| The Jay Leno Show | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Jay Leno |
| Presented by | Jay Leno |
| Starring | Kevin Eubanks (asbandleader) The Primetime Band |
| Narrated by | Wally Wingert |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 95(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Production locations | NBC Studios Burbank, California |
| Running time | 60 minutes (with commercials) |
| Production companies | Big Dog Productions Universal Media Studios |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | September 14, 2009 (2009-09-14) – February 9, 2010 (2010-02-09) |
| Related | |
| The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | |
The Jay Leno Show is an Americanprime timetalk show hosted byJay Leno that was broadcast byNBC from September 14, 2009, to February 9, 2010. The series was a spiritual successor to his previouslate-night talk showThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and used a similar format consisting of a comedicmonologue, followed by celebrity interviews and other comedy segments.
The program was the result of a compromise byNBC Universal's then-CEOJeff Zucker to keep Leno with the network following his retirement fromThe Tonight Show andsuccession byConan O'Brien. NBC hoped to attract Leno's existing fans, as well as a largerprime time audience: the network believed thatThe Jay Leno Show would not necessarily require highviewership to be profitable, due to its lower production costs in comparison to scripteddramas.
The Jay Leno Show was met with mixed reception from critics, who felt that the series had little differentiation from Leno'sTonight Show. Others were critical of NBC's decision to give up an hour of its weeknight lineup to Leno, due to the network's past success with dramas airing in the 10:00 p.m.ET/PT time slot. One NBC affiliate (WHDH inBoston owned bySunbeam Television, now independent) notably planned not to air the show at all, although this decision was retracted due to complaints by the network. Although viewership ofThe Jay Leno Show was initially on par with NBC's projections, by November, the program's ratings began to fall significantly. NBC's affiliates complained that the declining viewership ofThe Jay Leno Show also had a ripple effect on the viewership of their late local newscasts.
In an effort to address the concerns, NBC announced in January 2010 that it would, following the2010 Winter Olympics, shortenThe Jay Leno Show to a half-hour, and move it to 11:35 p.m—the timeslot that had been occupied byThe Tonight Show for nearly 60 years, and bumpTonight to 12:05 a.m. The decision resulted in amajor public conflict between the network and Conan O'Brien, who asserted that the move would damage the highly respectedTonight Show franchise, and that he would not participate in the program if it were moved to 12:05.[1] Despite much support for O'Brien from both the public[2] and media professionals[3][4] alike, NBC maintained its plan to move Leno to 11:35.
On January 21, 2010, NBC reached a $45 million settlement with O'Brien in order to end his contract.The Jay Leno Show ended on February 9, 2010, after being on the air for only four months, withEntertainment Weekly calling the program television's "Biggest Bomb of All Time."[5] Leno resumed his duties as host ofThe Tonight Show on March 1, 2010, for a second and final tenure that lasted until his February 2014succession byJimmy Fallon.[6]
NBC announced in 2004 thatJay Leno would leaveThe Tonight Show in 2009, withConan O'Brien as his replacement. Leno—who wanted to avoid a repeat of the acrimonious transition whenhe inheritedTonight fromJohnny Carson[7]—said at the announcement, "You can do these things until they carry you out on a stretcher, or you can get out when you're still doing good."[8] He began to regret his decision to retire in 2007,[8] and several networks and studios includingABC,Fox,Sony,[9] andTribune[10] expressed interest in his services after leavingTonight.
Jeff Zucker, then-President and CEO ofNBCUniversal, sought to keep Leno from defecting to a competitor. Leno rejected several NBC offers for broadcast network daytime slots or subscription TV slots, a series of recurring specials, and a half-hour show at 8 pm five nights a week featuring Leno'sTonight monologue.[8] The network had in 1981 considered movingThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson to 10 pm;[11] Zucker, who in 2007 offeredOprah Winfrey an hour five nights a week at 8 pm,[11] now offered Leno an hour five nights a week at 10 pm.[8]Leno was announced on December 9, 2008.[12]
At least one station, then-affiliateWHDH-TV inBoston, Massachusetts, stated that it would not carry the program, claiming thatLeno would be detrimental to the station's 11 pm news and that it would instead launch a local news program in the time slot. NBC said that such plans would amount to a flagrant violation of the network contract—a claim which WHDH disputed—and said that it would immediately remove its programming from WHDH if the station followed through with the plan. WHDH backed down on April 13, 2009, and announced that it would airLeno instead of the proposed program.[13]
Though Leno was the first to move the entire five-day-a-week late night talk show to prime time, he was not the firstTonight alumnus to move from late night to a prime time talk show.Steve Allen hostedTonight Starring Steve Allen from 1954 to 1957; while still hosting that show, he began hosting the prime-timeThe Steve Allen Show in 1956 on NBC, and the latter show would run until 1960.Jack Paar, who hostedTonight from 1957 to 1962, next hosted a weekly talk show known asThe Jack Paar Program that ran until 1965, also on NBC.[14]
In January 2010, several news outlets reported thatThe Jay Leno Show would be shortened to 30 minutes and begin airing weeknights at 11:35 pm ET, withConan O'Brien andJimmy Fallon's shows following it beginning at 12:05 am. The scheduling change would have been implemented on February 28 after the2010 Winter Olympics (which preempted much of NBC's primetime and late-night lineup).[15][16] Leno himself commented on the rumors during his January 7 monologue, joking that NBC stands for "Never Believe your Contract."[17] According toBroadcasting & Cable, "most [NBC affiliates] are hopeful Jay—and Conan—sticks with NBC, and most, if not all, desperately want to see a change in terms of the lead-in they're getting to their lucrative late news; theaffiliates "remain fiercely loyal to Leno and were quick to say the rookie program's struggles don't reflect the funnyman's work ethic or comedic chops. 'This isn't about Jay's popularity,' saysWJAR Providence VP/General Manager Lisa Churchville. 'This is about having that kind of show at 10 p.m.'"[18]
NBC announced plans to moveLeno to 11:35 pm andThe Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien to 12:05 am. O'Brien refused to participate in the move and, on January 21, 2010, reached an agreement with NBC allowing him to leave the network.[19]Leno's final episode aired on February 9, 2010[20] and Leno returned toTonight as host on March 1, 2010.
The Jay Leno Show aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT (9:00 p.m. CT/MT) from Studio 11[21] of theNBC Studios inBurbank, California with the following format:[22]
One planned segment, "Stories Not Good Enough for theNBC Nightly News" (which would have featured then-NBC Nightly News anchorBrian Williams), was dropped from the show before it made it to air.
In addition to reserving comedy segments for the end, the network aired no commercials after the show and "urged local affiliates to do the same"[22] solocal news could start immediately, retaining as manyLeno viewers as possible.[27][28][30]
Jerry Seinfeld was the celebrity guest on the debut episode.[33]Jay-Z,Rihanna, andKanye West performed "Run This Town", in which all three are featured.[34] West sat down for a previously unplanned interview with Leno, discussingWest's outburst at the MTV Video Music Awards the previous night.Dan Finnerty was the comic correspondent for the night, and the end of the show featured Headlines.
Reviews for the first show ranged from neutral to negative, with most critics stating that the show was, despite the changes, still very similar toTonight.Metacritic scores it at 48 out of 100 based on 23 TV critic reviews, and viewers scoring it at a 4.0 out of 10.[35]Media Life described the show as "underwhelming" and felt that Leno "failed to rise to the occasion."[36]The Buffalo News called the show "a mess."[37] The Associated Press noted that "it's not a good sign when theBud Light commercial is funnier than the comedy show it interrupts," and that "at leastRosie Live took some chances."[38] Jonah Krakow ofIGN gave it a 5.5/10 saying that "show felt like they just picked from where they left off three months ago, and I'm not sure that's a good thing".[39]
The finalJay Leno Show aired on February 9, 2010. The guests wereAshton Kutcher,Gabourey Sidibe andBob Costas, with unannounced visits fromDonald Trump andKurt Warner. Following the monologue, there was a brief clip reel of highlights from the show's short tenure; otherwise, little mention was made about the fact that it was the final episode of the program.[40] The last moments of the show featured the program's "10 at 10" segment, with its celebrity guest being Bob Costas. When Leno asked Costas how it felt to be the show's final guest, the sportscaster replied, "Kind of like being involved in the last game of aClippers season, isn't it?"[40] Directly following the interview with Costas, Leno thanked him, told the audience to stay tuned for their local news, and then abruptly went off-air.[40]
Many media outlets criticized Leno's apparent lack of ceremony for the end of his program.[41][40][42][43]Variety reported that the lack of fanfare was intentional, as NBC was attempting to rehab the reputation of Leno andThe Tonight Show and did not desire to bring any further attention to Leno's transition back toTonight.[43]The Associated Press noted that the last few weeks of the program, including the final episode, were pervaded by "bad vibes."[44] TheBoston Globe wrote that Leno said farewell to his short-lived show "with all the momentousness of a guy taking out the trash."[45] The episode received negative reviews fromEntertainment Weekly,[46] theLos Angeles Times,[41] andThe Wall Street Journal.[42] By comparison, O'Brien's finalTonight Show was treated as a finale, with guests making reference to the show ending and guestNeil Young taking an ironic tone by performing "Long May You Run".
Leno had a contract for five years[47] for the show. NBC reportedly had an option to cancel after two years, but had committed to at least one[27] or two[28] years regardless ofratings, although later chose to end the show after less than five months. He could have earned up to $30 million each year depending on ratings forLeno, compared to a $20 million annual salary during his last years atTonight.[48]
NBC expected to benefit by offering an inexpensive comedic alternative to theprocedurals[49] ("100% more comedy and 98% fewer murders!"[25]) and other one-hour dramas that typically air at 10 pm, and by offering new episodes 46 weeks each year versus 22.[11][25][50][51] WhileLeno was not necessarily expected to be competitive with the higher-rated scripted shows on ABC and CBS in its time slot, its projected cost of production was far lower and thus it was expected to be profitable to the network,[9] andproduct integration intended to make the show "asDVR-proof as you can be on television in this era".[52] Each airing ofLeno cost about $350,000[53] to $400,000[48] versus up to $3 million for an hour-long drama, saving NBC $13 million each week without the network needing the show to beat its competitors.[48] Those costs include the services of 22 writers,[30][54] whom Leno called the "top 5% of the highest-paid . . . in theGuild."[22]
McDonald's became the first buying advertiser for the program; as part of a tie-in with itsMcDonald's Monopoly promotion, a "Million Dollar Roll" segment hosted by NBC personalities aired nightly during commercial breaks ofThe Jay Leno Show in October 2009.[55]
Leno did not expect his show to beat competing first-run episodes, but to do better thanreruns,[22] in part becausetopical jokes benefit from the "immediacy" of the time slot versus 11:30 pm.[21] A television analyst predicted thatLeno would finish in "a safe third place" every night.[24] NBC research before the show's debut indicated that fans of Leno would watchLeno two to three times a week.[49]
NBC saw a 1.5 rating for the show in the 18–49 demographic as "viable"[7] and a 1.8 as a "home run".[56] NBC told Leno that at a 1.5 rating, NBC makes $300 million a year.[54]Tonight at 11:30 pm earned about a 1.3[9] to 1.5;[48] the television audience at 10 pm is 40% larger than at 11:30 pm, and the network hopedLeno's audience would also grow.[51] Industry observers have cited a range of ratings, from 1.7[53] to 2,[48][57] as being necessary for the show to succeed at 10 pm. By comparison, 2.5 is generally necessary for a 10 pm drama to succeed;[56] those that earned a 1.7 or less during the2008–2009 season were generally cancelled.[7] NBC's prime-time dramas averaged about 2 during 2008–2009.
The first episode ofThe Jay Leno Show earned "fast national" estimates of 17.7 million viewers, an 11Nielsen rating (5.1 among persons 18–49) and an 18 share, significantly above both hisTonight finale and the debut ofThe Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien in all categories.[58] By the second week and competing against season premieres, the audience fell to six million viewers, still on par with or exceeding NBC projections.[59] As of November 1, 2009,The Jay Leno Show has averaged a 1.98 in the adults 18–49 ratings and 6.594 million viewers.[60] During the week before Christmas, the ratings dropped to 1.4 during the week.[61] Prior to the controversy regarding the move of theJay Leno Show to 11:35 p.m., viewership bottomed out at 4.799 million viewers, although there was a slight bump as word of the controversy broke.[62]
Though the show itself had been meeting the network's projections, it was severely detrimental to the ratings of the late local news on NBC affiliates. As originally feared by WHDH in Boston, several stations across the country saw what was known as the "Leno Effect", where the lower audience for Leno (as compared to NBC's scripted prime time offerings) translated directly into adomino effect of severe audience drops for late local news (on the order of 25–30%) and completely stunted NBC's past successful schedulehammocking strategies,[63][64] effects that NBC had underestimated.[15]
In early January 2010, multiple media outlets reported that, following the 2010 Winter Olympics,The Jay Leno Show would be shortened to 30 minutes and begin airing weeknights at 11:35 pm ET, with Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon's shows following it beginning at 12:05 am on March 1, 2010.[15][16][65] On January 10,NBC Universal Television Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin confirmed thatThe Jay Leno Show would indeed move to 11:35.[66]
Leno immediately accepted the return to 11:35 p.m., calling the move "all business."[67] He had made it known in the press in November 2009 that he wished to return to his old timeslot;[54] behind the scenes, Leno had privately indicated that he did not believe the 10:00 experiment would work.[68] On the other hand, O'Brien's contract stipulated that the network could move the show back to 12:05 a.m. without penalty, a loophole put in primarily to accommodate sports preemptions, the network's traditional nightlyWimbledon tournament highlights show, and specials such asNew Year's Eve with Carson Daly.[69]
O'Brien did not seriously respond for several days after the announcement, then drafted a press release explaining why he felt it was unfair to him, his staff, Fallon, and the legacy ofThe Tonight Show to move the show past midnight. He concluded by saying that he "cannot participate in what I honestly believe is [The Tonight Show's] destruction."[1][70] O'Brien received an outpouring of celebrity and viewer support for rejecting the move,[71] while Leno received heavy criticism.[71][72][73] On January 21, O'Brien signed a $45 million deal allowing him to leave the network, and aired his final episode ofTonight on January 22; Leno returned as host ofTonight on March 1.
On January 19, 2010, multiple media outlets reported that O'Brien and NBC were close to signing a deal between $30 and $40 million for the host to walk away from the network.[74] One apparent sticking point in the negotiations was the amount his staff and crew were to be paid for leaving the program.[75][76] Reports also said that the contract could prohibit O'Brien from badmouthing NBC in any way,[77] and that he may be able to return to television as early as September 2010.[77]
On January 21, after two weeks of negotiations, it was announced that Conan O'Brien had signed a $45 million deal to leave NBC.[78]The Wall Street Journal reports that O'Brien will receive about $32 million,[79] with his staff receiving around $12 million.[80] The contract contains a clause prohibiting O'Brien from making negative remarks about NBC for a certain amount of time;[80] it does not, however, contain the previously rumored "mitigation clause," in which NBC would be able to keep some of the severance pay after O'Brien finds a new program.[80] It also stipulates that he could have returned to television as early as September 1, 2010.[78][80] The network confirmed that Leno would officially resume as host ofThe Tonight Show on March 1.[81]TMZ reported that NBC wouldrerun episodes from O'Brien's time as host until the network began airing the Olympics on February 12.[82]
O'Brien later reached a deal with cable networkTBS to premiere a new late-night talk show,Conan.[83]
NBC became the first large United States network[84] to broadcast the same show every weekday during prime time sinceABC'sWho Wants to Be a Millionaire? marathons in 1999 and only the second sinceDuMont airedCaptain Video and His Video Rangers from 1949 to 1955.[85] More recently, the upstartMyNetwork TV had attempted, upon its launch in 2006, to air the sametelenovelas every night of the week, a programming strategy that proved to be very unsuccessful. NBC's executives called the decision "a transformational moment in the history of broadcasting" and "in effect, launching five shows."[84] An industry observer said thatLeno, "in all my years, is the biggest risk a network has ever taken."[86] According to former NBC presidentFred Silverman, "If theLeno Show works, it will be the most significant thing to happen in broadcast television in the last decade."[28]
Although NBC had not developed a new hit show at 10 pm in years,[28] industry executives criticized the network for abandoning a history of airing quality dramas at that hour such asHill Street Blues,St. Elsewhere, andER, which made NBC "the gold standard for sophisticated programming . . . the No. 1 network for affluent and well-educated young viewers"[24] during the 1980s and 1990s.[56][87] In addition, critics predicted that the decision would hurt NBC by undermining a reputation built on successful scripted shows.[28] Other networks believed NBC's decision created an opportunity,[28] and planned their2009–2010 schedules accordingly. For example, the show competed withThe Mentalist,[56]CSI: Miami,CSI: NY, andNumb3rs, four of television's most popular series, on CBS (the first of those four series was moved to 10:00 PM to directly compete with Leno's show, and significantly improved the ratings for that timeslot compared to itspredecessor).[88]Leno was also not easily sold overseas.[87]
The January 29, 2010 issue ofEntertainment Weekly listed the show at the top of a list of the 50 Biggest Bombs in television history. The comment made by the network executives about "launching five shows" was ultimately transformed into the joke that its removal was like "cancelling five shows."TV Guide similarly listed the show as the biggest blunder in television history in its November 1, 2010 edition.
Rival networksABC andCBS had discouraged "their stars" from appearing onThe Jay Leno Show in its primetime slot.[54]Julia Louis-Dreyfus (The New Adventures of Old Christine) was the first CBS actor to appear on the show, on September 29, 2009; on that episode, she said "there was a little pressure, because as you know you are now on prime time", but that "Obviously, I committed to doing your show and we're friends".[89] This boycott did not affectThe Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien nor was it industry-wide. Other TV networks, likeFox,The CW, andHBO, were more encouraging.[90]Hugh Laurie from the Fox TV showHouse was a guest on the September 25, 2009, telecast.House is produced byUniversal Media Studios, a sister company to NBC throughNBC Universal,[90] and Fox does not offer any network programming in the 10 p.m. time slots, instead allowing most of its affiliates to go to local news.
In aBroadcasting & Cable interview published in early November 2009, Leno mentioned the boycott again, saying "I'm flattered; like ABC and CBS...none of their stars can appear on the show. What are you so afraid of if we're doing so terrible? It's all part of the game."[54]
John Wells, the president of theWriters Guild of America, West, and executive producer of prominentNBC showsER andThe West Wing, said, "I wish NBC and Jay Leno well; personally, he's a very nice guy, but I hope he falls flat on his face and we get five dramas back."[90]
In 2004, Guadalupe Zambrano, a Texas real estate agent,[91] registered the domain name thejaylenoshow.com to redirect to his real estate business. After theLeno announcement, Leno accused Zambrano ofcybersquatting.[92] Zambrano contended that he had owned the domain for five years, well before the announcement, thus precluding recovery. TheUDRP proceedings ruled in favor of Leno, however, stating that Zambrano profited from the value of the Jay Leno trademark inbad faith.[93]
