Tonight’s premiere of The Jay Leno Show has been touted as everything from a watershed moment in late night television to NBC’s “crucial gamble.”
Casual viewers might not find much different about Leno and the talk show host’s previous effort, The Tonight Show. There is a bigger, bolder set, some new sketches and comedy bits, and slight twists on the formula (notably a comedy segment that will lead into the local news). But viewers will most likely get a sense of déjà vu from the monologue, the A-list guests, the Leno Show band, and everything else.
So what’s all the hubbub?
A Whole New World:
Leno’s venture into primetime does two things for NBC –- it reserves the network’s grip of arguably one of the most popular late night talk show hosts. Once it was unveiled that Leno would leave The Tonight Show and Late Night host Conan O’Brien would take over, the race was on to see who could secure Leno. For awhile, ABC seemed the most likely candidate. But then NBC rebounded with an offer the host couldn’t refuse: his own talk show, five nights a week, in primetime.
Reports also suggest that the show will also save the network a bundle of money. The cost to produce five episodes of Leno equals the cost of just one episode of a typical 10 p.m. drama series like CSI. Yet, with 46 planned weeks of Leno, that equals two seasons worth of a standard drama -– unless the network is including the addition of a summer series, as well, which have become more popular in recent years.
Repercussions:
Leno has two groups scrambling: other late night talk shows and the industry’s writers and directors.
Late night talk shows are in a tizzy because the addition of Leno to the landscape means a great war over A-list guests. The battle for guests is legendary in the business, with actors being snubbed by other talk shows when they commit to a competitor and guests being lured away with enticements and smooth talk. Leno adds to the mix -– and with a clear advantage. Primetime could mean more eyeballs, since it is earlier in the evening, a perk any promoter would want to take advantage of. The competition even includes NBC’s other big late night hour, The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.
Writers and directors are bothered by the move because it means five hours per week of television that require little or no writers or directors. The argument is that Leno is putting network creative types out of work. And with recent reports from the Writers Guild of America that Hollywood scribes are suffering from 50 percent unemployment and a decline in pay, Leno is salt in the wound.
"Writers jobs, actors jobs, directors jobs will take a beating," said actress Betty White in a report from The Huffington Post.
What People Are Saying:
An early review of a “guest taping” of Leno from Comedy.com calls the show “muddled and confusing” without enough innovation. Executives believe feel “bullish” and the research firm NewMediaMetrics predicts big ratings for Leno.
One blogger writes “The TV revolution is not coming. It’s here. Jay Leno is leading it.”
What I Think:
So what do I think?
Leno will be a hit. Not a bombastic over-the-top hit, but it will be just the thing for viewers who don’t want a cop show or a lawyer drama, and prefer their TV in bits and pieces.
The A-listers are always a draw and Leno’s brand of Wal-Mart humor attracts a high-percentage of regular folks.
Leno is not my cup of tea, but I understand why his appeal is so great: he’s safe, he’s reliable and he can be comforting. In times like these –- tough economic times, polarized politics, war and uncertainty -– Leno is the comfort food that people clamor for.
Will other networks follow suit? Depends on just how successful Leno is, of course. But watch for these predictors: FOX or the CW debuting a primetime talk show -– even if it’s one night. E! moving Chelsea Lately to the 10 or 10:30 p.m. slot -– or a basic cable channel doing much the same.
If those things happen, then you can expect ABC or CBS to soon have a talk show at 10 p.m.
