Gainzo Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I don't watch the late night shows much but always enjoyed Conan at 12:30. How do you think he will do taking over The Tonight Show? Conan O'Brien is inheriting the best job in television at what might seem the worst possible time. The funnyman from Brookline with the flaming red hair, who tomorrow becomes the host of NBC's "The Tonight Show," won't only be competing for viewers with David Letterman, his one-time idol. He'll also be competing with cable TV, video on demand, shows stored on DVRs, movies downloaded to laptops, and the hipper fare of Comedy Central. Yet in a fractured TV landscape, O'Brien is also taking over an institution that has been remarkably stable - and an audience that has stayed surprisingly large. Over the past decade, with host Jay Leno, "The Tonight Show" has maintained its audience size of about 5 million viewers, and has led its time slot - 11:35 p.m. in Boston - since the 1995-6 season, according to Nielsen Media Research. Ratings for CBS's "The Late Show with David Letterman" have slipped from 7.1 million viewers in the 1993-94 season to 3.8 million today. How much of the "Tonight Show" dominance is attributable to Leno's avuncular style or his loyal-but-aging viewers is an open question. One of the prevailing mysteries about O'Brien's upcoming tenure is how his own brand of quirky, silly, and mildly-cerebral humor, honed in the giddy environs of 12:30 a.m. on the East Coast, will fare an hour earlier - and how many of the Leno faithful will follow their own man to 10 p.m. (Of Leno's 5 million viewers, only 735,000 are 18 to 34, and some have questioned whether older viewers might want to go to bed earlier, anyway.) Still, there's something about late-night TV itself, the way it fits into the rhythms of the American day, that makes "The Tonight Show" and its time slot still feel, if not crucial, then comfortable. And O'Brien clearly feels that he's taking the helm of something important, following the spotlights of Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, and Leno. "It's a venerated, beloved NBC franchise," he told reporters last week, describing his lush new set. "That doesn't mean I can't do silly things in that space, but the space itself should be beautiful." O'Brien's romantic mix of reverence and irreverence may be just about right. "The Tonight Show" may not be the hippest show on TV, or even the most newsworthy, but it may well be one of the last TV institutions that matters. And its middlebrow sensibility could be the secret to its success. The show premiered in 1954, based in New York, as a vehicle for comedian Steve Allen, who helmed a show that bears similarities to David Letterman's show today. Allen had a Lettermanesque goofiness, said Father Michael V. Tueth, the author of "Laughter in the Living Room: Television Comedy and the American Home Audience." When Allen moved to his own prime-time show in 1957, NBC briefly experimented with a newsier format, not unlike the current "Today" show. When that failed with viewers, NBC hired comedian Jack Paar, whose TV demeanor was emotional and who loved political fare: He interviewed both Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy during the 1960 presidential race. In 1962, Tueth said, NBC replaced Paar with Johnny Carson, who developed the now-universal conventions of the late night talk show: the desk, the sidekick, the opening monologue (Allen often started his show sitting at a piano). It was Carson who, in 1972, moved the show to California, and he solidified his own role as a late-night companion - the wide-eyed, open-minded, open-hearted Nebraskan, guiding Americans through the gaudy and alien culture of entertainment. For stand-up comedians, the show has long been reputed to be a career-maker; in 1982, Boston-based comedian Steven Wright - discovered by a "Tonight Show" producer who had traveled east with his kid on a college tour - catapulted onto the national scene based on his stand-up performance on Carson's show, and his stint on Carson's couch. In more recent years, "The Tonight Show" and its late-night counterparts have evolved into proving grounds for politicians, who have used the casual venue to reach for everyman appeal, or even launch their careers: In 2003, Arnold Schwarzenegger made waves when he used the "Tonight Show" couch to announce that he was running for governor of California. Tueth describes the mood of the late-night network shows as "playtime for grownups." And the brand of humor that works best - particularly the brand honed by Carson and Leno - has an easygoing nature, said Walter J. Podrazik, a consulting curator at the Museum of Broadcast Communications and the coauthor of "Watching TV: Six Decades of American Television." Leno has gotten criticism, Podrazik said, for "not being zing-y enough, not being sharp-edged enough. But again, he understands his audience. He understands who's there." He points to Leno's famous 1995 interview with the scandal-ridden actor Hugh Grant, in which Leno asked, "What the hell were you thinking?" "He could ask the questions that we're thinking," Podrazik said. "That might be a trait that would be shared with Carson." Leno, who grew up in Andover, put his mark on the show as the consummate stand-up comedian, making the opening monologues a bigger and more important part of the show. O'Brien's is another brand of comic entirely. Before he took the helm of "Late Night" in 1993, he was a writer for "The Simpsons" and "Saturday Night Live." He says his great love is the comedy sketch. He has been on the air long enough to have built a loyal audience of his own; "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," based in New York City, drew nearly 2 million viewers last year. And in some ways, O'Brien's persona - the fish-out-of-water, the gawky outsider in La-La land - places him firmly in the Carson tradition. Indeed, when O'Brien talks about reaching an audience, he speaks of universal themes, and of a brand of humor that's less about politics and more about situations. Already, his staff and crew have been preparing sketches that play on his outsider status, as he explores Los Angeles beaches and the giddy world of the Universal backlot. Whether it will draw him an audience comparable to Leno's, or place him in a pantheon with Carson, is unclear. But O'Brien said he's clinging to the advice that Carson gave him back in 1993: Just be yourself. Don't get caught up in the institution, however grand, you are inheriting. "I think the biggest danger to me taking over 'The Tonight Show' - and I've thought this since the beginning - is overthink," O'Brien said. http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2009/05/31/conan_obriens_time_has_come__will_the_leno_faithful_follow/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gun Of Bavaria Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Conan needs to a avoid the "Letterman Disease" and just keep doing what he's been doing. If he tries to change his act like Letterman has, he'll one day grow up to be a cranky old man with the #3 show at 11:30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gainzo Posted May 31, 2009 Author Share Posted May 31, 2009 Conan needs to a avoid the "Letterman Disease" and just keep doing what he's been doing. If he tries to change his act like Letterman has, he'll one day grow up to be a cranky old man with the #3 show at 11:30. Do you think Triumph the Insult Comic Dog will go over well with the senior citizens who watched Leno? I hope he stays the same but I'm pretty sure he will will tone it down for the 11:30 crowd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Jet Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I think he'll do fine although the pressure will be on since the Tonight Show is #1. If it starts to falter there's always the possibility they could bring Jay back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFSIKH Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Do you think Triumph the Insult Comic Dog will go over well with the senior citizens who watched Leno? I hope he stays the same but I'm pretty sure he will will tone it down for the 11:30 crowd. Hopefully, he will follow Carson's advice and be himself. Leno's demographic knows what they like and will follow him. I imagine out of habit they will turn into Conan for awhile, Conan should also be able to b ring a new and younger crowd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gainzo Posted May 31, 2009 Author Share Posted May 31, 2009 Hopefully, he will follow Carson's advice and be himself. Leno's demographic knows what they like and will follow him. I imagine out of habit they will turn into Conan for awhile, Conan should also be able to b ring a new and younger crowd. I hope so. We all know that the Masturbating Bear isn't going to work with Leno's demographic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klecko73isGod Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I am going to do something tomorrow night I haven't done since Johnny Carson's final broadcast - watch the Tonight Show. I hated Leno and his lame ripoffs of David Letterman's often brilliant ripoffs of Art Linklater and Jack Parr's go to bits (small town news, kids saying funny things.) Conan is a breath of fresh and, unlike Jay, a legitimately funny mother****er. I hope Triumph makes an appearance on Conan's debut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gainzo Posted May 31, 2009 Author Share Posted May 31, 2009 I am going to do something tomorrow night I haven't done since Johnny Carson's final broadcast - watch the Tonight Show. I hated Leno and his lame ripoffs of David Letterman's often brilliant ripoffs of Art Linklater and Jack Parr's go to bits (small town news, kids saying funny things.) Conan is a breath of fresh and, unlike Jay, a legitimately funny mother****er. I hope Triumph makes an appearance on Conan's debut. I'm going to watch tomorrow as well. If Triumph shows up it will be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I think he'll be fine. Just like Jay, his audience is getting older and some of us old ****ers will be happier to watch him an hour earlier. Of course over here he's going from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 so I'm getting ****ed again, but there's nothing new there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borgoguy Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I think he'll be fine. Just like Jay, his audience is getting older and some of us old ****ers will be happier to watch him an hour earlier. Of course over here he's going from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 so I'm getting ****ed again, but there's nothing new there. Do you get the US programs live? If so, on what service? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Devito Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 They already said farewell to the masterbating bear, I think; so it sounds like he's going to tone it down a little unfortunately. I hope he doesn't change much though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Do you get the US programs live? If so, on what service? We can watch US cable with the slingbox, but it's not even mine. I use a friend's, but my wife's computer grenaded and my 5 year old lap top really isn't fast enough. I usually just get 'em on AFN the following evening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeC36 Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 ill end up watching tommorows shows just to see how it is. ive always been a Letterman fan but ill still check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECURB Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I think everything is going to stay exactly how it was... just an hour earlier and with news in-between... that is the only thing that might hurt Carson... he has always had 5 million viewers watching Leno go right into his show... now he has to expect people to tune into him after the news is done... If they really want to increase viewers get rid of the news... it is repetitive, negative and bias anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serphnx Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Interesting article, I didn't know that about the audiences. I wonder if the "hipper fare" is in reference to Stewart and Colbert, whom I think both are funnier than anybody on the late night network shows. It's a different style though, and I don't think they are actually in competition. It would have been nice to see some numbers and analysis on those shows though, since it is referred to. I'm sure Conan will be fine. He'll grow into the role if he needs to, but most people I know considered him funnier than Leno back when I actually watched these shows (as a teenager, I haven't watched TV much since then). Hell, maybe he'll bring in viewers that saw him in the past but then became too old or had better options than watching TV that late at night most days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klecko73isGod Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Interesting article, I didn't know that about the audiences. I wonder if the "hipper fare" is in reference to Stewart and Colbert, whom I think both are funnier than anybody on the late night network shows. It's a different style though, and I don't think they are actually in competition. It would have been nice to see some numbers and analysis on those shows though, since it is referred to. I'm sure Conan will be fine. He'll grow into the role if he needs to, but most people I know considered him funnier than Leno back when I actually watched these shows (as a teenager, I haven't watched TV much since then). Hell, maybe he'll bring in viewers that saw him in the past but then became too old or had better options than watching TV that late at night most days. Actually, I think Conan's audience is Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's audience. My TIVO is going to probably be recording Conan while I watch Colbert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Conan will do fine. Hopefully, more people will understand that Leno is teh suck. I'm a long-time Letterman fan, but his show has gotten stale. I'll be tempted to watch Conan. Craig Ferguson has been the funniest guy on late night for some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryK Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 They already said farewell to the masterbating bear, I think; so it sounds like he's going to tone it down a little unfortunately. I hope he doesn't change much though. That Stupid bear was one of the dumbest things he's ever done. Weiner jokes are pure laziness on Conan's part, especially with the budget and writers he'll have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gun Of Bavaria Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Conan is off to a great start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klecko73isGod Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 The Tonight Show is funny and original again!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pragmatic Bus Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 can't wait to go home and watch it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gun Of Bavaria Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Tonight's episode was pure Conan. It had that new car smell, sort of a rewiring the show for my generation. The older crowd (Like Bob ) can still watch Leno @ 10:00, but Conan is going to tear it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pragmatic Bus Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Tonight's episode was pure Conan. It had that new car smell, sort of a rewiring the show for my generation. The older crowd (Like Bob ) can still watch Leno @ 10:00, but Conan is going to tear it up. good news, hopefully i'm not dissapointed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gun Of Bavaria Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 good news, hopefully i'm not dissapointed Let me know what you think. I think you'll be happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pragmatic Bus Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Let me know what you think. I think you'll be happy. wilco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECURB Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 I still like Leno better... but for me this is all good... I now get Leno & Conan & Jimmy all in the same night... pretty cool they made the transition without losing talent but adding some... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klecko73isGod Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 I still like Leno better... but for me this is all good... I now get Leno & Conan & Jimmy all in the same night... pretty cool they made the transition without losing talent but adding some... You consider Jimmy Fallon a plus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Jet Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 I taped it last night and will watch it today. I'm a big Leno fan so I'm interested to see what Conan brings to the table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gun Of Bavaria Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 You consider Jimmy Fallon a plus? Jimmy Fallon looks like he's nervous as hell. Last night's Slow Jam of the News was funny though. http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/clips/slow-jam-the-news-california-ecomomy-6109/1116321/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Tonight's episode was pure Conan. It had that new car smell, sort of a rewiring the show for my generation. The older crowd (Like Bob ) can still watch Leno @ 10:00, but Conan is going to tear it up. Bite me. I didn't watch Leno's lame-ass show at 11:35 and I'm not going to watch it at 10. Conan was good last night. I'm glad he put his own mark on the show right off the bat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garb Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 What do Leno and Conan have in common? They are both M@ssholes. Further proof that M@ssholes are wicked smaht and rule the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
124 Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 I'll listen to Howard Stern every morning, thats good enough for me. Screw staying up late for those shows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klecko73isGod Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 I'll listen to Howard Stern every morning, thats good enough for me. Screw staying up late for those shows. You're a college student and you don't stay up late enough to watch the Tonight Show? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
124 Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 You're a college student and you don't stay up late enough to watch the Tonight Show? If I'm up that late I'm either writing a paper, drinking or watching an old NFL game. Once in a while I'll catch Colbert or Stewart, but thats all I'd watch. Letterman puts me to sleep. I love sleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMaynard Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Since Conan has to move to LA, my advice to him is STAY OUT OF THE SUN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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