| The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=logo} Logo used from 2010–2014 | |
| Also known as | The Tonight Show |
| Genre | |
| Starring | Jay Leno |
| Announcer | |
| Music by |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 22[1] |
| No. of episodes | 4,610[2](list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producers |
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| Production locations | |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 62 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | May 25, 1992 (1992-05-25) – May 29, 2009 (2009-05-29) |
| Release | March 1, 2010 (2010-03-01) – February 6, 2014 (2014-02-06) |
| Related | |
| The Jay Leno Show You Bet Your Life (2021 revival) | |
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American television talk show broadcast byNBC. The show is the fourth and sixth installment ofThe Tonight Show. Hosted byJay Leno, it aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009, replacingThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and was replaced byThe Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. The show returned from March 1, 2010, to February 6, 2014, replacingThe Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and was replaced byThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
The fourth incarnation of theTonight Show franchise debuted on May 25, 1992, three days afterJohnny Carson's retirement ashost of the program. The program originated fromNBC Studios inBurbank, California, and was broadcast Monday through Friday at 11:35 p.m. in theEastern andPacific time zones (10:35 p.m.Central/Mountain time). Unlike Carson or his predecessorJack Paar, Leno only once used a guest host, preferring to host the series in person.
The series, which followed the same basic format as that of its predecessors (an opening monologue followed by comedy routines, interviews and performances), ran until May 29, 2009, after which Leno was succeeded byConan O'Brien.[3] NBC signed Leno to a new deal for a nightly talk show in the 10:00 pm ET timeslot. The primetime series, titledThe Jay Leno Show, debuted on September 14, 2009,[4] following a similar format to the Leno incarnation ofTonight.[5][6][7]
NeitherO'Brien's version of the program, which premiered June 1, 2009, norThe Jay Leno Show generated the ratings NBC had expected. The network decided to move a condensed 30-minute version of Leno's show to O'Brien's time slot, and O'Brien'sTonight Show a half-hour later. This decision met with opposition from O'Brien, whose stint onThe Tonight Show ended January 22, 2010, after which he began his own talk show,Conan, onTBS.The Tonight Show with Jay Leno then began its second incarnation, the sixth of the franchise, on March 1, 2010. Leno leftThe Tonight Show for good on February 6, 2014, and on February 17, was succeeded byLate Night hostJimmy Fallon, at which time the series returned to New York for the first time since 1972.
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Johnny Carson retired fromThe Tonight Show on May 22, 1992, and was replaced byJay Leno.David Letterman wanted to move into the earlier time slot from his late night spot afterThe Tonight Show, and he was also considered by many as the natural successor (despite Leno having been Carson's permanent guest host for several years). Carson always favored Letterman; notably, Carson, who had been interviewed by Letterman, made two appearances on Letterman's rival CBS show, made no mention of Leno during his final shows and regularly sent Letterman monologue jokes in his final years.[8] With his heart set on the earlier time slot, Letterman left NBC in June 1993 and joined CBS that August.TheLate Show with David Letterman, airing in the same slot, competed againstThe Tonight Show for the remainder of Leno's run. Leno would outdo Letterman in ratings for the majority of the show's run.Conan O'Brien slid into the late night time slot vacated by Letterman in September 1993.
On September 27, 2004, the 50th anniversary ofThe Tonight Show's debut, NBC announced Leno would be succeeded by O'Brien, in 2009. Leno explained he did not want to see a repeat of the hard feelings and controversy that occurred when he was given the show over Letterman following Carson's retirement.[9][10]
It was announced on July 21, 2008, that Leno would host his final episode ofThe Tonight Show on Friday, May 29, 2009, with O'Brien andJames Taylor as his guests.[11] O'Brien took over hosting duties commencing the following Monday, on June 1, 2009.
On December 9, 2008, it was announced Leno would be hostinga new nightly show in September 2009, which aired at 10 pm ET, during the network's prime time period.The Jay Leno Show ended after a short run on February 9, 2010.[5]
On January 7, 2010, multiple media outlets reported that effective March 1, 2010,The Jay Leno Show would move from the 10 pm (Eastern/Pacific Time) weeknight time slot to 11:35 pm and O'Brien'sThe Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien would move from 11:35 pm to 12:05 am.[12][13][14] On January 12, 2010, O'Brien publicly announced in an open letter that he intended to leave NBC if they movedThe Tonight Show to 12:05 am ET/PT to accommodate movingThe Jay Leno Show to 11:35 pm Eastern/10:35 pm Central, due to poor ratings.[15] After several days of negotiations, O'Brien reached a settlement with NBC that allowed him to leave NBC andThe Tonight Show on January 22, 2010.[16]
On January 21, 2010,NBC announced Leno would return toThe Tonight Show. Jay Leno began his second tenure on March 1, 2010, after the2010 Winter Olympics.[17] The show moved to Stage 11 in Burbank,[18] the former home ofThe Jay Leno Show, with a similar set and theme song ofThe Jay Leno Show.The Tonight Show bandleaderKevin Eubanks announced on April 12 he would be leavingThe Tonight Show on May 28 after 18 years with Leno.[19] Eubanks' replacement was formerAmerican Idol musical directorRickey Minor.[20] Minor composed a new main theme when he took over.
On July 1, 2010,Variety reported that only six months into its second life, Leno'sTonight Show posted its lowest ratings since 1992.[21] By September 2010, Leno's ratings in the adults 18–49 demographic had fallen below those of O'Brien when he had hostedThe Tonight Show.[22] NBC ratings specialist Tom Bierbaum commented that due to the host being out of late night television for a period of time and the subsequent2010Tonight Show conflict, Leno's ratings fall was "not a surprise at all".[23] In October 2010,David Letterman beat Leno's program in the ratings, for the first time since Leno returned to hostingThe Tonight Show.[24][25] By May 2011, Leno'sTonight Show regained the lead and held it since then. However, by August 2012, theLos Angeles Times was reporting thatThe Tonight Show was in serious trouble for a number of reasons, most notably that NBC was losing money. While Leno offered to take a pay cut, at least 24 members of his staff were laid off.[26] By March 2013, there were rumors that NBC would haveJimmy Fallon, who had been hostingLate Night since 2009 when he succeeded O'Brien, become the next host ofThe Tonight Show when Leno's current contract ended in 2014 and NBC would move the show back to New York for the first time in over 40 years.[27] On May 13, 2013, during its fall "upfronts" presentation, NBC confirmed Fallon would take over as host of theTonight Show beginning on February 17, 2014;Seth Meyers, in turn, would leaveSaturday Night Live (where he was the anchor ofWeekend Update) and take over Fallon's time slot.[28]
Leno's final episode ofThe Tonight Show aired on February 6, 2014. Per the terms on his deal with NBC, his staff was paid through September 2014. Leno wrapped up the night before the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, which began on February 7. Fallon took overThe Tonight Show on February 17.[29]Leno himself would later appear multiple times on Jimmy Fallon's version ofThe Tonight Show, such as a June 15, 2016, appearance in which Leno not only appeared as a guest, he delivered part of that night's monologue, commenting on the 2016 US election campaign.[30](Leno came out to do the monologue after Fallon faked an injury.)
From 1992 to 2009, the show was taped atNBC Studios' (now The Burbank Studios) Studio 1 and 3, and from the final episodes of its initial run in 2009, and again its revival from 2010 to 2014 in Studio 11.
On April 26, 1999, the show began broadcasting in digitalHDTV1080i, becoming the first American nightly talk show to be shot in high definition. The show was recorded intwo channel stereo sound and shot with tenSony HD cameras including fourSony HDC-700A, three Sony HDC-750A, and three Sony DXC-H10point of view cameras in16:9aspect ratio in the year 2000. The show was directly fed tonetwork affiliates throughSBS-4 satellite and NTSC feed was sent to New York viaAT&T fiber and was uplinked by New York to its affiliates.[31][32][33]
During the last year with Leno as host,The Tonight Show cost about $1.7 million a week to produce.[34] With 45 weeks of annual production, that amounted to about $76.5 million, excluding the salaries for Leno and the show's "top producers".[34]
In that same period, the show had been generating an estimated $30–40 million a year in profit, down from the $150 million a year the franchise once made."[34]
The show follows an established six-piece format. Afterthe announcer announces the opening credits for the show, the first segment is a ten-minutemonologue by Leno, with jokes about current events and brief comedy sketches occasionally mixed in. The second segment is a full comedy sketch, such as a mini-documentary by a "Tonight Show correspondent" (e.g.,Ross the Intern orMikey Day), or a trademark of Leno's, such asHeadlines.
The first guest appears, with the interview is divided into two segments, then followed by an interview with the second guest in the fifth segment. The sixth and final segment is typically a performance by a musical guest or stand-up comedian.
Immediately following the last performance segment, Leno walks on camera to thank the performers, bid farewell to the audience and recommends watchingLate Night which immediately followsThe Tonight Show. As the closing credits roll on-screen, the closing theme, composed by bandleaderRickey Minor plays the show off the air.
Branford Marsalis was the original bandleader of the show from 1992 to 1995, leaving the show after feeling displeased with his role on the show, what he called being an "ass-kisser".[35]Kevin Eubanks, who was the guitarist in Marsalis' band, moved up to bandleader formingKevin Eubanks and The Tonight Show Band and remained withThe Tonight Show andThe Jay Leno Show until 2010, when he left to concentrate on music, adding that his leaving was not provoked by any problems with Leno or NBC.[36] Eubanks would later reunite with Leno as co-host of Leno's version ofYou Bet Your Life.
Rickey Minor, formerAmerican Idol music director, replaced Eubanks, formingRickey Minor and The Tonight Show Band, staying until the end of Leno's tenure.
Edd Hall served as announcer onThe Tonight Show from 1992 until 2004. Hall occasionally appeared in skits during the opening monologue. These skits often involved slapstick injury to Hall (by using a stunt double, dummy, or film clip), such as vehicles running him over in the studio parking lot. Unlike his predecessors onTonight (i.e. McMahon with Carson,Hugh Downs with Jack Paar), Hall did not serve as a sidekick for Leno during his tenure on Leno's incarnation ofThe Tonight Show.
Hall was controversially replaced in 2004 byThe Howard Stern Show staff memberJohn Melendez in what many perceived as a thinly veiled attempt to attract a younger demographic and nonsensical considering his "stuttering" moniker. The hiring of Melendez which was carried out by Leno without Stern's knowledge, prompted a rift between Stern and Leno. Stern launched into tirades on his show for many weeks on saying Leno was "ripping him off", citing previously "lifted" material from his show such as "Jaywalking" ripping off Stern's "homeless game"; for example, stating "To an 18- to 25-year-old male, Jay Leno is gay. He might as well put a dress on."[37] Since the move toThe Jay Leno Show, Melendez was replaced as announcer, but remained on the writing staff.[38]Wally Wingert would be the only off-camera announcer for Leno's secondTonight tenure, carrying over his duties fromThe Jay Leno Show.
Critical reviews for the show were mixed, with aMetacritic score of 49 out of 100, based on 9 reviews.[55] In a negative review, Robert Bianco ofUSA Today wrote; "Monday's opening monologue, supposedly Leno's strong suit, was tired, lame and unfunny. In other words, typical of the real Leno, rather than the Leno of public-relations imagination."[56]
The show was nominated for an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series category ten times between 1993 and 2005. It won the award in 1995.[57]
The 10th Anniversary special, broadcast on April 30, 2002, drew in 11.888 million viewers.[58]
On September 22, 2006,The Tonight Show led inratings for the 11th consecutive season, with a nightly average of 5.7 million viewers – 31% of the total audience in that time slot – compared to 4.2 million viewers forLate Show with David Letterman, 3.4 million forNightline and 1.6 million forJimmy Kimmel Live!. Two events helped Leno gain and keep the lead: a new set brought Leno closer to the audience andHugh Grant kept his July 10, 1995 scheduled appearance, despite having been arrested for seeing a prostitute, where Leno famously asked Grant, "What the hell were you thinking?"[59] The final telecast of the first incarnation ofThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno had the show's highest overnight household rating for a Friday episode in the comedian's 17-year run as host ofTonight, averaging an 8.8 rating in metered-market households.[60]
For at least six weeks following his return toThe Tonight Show, Leno's program beat Letterman in the overall ratings each night, though with a reduced lead in comparison to his first tenure. By mid-2010,The Tonight Show was receiving its lowest ratings since 1992, an average of 4 million total viewers, though he remained ahead of Letterman, who experienced a coinciding decline in ratings.[61] In September 2010,The Tonight Show posted its lowest numbers on record,[62] with Leno averaging 3.8 million viewers. This was a 12% increase in total viewers over O'Brien at the same time the previous year, but still 23% below O'Brien in the coveted 18–49 demographic. For the first time in almost 15 years, the show slipped to second place in its time slot being consistently beaten byNightline.[63] In October 2010, Letterman beat Leno's program in the ratings, for the first time since Leno returned to hostingThe Tonight Show.[24][25]
In the May 2011 sweeps period, all of NBCs late night programming had increased viewership.The Tonight Show received a 15% increase in viewership compared with the first 36 weeks of last season. In that process, it outlasted rival late night talk showsJimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC, as well asLate Show with David Letterman on CBS. Both of Leno's lead-in,Late Night with Jimmy Fallon andLast Call with Carson Daly, also received increased viewership.[64] For the season, in the 18–49 demographic,The Tonight Show had 4 million viewers, compared withLate Show, which had 3.5 million, andJimmy Kimmel Live!, which had only 1.9 million.Nightline, though, still beat Leno in the May 2011 sweeps, with 4.4 million viewers.[65]
Series high
| Views | Description | Date | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22.4 million | Cheers finale | May 20, 1993 | [66] |
| 16.1 million | Debut | May 25, 1992 | |
| 15.0 million | Seinfeld finale | May 14, 1998 | |
| 14.6 million | Series finale | February 6, 2014 | |
| 11.9 million | First series finale | May 29, 2009 | [67] |
Weekly highs
| Views | Description | Date | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9.1 million | May 17, 1993 | ||
| 8.3 million | Finale week | February 3–6, 2014 | [68] |
The show was telecast in Australia byThe Comedy Channel before being discontinued in July 2010, shortly after Leno's reinstatement as the host ofThe Tonight Show.[69] The channel had been airing versions by the various presenters under the titleLate Night Legends. Currently,The Tonight Show is one of the few late-night television shows that cannot be viewed on Australian television. The only shows available areLate Show with David Letterman onNetwork 10,Late Night with Jimmy Fallon onThe Comedy Channel,The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on10 Peach Comedy andConan on9Gem.
From 1991 to 2000, the cable channel Superstation showed bothThe Tonight Show andLate Show in daily bases, one week after airing in the United States. From 2011, the show was broadcast onRecord News with Brazilian Portuguese subtitles at midnight (local time), two days after airing in United States.
Canadian viewers watched the show onCTV 2 and onNBC affiliates close to the U.S./Canada border.
For many years,The Tonight Show episodes from the week ran back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday on CNBC Asia, available to Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand – but since October 2011, they have been replaced byLate Night with Jimmy Fallon.
CNBC Europe confirmed they would showThe Tonight Show whenConan O'Brien took over fromJay Leno in June 2009. After Leno returned, they have been showingThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno. From Monday April 19, 2010, until the show's conclusion under Leno, CNBC Europe aired the show on weeknights from 12.00 am CET in a one-hour format, with double bill re-runs on Saturdays/Sundays from 9:00 pm–9:45 pm & 9:45 pm–10:30 pm CET. The show aired on a one-day delay from original transmission in the US.
In Finland,The Tonight Show with Jay Leno was broadcast by MTV3 MAX from Monday to Friday with a three-night delay.
The show was originally broadcast on CNBC. Starting in 2006 it was telecast onZee Café at local time 10:00 pm with a one-night delay. It was later shifted toZee Trends in 2011, which was subsequently discontinued after a short run. NowThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is telecast on Comedy Central at 11:00 pm every weekdays.
In Israel the show was aired during the 1990s onNBC Europe, which was included in Israeli cable (later called the "Hot" company), though this channel was pulled from cable in Israel towards the end of the 1990s. Soon after, the show began airing on the Israeli popular cable channelHot 3 (then simply called "Channel 3") until 1999. Since 2000, the show is broadcast in the Israeli satellite companyyes (which launched in that year) in various channels, the current beingyes stars comedy.
In Italy (with Italian subtitles) from 2003 to 2007 whenRaiSat Extra cancelled the program.[70]
In the Philippines, channelETC (now SolarFlix) broadcastThe Tonight Showfrom August 2004 to December 2007, when the show was turned over to sister channelJack TV (now RPTV) andTalk TV (now RPTV).
In Portugal, the show was first shown onSIC Comédia until the channel was off the air by the end of 2006. The show was switched toSIC Mulher until Leno moved to prime-time.SIC Radical used to broadcastThe Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien following the demand from their target audience to O'Brien's humor, afterJimmy Fallon took overLate Night.[citation needed] The contract that both NBC and SIC had was not expired by the timeThe Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien got cancelled, so the network received the rights to exhibitThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
In Sweden,Kanal 5 started airingThe Tonight Show every night Monday to Friday with a one-week delay in 2000. In 2008, Kanal 5 chose to replace it withJimmy Kimmel Live!, and movedThe Tonight Show to their sister channelKanal 9, with a rerun aired the next day onKanal 5.[71]
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno was broadcast byCNBC-e and e2 on weekdays at 00:00 with a one-night delay.
The NBC program starring Jay Leno suffers a ratings slide and layoffs amid instability in the TV business – and after network missteps. And the stakes are rising.
Then he told a story about being a 12-year-old Boy Scout, admitting he was not a very good one because his dyslexia made it difficult for him to accomplish tasks such as tying knots. So his Scoutmaster, a wise and compassionate man, designated him as the troop's "cheermaster." It would be his job to tell jokes to keep the guys' spirits up. Mr. Leno said he was aware at the time that this was not the most important job in the troop, but it was something he could do to contribute to its welfare. And that's how he felt about going back on the air. He knew he wasn't out there shoveling debris at ground zero, but at least he would be bringing a little cheer into people's lives.
