Jimmy Fallon to take over for Conan O'Brien

[yab1112]

I'm a big Conan fan so I feel like I have to post here.

I'm still scratching my head as to why you would take a show that was number one and then replace the host.

IIRC, Jay said he was retiring then somewhere down the line (after Conan was announced as the new host) he decided he wasn't ready to leave yet.

his acting like a 5-year old without his Ridalin gets old really fast. A great writer, a poor comedian

I can certainly appreciate why someone would feel this way, but I don't. It's worth noting that his antics are not random, everything is calculated. He talked about it when he went on "Inside the Actors Studio" with James Lipton. You can watch the segment on youtube.

I've never cared for Conan, since he took over I've stopped watching The Tonight Show.

I know a lot of folks that agree with you. It makes me wonder how Conan's gotten this far

He's gotten this far because there are a lot of people that disagree with Reds4Life. I know many people my age (early 20s) that like Conan's style. In contrast, I never watched Leno because I didn't find him funny-at all.

I don't think the considerable early dip in the ratings is a true measuring stick. It's easy to see why someone who watched Leno (or Dave) wouldn't stick with Conan after the switch. Their styles are so different, it's hard to imagine a person who would appreciate both. Additionally, most of Conan's fans are probably younger and not necessarily watching tv at 11:30 on a consistent basis.

The bottom line is that as Conan's core group of fans age, his ratings will rise, and any new, young viewers will surely choose Conan over Dave.

[cincinnati chili]

I heard David Bianculli on Fresh air yesterday. He "awarded" the Jay Leno Show the worst television show of 2009, and predicts that the ratings are so far below what was projected that some affiliates will "revolt" - i.e. stop carrying it in its normal timeslot because the affiliates can make more money from syndicated programming.

http://www.npr.org/templates/rundown...ate=12-23-2009

(click on either the sound link or transcript link for David Bianculli)

[Dom Heffner]

IIRC, Jay said he was retiring then somewhere down the line (after Conan was announced as the new host) he decided he wasn't ready to leave yet

He was asked to go, and wanted to stay.

[yab1112]

He was asked to go, and wanted to stay.

After a little googling, it seems like you're right. As to why NBC would do something so seemingly illogical, this article attempts to explain it.

[savafan]

http://www.tmz.com/2010/01/07/jay-le...-tonight-show/

Jay Leno is going back to his 11:30 PM time slot, and it's looking like Conan O'Brien is the odd man out ... sources tell TMZ.

We've learned Jay's 10:00 PM show will go on hiatus February 1. After the Olympics, Jay will take back his 11:30 PM time slot. What has not been decided -- whether Jay's show will be a half hour, followed by Conan, or whether Jay's show will be an hour and NBC says sayonara to Mr. O'Brien.

We're told Jay and Conan have both been told of the changes. As for Jay, interestingly, he'll get what he always wanted -- his 11:30 PM time slot.

[Chip R]

That's a shame.

[Reds4Life]

A half hour show for Leno? I don't see that happening, it's way to short, and not really enough time for guests.

My guess is Leno takes over the Tonight Show once more, and Conan is gone.

[Joseph]

Seems like they should get rid of Fallon.

[redsfandan]

I get the annoying factor of Conan O'Brien, however, when has Jay Leno ever been funny in the past 15 years?

When he interviews a guest he sits there and gives a cold, disinterested "Oh yeah" and "Alright" in the middle of their sentences. He never responds or even reacts to anything a guest will say and when a guest says something that gets a lot of laughs, he always squirms in his seat awkwardly waiting for the audience to stop so he can ask the next question. For that matter, watch any interview where the guest is getting a lot of laughs, Jay Leno will ALWAYS interrupt their flow by saying "OK..." and "Well..." in the middle of what they are saying, it never fails. It's like he is saying, "Ok, that's enough". And yeah, while Conan's witty comebacks steal focus and are predictable, Jay Leno's 'witty' comebacks make no sense at all. A female guest will say "The film crew was really glad to find out we were shooting a love scene that day", the audience laughs, then Jay Leno will lean forward and say "They're probably not as glad as the film crew here!". I get that his show was #1 but he is a very bad representation of what "comedy" or "funny" is. Take all those old folks who adore him and have them watch a mid-level stand up show at their local Improv and they will see 4-5 comics who are funnier than Jay Leno on the Tonight Show.

Chances are, in that example, he's trying to find a way to keep the discussion pg-13, steer the conversation in a way to help out the guests (away from the more tabloid ready stuff), find a way to capitalize on what they said to get more laughs, or something like that. Leno's no idiot.

The bottom line is that as Conan's core group of fans age, his ratings will rise, and any new, young viewers will surely choose Conan over Dave.

OR the young viewers will watch whoever is the latest hot talk show host that comes along.


With the latest news my bet is Conan ends up on a cable network or Fox.

[KronoRed]

The Tonight Show is getting beat badly by Nightline, not a good sign.

Conan will be let go with a ton of cash and end up on Fox.

[redsfandan]

The Tonight Show is getting beat badly by Nightline, not a good sign.

Conan will be let go with a ton of cash and end up on Fox.

Maybe I'm wrong but hasn't Nightline always done pretty well in the ratings?

[KronoRed]

It has, but it's rarely topped The Tonight Show, now it's not even close, 4.2 million to 2.5 million I think it was.

[gilpdawg]

I thought Conan would work out, and I think he probably would have, had NBC not cannibalized the audience by putting Leno on early. When Jay decided he didn't want to retire, why didn't they just delay the switch? As long as Conan was anointed the heir apparent, he'd probably be happy to stay at 12:35 for awhile longer. Instead now they've killed Jay's momentum and they'll probably lose Conan and now they're really under a barrel when Jay finally leaves for good.

[frenetic wave]

Jay Leno is a non-threatening face that makes non-threatening jokes. That's his appeal. Familiarity. Seniors would love and watch his show if it was just a cardboard cut-out of his face that made non-scary gibberish sounds, with shots of Kevin Eubanks cut in between. That's all they want.


Now put an unfamiliar (scary) face on TV and no matter how funny the person is, they want Jay back. Give us Jay back. We know him. The idea is better explained/shown in this SNL Digital Short:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/10235/satu...-in-the-movies

[Razor Shines]

I thought Conan would work out, and I think he probably would have, had NBC not cannibalized the audience by putting Leno on early. When Jay decided he didn't want to retire, why didn't they just delay the switch? As long as Conan was anointed the heir apparent, he'd probably be happy to stay at 12:35 for awhile longer. Instead now they've killed Jay's momentum and they'll probably lose Conan and now they're really under a barrel when Jay finally leaves for good.

No, they won't be. This is all part of their master plan to get rid of Leno and Conan to make way for Craig Kilborn to take over the Tonight Show.