Being a working stiff and a mom, I have to arise every weekday morning between 6 and 6:30am. This precluded me from watching Leno and Letterman until I broke down and rented a DVR. In the last two months, I’ve watched both shows religiously because both men are really entertaining, IMO. Honestly, their shows are two of the best that either network has to offer.
Which begs the question: Why do the networks insist on putting these shows on at 11:30pm, which is too late for the average bear? I realize that traditionally the Late Show followed the news because the kiddies were bed and the adults could safely enjoy the “adult” content. That was back in the 50s and 60s, and in case TV execs haven’t noticed, times have changed. There are shows at 9pm now that are much more racy than either Letterman or Leno. Hell, Everwood is more racy than either show.
So, I’m wondering if anyone else thinks the network execs ought to reconsider the timing of these shows and think about moving them to 9 or 10pm.
Having spent most of my life in the Mountain time zone, I’m used to Monday Night Football starting at 7 and Letterman on at 10:30. That’s the way I like it. I think that Monday Night Football, at the very least, should start no later than 8 Eastern.
As to the “Why do networks …” part. The answer is . Lots and lots of . When Carson* was in his prime he generated about of third of all of NBC’s profits. The pie has since gotten bigger, and is sliced up into smaller pieces, but the revenue is still staggering. These are cheap shows, they sell a lot of national ads (vs local) and the audiences are surprisingly large (with good demographics).
They do it because they make a big pile of money.
*Carson was basically forced out because Leno’s creeps convinced NBC that they could deliver a younger audience for less money. Letterman had no interest in forcing Johnny out and that’s why he didn’t get The Tonight Show. NBC realized they made a huge mistake fairly quickly, but it was too late.
I never noticed a lot of “adult” content on the late night talk shows in the '60s and '70s. Oh sure, every now and then, somebody would tell a risque joke or make some kind of double entendre (who was it who brought her cat and asked Johnny Carson if he’d like to pet her pussy?), but for the most part, it was just celebrities talking about upcoming appearances, chats with authors or athletes or other interesting people, music, and comedy. Hard to think of a show featuring, say, Tony Randall mentioning a guest appearance on a sitcom, Joan Embry with a zoo animal, a visit from Reggie Jackson, music by B.B. King, and a comedy routine by Yakov Smirnov as being adult content.
I always thought that late night talk shows were there originally because they were cheap to produce compared to the comedies and dramas that were on earlier in the evening; and they weren’t supposed to get the ratings of earlier, more expensive, offerings, though that changed over the years. Late night talk shows were just another offering in the wee hours: something inexpensive that could compete with less-original programming, such as old movies. Now, they’re a tradition.
I always watched Leno at 10:30 when I lived in the Central time zone. Now that I’m in the Eastern time zone (and I feel like I’m on the edge of the world here), it’s on at 11:30, and I don’t bother anymore.
Which is kind of my point. Most of my adult life, I haven’t bothered with these shows because they were on too late. IMO there’s a dearth of good shows on at 10pm (NYPD is the only one which comes to mind) and I’d like an alternative to “House Hunters,” “Crocodile Hunter,” or those tv news magazines such as “20/20.”
I just wondered whether a 10pm slot would increase viewership or ruin a good thing.
But pushing Letterman and Leno up to 10 pm Eastern would put them on at 9 pm Central and then how would I watch CSI?
Further question: Would it kill the nets to put show in Central Time on at the same as in Eastern? When I first moved to TX from PA I was constantly missing my favorite shows because the local feeds give local time and the network feeds give Eastern. Does this drive anyone else nuts?
I’m asleep by 10:30. If they were on at 8 PM, maybe I’d watch them.
When Twin Peaks was on many years ago, I recall that it was really hard for me to stay up and watch it. But because it was late in the week on Thursday, I figured it was worth the big push to watch such a good show, even though it wasn’t on until 9 PM EST!
Now I have TiVo. I can watch whatever I damn well please, whenever I damn well please.