Fallon and Colbert have gotten a lot of praise, but the Legendary Roots Crew is what really makes this work, being able to switch gears in tone and tempo as the song progresses.
The other question this (and all the great Fallon viral bits) raise to me is this--Leno has claimed he's going to hang it up in about 5-7 years, and Fallon's got to be viewed as the heir apparent. Doesn't he have the exact same problem network executives viewed Conan as having, namely, that he's too weird/hip for the room at 11:30, much as the 12:30 audience loves him? (Also, that he targets the Stewart/Colbert audience that he has to directly compete for at 11:30, even though that may change before Leno retires, while running unopposed at 12:30?)
As Fallon pointed out in an interview last week, if one thing's for sure after Dave and Conan it's that the Late Night host *never* gets to keep The Tonight Show. Why not, as Splitsider recently suggested, Ellen DeGeneres?
I'm assuming they look younger--DeGeneres is only 7 years younger than Leno is. The more imminent question is what happens when Dave hangs it up (as he's claimed he's doing in a couple of years). Carter's book says Ferguson has a "Prince of Wales" clause, where if Dave is suddenly incapacitated, Ferguson gets 11:30, but unclear if he has a guarantee of succession in normal course. The book also indicates that Stewart may not want the slot on CBS, but Colbert probably would.
There are other intriguing options--go after a standup comic (Late Show With Dane Cook? Late Show With Paul F. Tompkins?), or go someplace different and strange (Late Show With Tina Fey and Amy Poehler? Late Show With Judd Apatow?).
The problem with Conan as heir apparent to the Tonight Show wasn't that he was too weird for 11:30, but that Leno didn't want to retire and there was no way that NBC could not have one jump to the competition.
I think Jimmy Fallon, more than Conan O'Brien, has shown a willingness to be flexible to network demands (see: the entire Conan push-back to 12:30 debacle, as chronicled in Bill Carter's most recent book) that might make him an easier fit for 11:30. He also has a different kind of humor than O'Brien did. Fallon is in some ways a hipper Jay Leno: he uses pop culture references to make generally cheerful jokes. O'Brien -- and I love him for it -- is much more of the Dave Letterman/sarcasm model of humor, something that has proven to be an awkward, if award-winning, fit at 11:30.
But, overall, I agree with Andrew: if Leno actually goes willingly, anyone they put at 11:30 will have a better shot than Conan did.
That depends on who "us" is. For readers of this site, I'm sure TDS does very well, so maybe it doesn't matter. For the general late-show-watching public, Leno and Letterman still lead the pack, so the question of who replaces them is an important one to them (and to various network execs, obviously). Personally, I'm in bed by 11:30 these days, so it only matters to me in the sense that putting Dane Cook on the Late Show would ensure I wouldn't ever have to hear about his latest standup special.
Agree with kep: Fallon is much more - oh, let's make up a term here - take-home-to-parentsable. He's completely non-threatening, he does fun pop culture parodies that are both narrow (California Dreams) and broad (Glee) and he doesn't have the too-cool-for-school vibe of a Conan, Dave or Stewart. Plus, by the time Jay retires, late night might be even more fractured, and Kabletown could have caused all kinds of changes at NBC by then.
Other thing that made me smile: seeing Fallon doing the same dance he did in the SNL "Summer Lovin'" sketch which was his farewell.
ReplyDeleteFallon and Colbert have gotten a lot of praise, but the Legendary Roots Crew is what really makes this work, being able to switch gears in tone and tempo as the song progresses.
ReplyDeleteThe other question this (and all the great Fallon viral bits) raise to me is this--Leno has claimed he's going to hang it up in about 5-7 years, and Fallon's got to be viewed as the heir apparent. Doesn't he have the exact same problem network executives viewed Conan as having, namely, that he's too weird/hip for the room at 11:30, much as the 12:30 audience loves him? (Also, that he targets the Stewart/Colbert audience that he has to directly compete for at 11:30, even though that may change before Leno retires, while running unopposed at 12:30?)
As Fallon pointed out in an interview last week, if one thing's for sure after Dave and Conan it's that the Late Night host *never* gets to keep The Tonight Show. Why not, as Splitsider recently suggested, Ellen DeGeneres?
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming they look younger--DeGeneres is only 7 years younger than Leno is. The more imminent question is what happens when Dave hangs it up (as he's claimed he's doing in a couple of years). Carter's book says Ferguson has a "Prince of Wales" clause, where if Dave is suddenly incapacitated, Ferguson gets 11:30, but unclear if he has a guarantee of succession in normal course. The book also indicates that Stewart may not want the slot on CBS, but Colbert probably would.
ReplyDeleteThere are other intriguing options--go after a standup comic (Late Show With Dane Cook? Late Show With Paul F. Tompkins?), or go someplace different and strange (Late Show With Tina Fey and Amy Poehler? Late Show With Judd Apatow?).
Taylor Hicks: TOO SOON.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with Conan as heir apparent to the Tonight Show wasn't that he was too weird for 11:30, but that Leno didn't want to retire and there was no way that NBC could not have one jump to the competition.
ReplyDeleteI think Jimmy Fallon, more than Conan O'Brien, has shown a willingness to be flexible to network demands (see: the entire Conan push-back to 12:30 debacle, as chronicled in Bill Carter's most recent book) that might make him an easier fit for 11:30. He also has a different kind of humor than O'Brien did. Fallon is in some ways a hipper Jay Leno: he uses pop culture references to make generally cheerful jokes. O'Brien -- and I love him for it -- is much more of the Dave Letterman/sarcasm model of humor, something that has proven to be an awkward, if award-winning, fit at 11:30.
ReplyDeleteBut, overall, I agree with Andrew: if Leno actually goes willingly, anyone they put at 11:30 will have a better shot than Conan did.
Does it matter? How many of us watch anything other than the Comedy Central 11pm shows during late night?
ReplyDeleteThat depends on who "us" is. For readers of this site, I'm sure TDS does very well, so maybe it doesn't matter. For the general late-show-watching public, Leno and Letterman still lead the pack, so the question of who replaces them is an important one to them (and to various network execs, obviously).
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'm in bed by 11:30 these days, so it only matters to me in the sense that putting Dane Cook on the Late Show would ensure I wouldn't ever have to hear about his latest standup special.
I like all of them except Leno, but I only watch Stewart religiously.
ReplyDelete<span>I'm a Hasid for Stewart, conservative on Colbert, reform on Conan, reconstructionist on Fallon, and atheistic on Leno.</span>
ReplyDeleteAgree with kep: Fallon is much more - oh, let's make up a term here - take-home-to-parentsable. He's completely non-threatening, he does fun pop culture parodies that are both narrow (California Dreams) and broad (Glee) and he doesn't have the too-cool-for-school vibe of a Conan, Dave or Stewart. Plus, by the time Jay retires, late night might be even more fractured, and Kabletown could have caused all kinds of changes at NBC by then.
ReplyDeleteIt was everyting I wanted it to be, lacking only perhaps an appearance by Ms. Black herself. They had me at the pyro!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, I just realized why people call one of my coworkers Taylor, he looks just like that guy. Weird!
ReplyDelete