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Started By
Message
Imagine if Letterman took over the Tonight Show for Carson
Posted on 6/15/15 at 12:44 am
Posted on 6/15/15 at 12:44 am
That show would have been a monster. 1990 Letterman is the GOAT
8
Posted on 6/15/15 at 3:02 am to The Boat
Conan is tGOAT, but yes Letterman would have been way better than that bum Jay Leno
Posted on 6/15/15 at 6:01 am to The Boat
Letterman got too political in his dottage.
Posted on 6/15/15 at 6:11 am to The Boat
Letterman would not have worked well in place of Carson. If fact Leno was just fair if you ask me. I think Jummy Fallon actually comes the closest to being a good replacement. Mostly because of his ability to insert himself into comedy sketches that Carson was absolutely great at. As an interviewer Fallon still has some ground to make up to be really great. Following Carson even after this many years is and was a tough act to follow. Late night TV and entertainment in general has changed tremendously in 40 years.
Posted on 6/15/15 at 6:56 am to TygerDurden
...I wouldn't have watched it. I watched exactly 0 episodes of Letterman and my life is better for it.
Posted on 6/15/15 at 7:51 am to TygerDurden
quote:
As an interviewer Fallon still has some ground to make up to be really great
That's really all he's missing. He tries to be everybody's buddy and suck up to them, laughing at every single thing they say. You can't be a good interviewer like that. He'll never have a moment like Joaquin Phoneix or Crispin Glover on Letterman.
And now that I think about it, he would never even have anybody like that on the show to begin with. He plays it safe as far as guests go
Posted on 6/15/15 at 8:24 am to The Boat
(no message)
Posted on 6/15/15 at 8:57 am to NikolaiJakov
quote:
I watched exactly 0 episodes of Letterman and my life is better for it.
Posted on 6/15/15 at 9:00 am to Thurber
I can't take Fallon doubling over in laughter every time that a guest tries to say something funny.
Posted on 6/15/15 at 9:04 am to The Boat
I think that Letterman would've been under some pressure to change his show format if he had moved to the Tonight Show.
I think that Leno (since he had been hosting the Tonight Show for years) would've gone to CBS or ABC and brought a near clone of a Tonight Show format to one of those networks.
At CBS, Letterman had free rein to do as he wished, so we got the show that he really wanted to do.
But NBC should've given Dave the Tonight Show, instead of crossing their fingers and wishing that he wouldn't leave the network.
I think that Leno (since he had been hosting the Tonight Show for years) would've gone to CBS or ABC and brought a near clone of a Tonight Show format to one of those networks.
At CBS, Letterman had free rein to do as he wished, so we got the show that he really wanted to do.
But NBC should've given Dave the Tonight Show, instead of crossing their fingers and wishing that he wouldn't leave the network.
Posted on 6/15/15 at 9:11 am to The Boat
quote:
1990 Letterman is the GOAT
He was better in the early - mid 80's. By 1990 the decline was underway.
Posted on 6/15/15 at 9:18 am to Fewer Kilometers
quote:
I think that Letterman would've been under some pressure to change his show format if he had moved to the Tonight Show. I think that Leno (since he had been hosting the Tonight Show for years) would've gone to CBS or ABC and brought a near clone of a Tonight Show format to one of those networks. At CBS, Letterman had free rein to do as he wished, so we got the show that he really wanted to do. But NBC should've given Dave the Tonight Show, instead of crossing their fingers and wishing that he wouldn't leave the network.
Accurate post
Posted on 6/15/15 at 9:27 am to Tigris
quote:
1990 Letterman is the GOAT
quote:
He was better in the early - mid 80's. By 1990 the decline was underway.
His appeal in '82 was that it was a tiny show that almost looked like something from a public access TV station. Carson forced him to have a small band and to stay away from the older, more established stars. The charm was that they were building up from nothing, and trying every strange thing that they could to get laughs.
Like a band that goes from indie to being Top 40, the fans can't understand why you didn't stay small instead of selling out. Letterman just couldn't stay interested in being the little show that could. He wanted to grow and expand and eventually become a Johnny Carson.
Look up Dave's 5th Anniversary Special on YouTube. It's the perfect cap to his early years on NBC. A great time capsule of Dave at his best, before he grew into the next Carson.
Posted on 6/15/15 at 10:19 am to NikolaiJakov
quote:
..I wouldn't have watched it. I watched exactly 0 episodes of Letterman and my life is better for it.
Good to out yourself as someone whose opinion means exactly shite. You never once watched yet hated his shows the epitome of close minded thinking.
Posted on 6/15/15 at 10:49 am to Fewer Kilometers
I think Conan is a good case-study at what could've happened to Letterman. Conan just didn't translate at 10:30. Now he had a shitty deal with Leno on before him but Conan just couldn't keep the older viewers that Leno had. Letterman could've easily been that same way but he would've been competing with Leno.
Posted on 6/15/15 at 12:37 pm to NikolaiJakov
quote:
.I wouldn't have watched it. I watched exactly 0 episodes of Letterman and my life is better for it.
sadly i've read exactly 1 of your post and my life is worse for it.
Posted on 6/15/15 at 12:43 pm to The Boat
I don't think Letterman would have worked as a replacement for Carson. People forget but there was some question whether he would come off as good in the early time slot with a different demographic.
I never got the hate for Leno, I thought his monologues where usually funny. He did not do the sketches that Carson did, but as someone mentioned he had been the "guest host" for years so it was a natural transition. I think Letterman was better off doing his own new show in the earlier time slot, he was getting past time for the later show. The worst thing NBC did was keep the "World's Most Dangerous Band" name. That's one of things i absolutely hate about IP law. They could never use the name again without Shaffer, just stupid.
I never got the hate for Leno, I thought his monologues where usually funny. He did not do the sketches that Carson did, but as someone mentioned he had been the "guest host" for years so it was a natural transition. I think Letterman was better off doing his own new show in the earlier time slot, he was getting past time for the later show. The worst thing NBC did was keep the "World's Most Dangerous Band" name. That's one of things i absolutely hate about IP law. They could never use the name again without Shaffer, just stupid.
Posted on 6/15/15 at 1:00 pm to TygerDurden
quote:
Letterman would not have worked well in place of Carson.
The Late Show was huge for the first couple of years until Leno beat him. People would have watched because there wasn't anything else like it to watch. Unlike when Conan failed.. people watched different late night shows in 2009.
Letterman was the most powerful man on TV in 1993. The summer build up before the Late Show started was huge. Thanks in part to CBS's complete blitz approach. Imagine that build up coupled with the already established and bigger Tonight Show and it would have been insane.
Posted on 6/15/15 at 1:22 pm to The Boat
I get all that, but I'm saying, his style IMO would not have translated as well to the Tonight Show. He had his audience and did beat Leno early on until the Hugh Grant episode and then Leno took off. At the time i just felt Letterman was more NYC (which i realize was where the Tonight Show started) and didn't fit with that show and i think did better because rather at first because it was a new show and he wasn't just the guy replacing Carson. That's all. CBS would probably have then hired Leno so who knows how that would have worked. I stopped watching those shows long before 2009, but I thought Conan was doing well ratings wise at first, but again was his style a got "fit" for the Tonight Show? IDK.
Posted on 6/15/15 at 1:31 pm to The Boat
quote:
People would have watched because there wasn't anything else like it to watch
Leno would've been at either CBS or ABC. There would've been competition regardless.
quote:
Letterman was the most powerful man on TV in 1993. The summer build up before the Late Show started was huge. Thanks in part to CBS's complete blitz approach. Imagine that build up coupled with the already established and bigger Tonight Show and it would have been insane.
One advantage Letterman would've had is that there would've been more of a "passing of the torch" feeling from Carson to him. Leno (as directed by his agent) didn't even mention Johnny in his first show. Letterman would've made more of an effort to continue/acknowledge the legacy of Carson early on. That could've helped him keep Carson's crowd. No doubt there would've been huge build-up for Letterman if he had taken over The Tonight Show.
This post was edited on 6/15/15 at 1:34 pm
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