# Leno/Conan Shakeup at NBC **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 7, 2010, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073 "2010-01-07T21:31:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/21 "2010-01-08T01:02:39Z")
They’ve been screwing Conan over since day one , in my opinion. All the advertising budget that used to go to The Tonight Show was handed over to The Leno Show, Leno got the guests that should have gone to Conan, and the audience that normally would have stayed up for the Tonight Show didn’t have to stay up any more. I can’t recall seeing _any_ advertising for Conan’s Tonight Show since it began, but Jay’s Tonite Lite has been shoved in our face like a cheap whore. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/22 "2010-01-08T01:10:28Z")
With DVRs many people don’t have to stay up for a late show I DVR Leno and Conan every night. Leno used to have 2 guests per night, now he mostly has 1 in studio which leaves more for Conan. And Leno almost never has a musical guest now. ---
**Author:** ![Sweet\_Raisin\_Danish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Sweet\_Raisin\_Danish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sweet_Raisin_Danish)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/23 "2010-01-08T01:15:23Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Conan is the oldest guy to take over the Tonight show and he’s the only one who hosted another talk show before taking the job. Technically true maybe, but Leno was the permanent replacement host for years (after Joan Rivers got her own show and Johnny froze her out), so it’s not like he was a novice. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/24 "2010-01-08T01:18:40Z")
The New York Times is [reporting](http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/update-nbc-plans-leno-at-1130-conan-at-12/?hp) that Leno would do a half-hour show starting at 11:35pm, while Conan would do an hour-long show starting at 12:05am. ---
**Author:** ![Sweet\_Raisin\_Danish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Sweet\_Raisin\_Danish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sweet_Raisin_Danish)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/25 "2010-01-08T01:20:18Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I’m old enough to remember Jack Paar, who left the Tonight Show and started a prime time (10:00 pm I think, but it might have been 9:00) variety/chat show that was pretty successful for two or three years, and I think he got tired of the show before the audience got tired of him. That is, he left the show before he needed to. But I am relying on 40-year-old memories here, so some of this might be wrong. > > I never liked Leno, not even when he was young and occasionally semi-funny. Now he just seems tired and formulaic. As for O’Brien, I’ve only seen a few minutes of him here and there, maybe three times altogether, so I don’t have much of an opinion, but I wasn’t immediately grabbed by his comedy genius. > Roddy I knew I was going to get in trouble making a claim about something from before I was born. :smack: Looked it up and Jack Paar was given a Friday nigt prime time show that was a similar type show – only once a week though, not every day, so I’ll stick with my original assessment 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/26 "2010-01-08T01:22:23Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > The New York Times is [reporting](http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/update-nbc-plans-leno-at-1130-conan-at-12/?hp) that Leno would do a half-hour show starting at 11:35pm, while Conan would do an hour-long show starting at 12:05am. You know, this actually sounds pretty reasonable. Leno may actually thrive with less time to pad, and Conan can hopefully reintroduce some of his wackier bits due to the later time-slot. Now more importantly: who retains the “Tonight Show” moniker? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/27 "2010-01-08T01:34:25Z")
There’s no guarantee Jay would automatically reclaim his audience at 11:30. You can’t unring a bell. The old show is gone. Heck even that stage is gone. They redid everything for Conan. My problem with Jays new show is having to commit every night. I got other things to do at 10 pm. 11:30 I’m in bed ready to watch a little tv before sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/28 "2010-01-08T01:48:33Z")
> [@Sweet\_Raisin\_Danish](#): > > I knew I was going to get in trouble making a claim about something from before I was born. :smack: Sorry, but if you look up the career of [Steve Allen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Allen), the first host of the Thonight Show, your assessment looks even worse. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/29 "2010-01-08T02:42:00Z")
You can’t get rid of Conan fast enough for me. That’s about all I got. hh ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/30 "2010-01-08T02:55:28Z")
Well whatever the outcome the _real_ big news is _TMZ_ got another major scoop. This is a big feather in their cap ---
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/31 "2010-01-08T03:08:47Z")
I prefer to watch Jimmy Fallon. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/32 "2010-01-08T03:11:38Z")
> [@BigBertha](#): > > I prefer to watch Jimmy Fallon. I actually like Leno, but right now Craig Ferguson is tops by a mile for me. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/33 "2010-01-08T03:20:40Z")
What can Leno do in 30 minutes? Not much, I guess a monologue and 1 guest is about it. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/34 "2010-01-08T03:27:37Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > It came out the other day NBC has ordered a large number of pilots for next fall - way more than usual. That’s what makes this seem true. I really hope one of those ends up being _Rex Is Not Your Lawyer_. Reading the cast list, I really want to see that one! ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/35 "2010-01-08T03:32:58Z")
The only thing people wanted out of Leno was his desk pieces, his man-on-the-street stuff, and his monologue. If they do this, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Leno will do exactly that - a half hour of standup, desk pieces, and location shoots. No guests, other than perhaps a few stars taking part in the comedy bits or something. He’d be like the audience warmup guy for Conan. If they can make that sell, then they should probably tie the shows closely together - have Jay’s show be an official intro to the Tonight show - have Conan on it from time to time, maybe even ‘hand off’ to Conan by having the two talk at the end of Leno’s bit. That sort of thing. They might be able to make that work. The other thing I thought might work would be to give Leno Conan’s old time slot, and give him more flexibility to do whatever he wants to do. The other person this screws, of course, is Jimmy Fallon. He’s either gone, or his show will be pushed back later. If they do put Leno on at 11:35 for half an hour, that will put Conan’s show out of sync with the other late-night shows. He’ll be starting when Letterman and Kimmel are starting their second half-hour. And you know, that might just work. These shows are usually weaker in their second half-hours anyway. So this is a chance for Jay to take his monologue and comedy bits up agaisnt Letterman again, and then Conan steps in with more fresh comedy a half hour later when the other shows are turning to their ‘B’ guests. That could work. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/36 "2010-01-08T03:33:19Z")
Conan at 12:00 might actually be alright…it would be great for a lot of his audience, who could switch to him after watching “The Daily Show” and “Colbert Report” at 11 and 11:30. I was a big fan of Conan’s 12:30 show, and cautiously optimistic about his move to 11:30. Boy did it not pan out. Conan seemed unhappy and uncomfortable, and his promises on his last “Late Night” show to the contrary, his comedy was totally watered down. Question: does this mean Conan can go back to New York? Much as I hate to admit it, New York - or at least anywhere NOT LA, and probably somewhere East Coast - just feels a better fit for his sensibilities. Conan’s endless skits and interviews about trying to adjust to LA just do not work. So please? Please? ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/37 "2010-01-08T03:36:28Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > The other thing I thought might work would be to give Leno Conan’s old time slot, and give him more flexibility to do whatever he wants to do. I think Leno pretty much _is_ doing what he wants to do. He’s not an edgy comedian, and I don’t think he’d put the later time slot to good use. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/38 "2010-01-08T03:38:20Z")
> [@HelloNinja](#): > > I’m not a Leno fan and love Conan, so this makes me very unhappy. They’d be better off just cutting the cord w/ Leno and moving on. I despise that smarmy faux-hipster O’Brien. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/39 "2010-01-08T03:51:22Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I despise that smarmy faux-hipster O’Brien. “Smarmy faux-hipster”? Sure you’re not talking about Jon Stewart? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/40 "2010-01-08T03:52:13Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > “Smarmy faux-hipster”? Sure you’re not talking about Jon Stewart? 😉 No, he’s a _funny_ faux-hipster. 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073.md?page=3)