# Conan Ratings Slipping Fast: Letterman Beats Tonight Show Rating 1st Time In 8 Months
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [June 11, 2009, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427 "2009-06-11T06:59:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2009, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427/1 "2009-06-11T06:59:48Z")
As I predicted, Conan is going to have a hard time filling in for Leno and the [ratings](http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/06/letterman-beats-tonight-show-for-first-time.html#more) seem to be showing that already happening.
After only a week, Letterman beat the Tonight Show for the first time in 8 months. As the article mentions, it will take time to see what happens, but this doesn’t bode well for Conan.
I have stopped watching The Tonight Show and, if I am awake, only look forward to Craig Ferguson on the Late Late Show on CBS. I think Ferguson is woefully under-rated and probably the best late night talk show host on the air today.
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### Author:  [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2009, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427/2 "2009-06-11T07:36:21Z")
> [@DMark](#):
>
> As I predicted, Conan is going to have a hard time filling in for Leno and the [ratings](http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/06/letterman-beats-tonight-show-for-first-time.html#more) seem to be showing that already happening.
>
> After only a week, Letterman beat the Tonight Show for the first time in 8 months. As the article mentions, it will take time to see what happens, but this doesn’t bode well for Conan.
It bodes nothing. For decades, people have tried to judge daily late-night shows after one week and have never, ever been right. Letterman beat Leno in the ratings for _two years_ after he took over for Carson. People were predicting Leno’s imminent demise every sweeps. Yet he managed to hold the show (and turn it around to consistently beat Letterman) for 17 years.
Conan’s ratings on Late Night were so bad for the first three years of his run that for a while he was on a month-to-month contract. He ended up becoming insanely popular among his demographic and held the show for 16 years. (A series of lackluster competitors on CBS helped; Tom Snyder and Craig Kilborn were unbearable.) It wasn’t until Craig Ferguson came along that Conan’s ratings began dipping again.
People already hate Jimmy Fallon (with good reason; the dude can be funny but it usually feels like a 12-year-old hosting a talk show.) Anybody proclaiming either Fallon or Conan dead at this point must have a Late Night Comedy Crystal Ball, or they’re pulling their opinions out of their collective asses.
> [@](#):
>
> I have stopped watching The Tonight Show and, if I am awake, only look forward to Craig Ferguson on the Late Late Show on CBS. I think Ferguson is woefully under-rated and probably the best late night talk show host on the air today.
You’re right about that. Craig is amazing.
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### Author:  [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2009, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427/3 "2009-06-11T08:50:15Z")
Conan’s new show doesn’t _feel_ like the Carson-Leno _Tonight Show_. It just feels like his old show on a bigger budget. So, I’ve been going back to Letterman.
And yes, Craig Ferguson’s solo riffing is the most underrated work on late night television.
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### Author:  [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2009, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427/4 "2009-06-11T13:29:43Z")
I used to catch Leno’s monologue most nights, just before bed. I watched Conan’s openning night and it stank so bad (oh, so bad) I’ve never been back. Has it gotten any better? Not that into Letterman’s monologue so I’m off night time talk shows for now.
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### Author:  [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2009, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427/5 "2009-06-11T14:01:35Z")
Maybe Letterman’s ratings are up because of the “controversy” about his Bristol Palin jokes.
But yeah, I wasn’t impressed with Conan’s show either. I never watched his old show, so I didn’t know what to expect. And it wasn’t great.
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### Author:  [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2009, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427/6 "2009-06-11T14:40:20Z")
I’m not a Conan fan. I watched his reruns on CC when they used to play them. I find him annoying. But he may catch his stride.
I find Ferguson much more talented.
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### Author:  [@Kingspades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kingspades)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427/7 "2009-06-11T14:55:13Z")
> [@friedo](#):
>
> A series of lackluster competitors on CBS helped; Tom Snyder and Craig Kilborn were unbearable.
:eek:
I loved watching Tom Snyder on The Late Late Show. I wish DVRs had been around back then; I’d have caught many more of his shows.
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### Author:  [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427/8 "2009-06-11T16:02:14Z")
I wonder if the Colbert Report being in Iraq has anything to do with it. His stint in Iraq is turning out great. He’s really getting into it. I only ever catch The Tonight Show after The Colbert Report is done.
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### Author:  [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427/9 "2009-06-11T16:15:03Z")
> [@DMark](#):
>
> As I predicted, Conan is going to have a hard time filling in for Leno and the [ratings](http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/06/letterman-beats-tonight-show-for-first-time.html#more) seem to be showing that already happening.
Huh. Not according to this story: [Live Feed](http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/06/conan-obrien-regains-lead-palin-letterman.html)
_Also, new ratings for O’Brien’s first week behind the “Tonight” desk give NBC a record-setting lead over CBS’ “Late Show” among adults 18-49._
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### Author:  [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2009, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427/10 "2009-06-11T17:13:12Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#):
>
> I wonder if the Colbert Report being in Iraq has anything to do with it. His stint in Iraq is turning out great. He’s really getting into it. I only ever catch The Tonight Show after The Colbert Report is done.
I’m curious how Colbert is affecting the ratings, Iraq or not. I’m not sure there was a lot of crossover fans between Leno and Colbert, but Colbert and Conan definitely share an audience.
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2009, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427/11 "2009-06-11T17:56:22Z")
Conan won’t get two years to prove himself in the current world. 1992 was a generation of viewership ago. Yet friedo is completely correct. Everybody in the business must have expected that Conan’s ratings would drop from that opening show. From now on it’s just a matter of how low they go, how long they take to stabilize, and whether they get better as Conan starts adjusting the show to the new time. He’ll have a few events that will cause a media flurry, like this current one with Letterman. People will tune in. Some will stay.
The clips that Leno showed of the early days of his show during his last tribute weeks reminded me that Leno was insecure and screechy in the beginning. Conan is insecure too, just showing it in a different way. He’ll settle down with time.
Whether he’ll win is a different question. Letterman just did a two-year renewal of his contract through 2012. He had been doing three year renewals. This may be a sign that he plans to bow out then. That throws the whole late night world open. Conan and Letterman share too much of the same audience for Conan to be a good opponent. If Letterman leaves, somebody very different will replace him. That could be good news for Conan - or very bad news. Craig Ferguson was beginning to equal him in the 12:30 ratings. Conan is totally beatable as he is today. He has to transform his show the way Leno did. Nobody predicted that happening. I’m not going to make any predictions now. I’ll just keep saying the first week is not meaningful. And neither is the first month.
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### Author:  [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2009, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427/12 "2009-06-11T18:14:31Z")
I find Conan to be the most consistently funny late night offering. Craig is a weirdo that tries too hard. Letterman relies too heavily on tired old gags that were tired old gags five years ago.
Andy Richter is hilarious in the five seconds he appears on any given show. Conan’s taped bits are vastly superior to the crud that was Leno’s Jaywalking. And how can anyone not like the genius that was “Corn Pie!”?
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### Author:  [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427/13 "2009-06-11T18:58:53Z")
> [@shiftless](#):
>
> I used to catch Leno’s monologue most nights, just before bed. I watched Conan’s openning night and it stank so bad (oh, so bad) I’ve never been back. Has it gotten any better? Not that into Letterman’s monologue so I’m off night time talk shows for now.
I like Conan’s old show (haven’t seen his Tonight gig beyond the 1st Monday), but his monologue has always sucked (Letterman’s, too). Jay always had a long monologue, so even if not every joke was a hit, it still felt meatier and more substantive–not just a few throw-away remarks and a shrug.
> [@](#):
>
> I loved watching Tom Snyder on The Late Late Show. I wish DVRs had been around back then; I’d have caught many more of his shows.
I liked Tom, too, but his Larry King-style format (and his age) meant he rarely skewed to the “right” demographic.
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### Author:  [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2009, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427/14 "2009-06-11T19:19:03Z")
Conan is very inventive. i like his show and have for years. Craig is OK. He tries to carry to much of the show. When he has a good guest on there is very little time left.
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### Author:  [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427/15 "2009-06-11T20:13:32Z")
> [@friedo](#):
>
> People were predicting Leno’s imminent demise every sweeps. Yet he managed to hold the show (and turn it around to consistently beat Letterman) for 17 years.
>
> Conan’s ratings on Late Night were so bad for the first three years of his run that for a while he was on a month-to-month contract. He ended up becoming insanely popular among his demographic and held the show for 16 years.
Jesus, has it been that long. God I’m old.
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### Author:  [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427/16 "2009-06-11T23:28:22Z")
Leno went past Letterman in ratings during the OJ trial. He did a lot of stuff on that which pushed him over the top in ratings.
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### Author:  [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2009, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427/17 "2009-06-12T00:55:01Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#):
>
> Leno went past Letterman in ratings during the OJ trial. He did a lot of stuff on that which pushed him over the top in ratings.
I thought the consensus of opinion was that the defining moment in his turnaround was getting Hugh Grant on, and asking “What the hell were you thinking?”
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427/18 "2009-06-12T01:27:20Z")
Somebody debunked that recently, saying that the turnaround came when Leno fired his manager, who was giving him bad advice, and revamped the show so that the stage extended out into the audience. That gave him the connection he needed as a stand-up, he started doing longer monologues, and he felt a lot more comfortable. He also replaced Brandon Marsalis, who was a stiff as a sidekick, with Kevin Eubanks in 1995, same year as the Grant thing. The OJ trial came along in October of 1995, after the other changes.
It’s certain that the Hugh Grant interview was a big deal, but it probably wouldn’t have meant anything if he hadn’t also made all the other changes that made the show sufficiently better that people would want to see it. People like to say that one thing was the turning point but that’s almost never true. It’s always a bunch of things working together.
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### Author:  [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2009, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427/19 "2009-06-12T13:43:33Z")
Does their sound system at the new stage sound like ass to everyone else? It seems like the acoustics are terrible and the sound technicians have no idea how to mix the volume levels between the different mics. It sounds like a garage band operation.
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### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2009, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conan-ratings-slipping-fast-letterman-beats-tonight-show-rating-1st-time-in-8-months/499427/20 "2009-06-12T13:51:09Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#):
>
> Does their sound system at the new stage sound like ass to everyone else? It seems like the acoustics are terrible and the sound technicians have no idea how to mix the volume levels between the different mics. It sounds like a garage band operation.
Yes, it is horrible.
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