grant interview? I remember that sparking his ascension.
I think Conan could regain his footing if he wasn't made bland by the Tonight franchise. He had characters retired when he moved to 11:30. Of course he's gonna lose numbers.
Also, Hulu means you can catch the repeat anytime. Seems like series finales and sports events are the only appointment viewings anymore.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
Not to cut off all this speculation and boy, I hate to argue the authoritativeness of an AOL blog, but you (and whoever was responsible for the headline of the blog entry) MAY be blowing out of proportion something that doesn't look like anything more than idle chatter. I don't even get a "maybe" out of what I read. There's NO indication Conan's actually going to be replaced. This looks more like a slow news day and an attempt to get some clicks with a headline.
Originally posted by Matt TrackerWasn't Leno constantly trounced by the hipper Letterman until Leno got the Hugh Grant interview? I remember that sparking his ascension.
Let history repeat itself: get Tiger Woods on. The audience will follow.
I've never seen anything like this, where NBC have let themselves get taken hostage by Leno. He must be the single most powerful man in the network if can completely tank ratings for every one of NBC's primetime shows and STILL wind up with his old timeslot.
Wonder if whoever signed Leno to that contract is getting ridden out of the network on a rail?
If Conan does end up the "odd man out", I hope he goes to a network that treats him better and/or gives him a real shot to break out.
And I hope he beats NBC/Leno in the ratings. This is a terrible situation, and the fact that Leno's poor ratings is resulting him.....getting his old spot back? Terrible. Just terrible.
And you're right False, he (Leno) must contain some sort of power, motr yhan we could know obviously.
You know, I really don't know what to put here. Close your eyes and thank of something funny!
Not only is this a poor way to treat Conan, it's a poor way to treat all the people who moved from New York to California to continue to be a part of the show. 6 months and then you maybe don't have a job? Ridiculous.
Ladies and gentlemen, the following public service message is brought to you by your friends from D-Generation X, who would like to remind each and every one of you that if you're not down with that, we've got two words for you... There's a number of reasons why this rumor better not be true, and it's got nothing to do with any affinity I might have for any of the late night show hosts (the only one I watch with any regularity is Colbert).
- The numbers logic just doesn't pan out to me. NBC is assuming that Leno will draw similar ratings to what he was getting last year once he gets back to his old spot, and I very much doubt that happens. Those who took the opportunity during the transition to discover Letterman will likely stick with him, and...
- There will be an inevitable backlash against Leno by Conan fans, taking a sizable chunk out of Leno's would-be audience (and in the desirable 18-40 demo to boot). They'll go watch Kimmel or Colbert and Letterman's lead in the timeslot will only grow (because there's nothing to show that Leno would to take viewers back from Letterman). NBC could have gotten away with something like this two decades ago, but in the Twitter era, it's a fallacy.
- Forgetting all that for a second, though: If they move Leno back, what do they have to put on at 10:00? Law & Order reruns aren't going to cut it and they really don't have anything in the pipeline. That's only going to cost them more ad dollars and ratings, and that's certainly something they can't afford to do for May sweeps (they're lucky the Olympics gives them a free pass for February).
- Lastly, there's the irreparable damage this would do to the Tonight Show brand. NBC would essentially be saying that one guy (who's nearing 60, I might add) is more important than the half-century of history they've put into the program as an entity. What happens the next time they try to replace Leno with somebody? Lord knows it's going to be much harder for them to rebuild trust with the viewership at that time if they go this route.
We'll see how this plays out, but I can't see anything except bad things happening for NBC if they make this move.
smark/net attack Advisory System Status is: Elevated (Holds; June 18, 2006) While the switch from Cena to RVD should alleviate some complaints, the inevitability of the belt's return to Cena (note where Summerslam is this year) and the poor initial showing by the new ECW are enough to keep the indicator where it is for now. The pieces are in place, though, especially on RAW, for improvements to be made to the IWC's psyche in the near future.
Take this for what it's worth, and it might not be much, but a good friend of mine knows someone on the tonight show, and they posted on FB that "there is shit going down, but the Tonight Show will be unaffected. Nikki Finke who covers film and TV, has been covering the story, and her info is just that Leno's show is being cancelled."
If this is true, it makes Leno one of the sleaziest men in Hollywood and that is say something. He pulled almost the same trick on Letterman to get the Tonight show. I hope its a false rumor since Conan has barely gotten out of the gate with his run. It also shows how stupid NBC is. They give a giant send off for Leno on the Tonight Show, then give him primetime TV on the weeknights and when it goes south they give him back his slot out of fear he will go to another network. The ratings should give you an indication that what it would be like if he was the competition and nothing really to fear. I will say this as a Heroes fan, its great news since they now have five hours of primetime TV to fill.
Ladies and gentlemen, the following public service message is brought to you by your friends from D-Generation X, who would like to remind each and every one of you that if you're not down with that, we've got two words for you...
Originally posted by BroncolancheTake this for what it's worth, and it might not be much, but a good friend of mine knows someone on the tonight show, and they posted on FB that "there is shit going down, but the Tonight Show will be unaffected. Nikki Finke who covers film and TV, has been covering the story, and her info is just that Leno's show is being cancelled."
That's a far more likely result than what TMZ is suggesting, IMO.
smark/net attack Advisory System Status is: Elevated (Holds; June 18, 2006) While the switch from Cena to RVD should alleviate some complaints, the inevitability of the belt's return to Cena (note where Summerslam is this year) and the poor initial showing by the new ECW are enough to keep the indicator where it is for now. The pieces are in place, though, especially on RAW, for improvements to be made to the IWC's psyche in the near future.
Originally posted by BroncolancheTake this for what it's worth, and it might not be much, but a good friend of mine knows someone on the tonight show, and they posted on FB that "there is shit going down, but the Tonight Show will be unaffected. Nikki Finke who covers film and TV, has been covering the story, and her info is just that Leno's show is being cancelled."
That's a far more likely result than what TMZ is suggesting, IMO.
That rumor actually dropped first today, followed by the TMZ report. And as much as I dislike them, TMZ's accuracy rate has been better than Finke's in the past.
I wasn't impressed by this season at all. That Phillip won is fitting because he seems like he's just kinda there much like the season was as a whole. When the big moment of the season comes in the Top 13 (When Jessica sang Whitney) there is a problem.