The battle for “The Tonight Show” host spot is far more entertaining than any VH1 reality series.
Jay Leno became host of “The Tonight Show” 17 years ago, succeeding Johnny Carson. Last May, Conan O’Brien took Leno’s spot as late-night funny man. Initially, Conan’s ratings were below Leno’s. When a new host takes over a show, ratings are expected to be low for the first year and a half. Conan was taken off air after seven months.
Five years ago, NBC promised Jay Leno’s job to Conan. Leno would explore options on an original show while “The Tonight Show” became “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.” “Saturday Night Live” alum Jimmy Fallon was pulled in to take over “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” which aired after Leno’s “Tonight Show.”
As Conan pulled his weight on “The Tonight Show,” Leno was given a primetime show on NBC that was virtually the same as his previous program. The hour long “Jay Leno Show” aired at 10 p.m. With weak guests and low ratings, the show tanked; Leno’s audience never followed him to primetime. NBC thought the best way to help Leno was airing his show at O’Brien’s 11:35 slot, and push Conan back a half hour.
We like Conan’s comedy because it’s crisp, and he never has to stoop low to get a laugh. However, when the network threatened to push Conan out of his own spot, the claws came out. Conan issued a statement saying he would not leave his 11:35 time slot to “participate in [the network’s] destruction.” NBC was faced with the choice of keeping Conan on “The Tonight Show” at 11:35, or letting him go and having Leno return as the host. The network acted on instinct, as Leno was a successful host of “The Tonight Show” for over 15 years.
It was NBC’s mistake to doubt Conan. He and side kick Andy Richter are a different breed of comedy, a type of funny that makes you feel good about yourself. Conan’s comedy is riskier than Leno’s, so the payoff is bigger if it’s funny enough; Leno is much safer. On “Late Night,” Conan took viewers around the world to visit O’Brien castle in Ireland and to Helsinki to meet Finland’s female president who bears a striking resemblance to the ginger comedian. In time, Conan’s ratings would have risen, but NBC was too antsy to let something new come to fruition.
When Conan heard the news, he organized a spectacle of final shows, each costing NBC a ton of money. On his last Wednesday show, O’Brien bought a Bugatti Veyron, the world’s most expensive car, and dressed it in mouse ears. He also featured the Rolling Stone’s “Satisfaction” on the show, a song that is quite expensive to license. Whether dressing up in a pimp costume or kicking the network in the gut, Conan will do anything for his audience. Conan’s final show featured an array of celebrity friends including Tom Hanks, Will Ferrell and Steve Carell. 10.3 million viewers tuned in to watch Conan say goodbye, sweet ratings that NBC will never taste again.
As viewers, we feel a tinge of guilt that Conan wasn’t given his deserved time. Do we watch Leno retake his old show or do we switch to Letterman? And what kind of world do we live in if Jimmy Fallon has a late night show and Conan O’Brien doesn’t? There’s talk of FOX picking up Conan, which he’ll probably accept, as the man is too hilarious to not be on television. As part of his contract with NBC, Conan cannot appear on television for seven months. Until then, Conan fans, we must turn to Hulu to get our fill. Tune in to FOX next season, where Conan will hopefully be waiting. I can assure you, he won’t disappoint.
You can reach this columnist at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
