So, it seems Conan’s last day as host of the Tonight Show on NBC will be this Friday. Leno will take over shortly thereafter. My two cents:Carson essentially became irreplaceable. He intended Letterman to take over when he retired, but Dave really didn’t want to leave New York (I don’t blame him) and his style of hosting was still a bit edgy compared to what folks had gotten used to with Johnny. So Leno was in. I don’t have anything personal against Leno, but while he does a decent monologue, his desk-side demeanour with guests seems too smarmy. I don’t know... I just don’t identify with his style. But that’s OK. I can totally see why Conan would slump in the Tonight Show dynasty, it’s just not his kind of format. Truth be told, Leno is better suited to the show.
What I find interesting is that as Letterman has aged, his style has mellowed out to the point where I think he would actually do better than Leno, if one were to be choosing a new Tonight Show host from scratch today. But alas, that will probably never happen, as Dave has already been burned by NBC once already and would have no reason to quit his current show.
Back to my original statement – Carson became irreplaceable. I chalk this up to the fact that although he did appeal mostly to the older crowd, his appeal did bleed into the younger age groups and this gave him a huge audience. He was the only real choice to watch for the longest time, but even after he got some competition, he had a lot of class. You knew you wouldn’t end up embarrassed by anything he did.
Appeal by age group (Karl’s opinion – not derived from actual data):
Carson: 18-80
Leno: 35-80
Conan: 16-40
Letterman (while with NBC): 18-40
Letterman (now): 30-60
Fallon: 14-35
So as you can see, the Leno / Fallon line-up is perfect for capturing the whole spectrum. If the show’s ratings falter now that Leno’s coming back, it’ll be because Leno just doesn’t have staying power. But I seriously think that this whole incident can only help Letterman in the long run.
1 comment:
I've always thought Letterman's style is much too immature (and remember Karl, I'm not even 30), while I've always enjoyed Leno's monologue. Although, I am only recently starting to enjoy his interviews. On the other hand, I have the same opinion of Conan that I do of Letterman - much too immature for me...
And Fallon? I like his comedy, but he somehow just doesn't fit the late-night style!
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