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re: Spinoff: Conan is the best late night host on TV
Posted on 11/17/16 at 9:05 pm to Udvarnoky
Posted on 11/17/16 at 9:05 pm to Udvarnoky
quote:
Normally I would agree, but the fact that Leno went on the air and blessed Conan as his successor and claimed he would do his part to ensure a smooth transition colors the posture. He acted like he was cool with handing the show over, and based on that Conan waited his five years and relocated himself and his staff from one coast to another.
What was Leno supposed to do? Piss off NBC and get ran out of town?
quote:
If Leno had said straight up, from the start, "Hey Conan, I wasn't looking to retire, so get ready for war," he wouldn't have gotten all the hate. It's the duplicity that earned him the flack more than the actual ambition to take the show back
I don't really know how much choice Leno had in the matter. I believe NBC came to Leno and pretty much said that they were going to give Conan his job but it was just a matter of negotiating a timetable for Leno's exit.
I don't though think Leno handled it well from a public relations standpoint, but put yourself in Leno's shoes for a minute. You took over 20 years ago for Johnny Carson, the godfather of late night TV and kept the show at #1.
Some network exec comes up to you and says, "Hey Leno, how much longer are you planning on doing this? We have Conan doing amazingly well in the 12:30 slot. There's a good chance he's leaving for Fox and we want to hand over the Tonight Show so that he doesn't compete with us." Leno says, "eh, ok how about 5 more years?" 5 more years rolls around, Conan's ratings have fallen and Leno's still the king.
Leno realizes he's not quite ready to give up his gig, and NBC doesn't want Leno to go to another network so he gets a show at 10:00. He says and does all the right things initially because he has no reason to think that he's going to get his show back.
Conan tanks and the executives get nervous. Leno jumps at the chance to return because he never wanted to leave in the first place.
1
Posted on 11/17/16 at 9:27 pm to BulldogXero
quote:
What was Leno supposed to do? Piss off NBC and get ran out of town?
Are you kidding? He could have gone to another network. In fact, he had discussions with ABC which got to the point where he had to start courting Jimmy Kimmel (this was necessary because he would have pushed Kimmel back had he made the transfer). Ultimately he chose to stay.
quote:
I don't really know how much choice Leno had in the matter.
Leno had the choice to be honest. There is an interview that Conan gave to Charlie Rose shortly before The Tonight Show in which he stated that Leno gave him a phone call expressing a similar sentiment to what he said on television: that he supported the transition. Being truthful might well have affected how Conan would have moved forward, which is why it wasn't a "white lie", as he characterized it on Oprah. If your lie leads 200 people to move from NY to LA under the impression of job security, then it ain't a white lie.
I'm not suggesting Leno didn't have a right to be perplexed and upset that he was being asked to leave (though let's be clear: he was given five years notice, which would have concluded a healthy 16 year run on a show he didn't own) despite good ratings. But NBC had the long-term to think of, which meant trying to grab a younger demo. And it's not like Leno had a problem with cancelling five hours of 10pm programming to accommodate his primetime show. Those crews didn't get five years notice, and ratings had nothing to do with why they were pink slipped either.
If I was in Leno's shoes, and I had said this, I would have under no circumstances taken back the job from the successor I had publically wished all the best. Not a mere six months into his gig, and especially not when I was complicit (even unintentionally) in the weird situation that hobbled his performance. That doesn't mean I would feel obligated to quit the business, just to look for another gig. Hosting The Tonight Show for four more years wasn't worth the stain on his legacy.
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