More NBC late night movement coming Fallon to Tonight Show, Stern to 12:30?

The Tonight Show and the Late Show with David Letterman are the worst of the late-night shows on now.

 

Yes, they are, but not according to the decreasing minority of old people who stay up that late. I am not too old to stay up that late, but when I do, I'm not watching TV unless it's sports. Really, who the hell would DVR Leno? Or Letterman?

 

Not as long as Craig Ferguson is working.

 

Well, that's anecdotal evidence. Reality is both shows still attract enough viewers and sell enough advertising to remain profit centers for their networks.

 

Also, aren't those types of shows pretty cheap to run? Outside of the host's salary, the rest of the costs have to be low, since they film at the same location most nights. At the very least, I imagine all these shows break even.

Stewart and/or Colbert would be interesting to me at 11:30 or 12:30, but I'm not sure if they'd want to make the jump - they have to both be pretty cushy at Comedy Central, so I imagine it would take some arm-wringing by executives, since I think they're under the CBS umbrella. And if another network tries to poach them, they probably won't get to take any of the writing staff or bits with them, similar to how Kilborn basically had to start over at CBS except for 5 Questions.

I think ABC is the best-positioned of the networks right now to benefit once Leno and Letterman leave the air. I'm a Kimmel guy, but putting that aside, his show is fundamentally more like the show of those old lions than Ferguson and Fallon, which I also watch. Kimmel is at ease schmoozing with the Pitts and Clooneys of the world, it seems, and I've seen him get decent interviews out of stiffs like Lauren Conrad, meaning I don't usually tune out when he brings the guests on.

I enjoy Ferguson's show, but jeebus, I can't see how it works at 11:30. He's essentially running an anti-talk show where he doesn't tell jokes and just freeforms large portions of it. Completely different styles, but he reminds me of Tom Synder in that he "works" in late night by being completely non-late night.

I think Fallon has the biggest potential of anyone at 11:30, but NBC is going to need to be patient and allow him multiple years to grow on people, like he did at 12:30. This has not been NBC's strength lately.

 

Craig Ferguson's interviews are better than anything Jay Leno and David Letterman do.

 

I actually think it could help him at this point. I think NBC has had it with Leno...

Stern would have been perfect to be on after Letterman back in the 1990s. That would have been a force.

I mean, I was a huge Stern fan for 20+ years, but I just don't think he's relevant anymore. Also, pairing him with Fallon is a pretty strange move, because I don't see him holding Fallon's audience. The reason they like Fallon is because he's non-threatening and may prove to be the best late night option for the blue hairs who are never going to watch Letterman or Kimmel, while also pulling in college kids...

 

That's good because everyone I know was wondering why Seth Meyers doesn't get more run these days because he's so fucking funny.

 

Hell, he got beat out by Michael Strahan for the Live with Kelly opening.

Meyers wouldn't surprise me because Lorne Michaels will be making the hire.

 

Joel McHale was born to be in the middle of this discussion. oh, well. It'll happen in the next decade.

Until then, Ferguson makes the 11:30 crowd pale in comparison.

 

I agree, but I can also see him not getting away with the same line of questioning at 11:30. He runs pretty blue, but I DVR every episode of him. I'm actually happy he's off this week, I'm 10 shows behind.

 

NBC wants YOUNGER viewers, the hell with LOYAL viewers.

We know how that's working out for newspapers.