It seems to be something out of The Maury Povich show, with Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien the centerpiece of the discussion, titled, “My coworker stole my show,” and the crowd, ever so angry, jeering at Leno for what many perceive to be an injustice (his “taking” from Conan).
Yeah. You be angry, fans, bloggers, and B- celebs, because Jay Leno only carried late night for almost two decades, holding the number one spot for a significant portion of that time (As of 2006, reports indicate The Tonight Show led late night for 11 straight seasons).
Conan had seven months, the wrong demographic, and no excuse for losing viewers. He tried and it just did not work out.
What befuddles me is the backlash of everyone familiar with the situation. In a recent sit-down with Oprah Winfrey, Leno acknowledged many of the nuances in the past few weeks relating to him, Conan O’Brien, and NBC.
Why should Leno step aside if he is getting big named guests, leading the late night trio, and pleasing the ratings hounds?
I just cannot comprehend how in an industry where ratings are everything and keeping it ‘hot’ is the new norm, that a network would find a plausible reason to “change it up.” That being said, NBC will likely see long-term fallout from this, as Conan will likely sign with another network next fall (FOX?).
