No Deal or No Deal: Did NBC Ever Want Conan to Stay?

Interesting. One last question about the 10:00 situation — do affiliates really think that emergency filler in in that slot will out-perform Leno? Or do they bet that one decent performer per week in that slot makes it worth it–batting .200 is better than batting .000?

And by the way, why are we still talking lead-ins, 25 years after the remote control was introduced? Are a critical mass of viewers unable or uninterested in pressing a button to change channels at 10:59?

I agree that lead-ins seem pretty irrelevant when it comes to scripted shows. But my husband and I don’t really watch late-night TV. The ONLY reason we do watch is if we see a promo for a certain guest (usually a musical group) that will be appearing that night. If we’re watching a show on a different channel, we never see that promo.

And of course, by “watch” I mean DVR and in all likelihood fast forward directly to the guest we’re interested in. But that’s more than we watch otherwise.

Conan’s statement yesterday was pure awesome. It was classy but firm and gave NBC a couple of points worth noting (that he had crappy ratings lead-ins and that The Tonight Show is an institution).

I always thought that Jay Leno was a pragmatic guy, that he just wanted to work and that he didn’t get offended if a gig came to an end because that was just the business he was in. Now, I’m not so sure. One would think that he would at least have some appreciation for The Tonight Show seeing as how he helmed it for 17ish years. I think that he should be working with NBC to find other options for him than the 11:30 slot that would push Conan and Jimmy back. I never thought that he saw himself as more important than the gig he was hired to do but by colluding with NBC I’m not so sure any more.

I hope Conan can extract a big payment from NBC and find a home where he’s wanted.

I’m not a regular watched or Leno – Tonight Show or the 10 PM show – but his monologue last night was downright uncomfortable. He was so rushed and not funny. Maybe that’s normal for him. But he looked like he’d rather be anywhere else. This is what Spinal Tap might call a Shark Sandwich and everyone’s taking a bite. Makes for good TV and blogging though!

James, the NBC videos you link to play automatically. could put them below the jump so I dont suddenly have Conan talking over Letterman?

I’m trying to get our tech people to see if there’s a fix or workaround; in the meantime, bumping the video to after the jump.

Fixed! Well, not exactly fixed, but replaced with a clip from Hulu. Which, by cannibalizing broadcast-TV ad revenue, helped bring you The Jay Leno Show!

I doubt they expect filler to do better in the short term. But they don’t expect Jay to EVER increase his performance. So having slapped-together junk doing as well or worse is worth a long-term recovery to the timeslots.

Short-term, I am guessing much of the filler will do worse than Leno. I love Friday Night Lights. But if they put it on at 10, I am not kidding myself. Maybe L&O does better. Dateline? Whatever reality they have on ice?
Long-term, the replacements could do better. Could. But NBC has to launch a schedule from the position of fourth place and no good lead-ins. And as I’ve said: as many shots as I will take at NBC, the basic idea behind The Jay Leno Show, that broadcast TV can not support as much pricey programming (at least, apparently not three networks’ worth of it) remains true. If NBC can see to it that someone else is the one in last place instead of them, then the change will work out for them. If not, not.
In any case, ending the Leno experiment was not a long-term play, whatever they say. It was about quieting the affiliates, right now like right this second.

Why doesn’t Conan play as dirty with them as they are playing with him? Say yes to the 12:05 spot, then just punch the clock until NBC says “Uncle.” Do horrible monologues, with the only good jokes being what loser the NBC execs are. Book crappy guests and ask them brain dead questions. “How are you? Did you get the flu vaccine this season?” Do enough that he meets he contractual committments, but “The Tonight Show” still goes into a death spiral. NBC will finally have to deal with how they and Leno f**ked this guy, and pay him a decent amount to walk away.

I used to like Leno a lot more than Letterman, but after this I will never watch him again. Conan has loyally waited around for way too long to deserve a knife in the back like this, after only being on the air for a few months. Leno’s ratings at 10pm don’t suck because he’s on at 10pm. They suck because the show is not very good. The last few years of the Tonight Show have really been dragging. That trend just continued at 10pm. It was time to retire and ride his motorcycles. At least Carson had the class to stay retired and not try to upstage Jay even though Jay’s ratings sucked for the first few years when Letterman was kicking his butt.

Wherever Conan ends up, that’s what I will be watching.

[...] "cheap shot at Leno" Tom Brokaw expresses well wishes to Conan // So does Zachary Levi Perhaps NBC never wanted Conan to stay // Why is Jay making himself the martyr? NBC broadcasting itself as punchline // Brouhaha boosts [...]

This is a continuous amusement, especially the anti-Jay league fostered and supported by Ponki Witz. I’ll bet someone is thinking about ending YOUR show at this very moment…

The bottom line: Jay won, Conan lost. Write as many articles as you want about the end of creative TV; to many people the masturbating bear is just not funny.
The uncomfortable moments with Max Weinberg and La Bamba – not funny. The year 2000 is right in the ‘Jaywalking’ crosshairs, with Jaywalking winning out because it shows the factually clueless younger generation who didn’t really care until they felt offended. Conan does have the best suits and ties, that’s a given. Who wouldn’t with millions of dollars?

I’ll watch Ferguson anyway. And I’ll be thinking, on occasion, about this imbroglio that you added to in a unnecessarily smarmy way.