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

Pretty thorough overview here with some interesting sidebars:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tonight-show-war-jay-leno-431220

 

Taste in humor aside, I think Leno's greatest "crime" isn't so much screwing over Letterman, it's his unwillingness to tell NBC to screw themselves when they first approached him when they planned his first retirement. He should have taken a walk right then.
Instead, he hangs around and mopes about the network sending him out to pasture while he's still no. 1 in the ratings and signs on for the 10 p.m. thing (just in case Conan didn't work out) - imagine if Carson did that to him?).
He's had enough bread to live on for a decade or more, and there are countless TV channels where he could stand up and tell jokes on a nightly basis. Why did he expect to be treated any differently than any other person past their sell by date at NBC?

 

These discussions always get really awkward for me, because I always end up defending Jay Leno, whose show I find tedious and terribly unfunny.

It's amazing to me how adamant NBC is about destroying The Tonight Show. There was absolutely no reason to bump Leno for Conan, and there's no reason to do it again for Fallon. Leno gets the numbers. He appeals to a different group than the other guys. He should be left alone.

Fallon is a better replacement than Conan was, but either way, their numbers are going to drop and we're going to get another round of "Are they bringing back Jay?!?"

Dan, I think a big part of why Leno stayed at NBC and didn't want to walk is because when he was coming up in comedy -- up through the point he took over the show -- The Tonight Show was the absolute pinnacle for a comedian. The biggest goal for anyone doing standup was to get a spot with Carson, and then to get called over to the couch. I think that mystique is gone now because (a) Leno ain't Carson, (b) there's competition now and (c) the Leno/Conan thing turned it into a joke. But for Leno's generation of comics there was nothing more important than the Tonight Show. Hard to give that up for Jay's Lafftime Hour on the Hallmark Channel.

 

^^^^^^^

Pretty much sums it up.

 

Jimmy Fallon & Jay Leno Address "Tonight Show" Rumors with Duet:

 

It would be just like Leno to sign with Fox and then beat everyone, especially with a half-hour headstart. If that happened, ABC and CBS would probably be fine, but NBC would likely blame Fallon, who might enjoy a longer honeymoon period than Conan did, but not by much if Leno is still in the mix at another network. Obviously, he wouldn't have to worry about Leno coming back, but he might have trouble lasting more than 2-3 years if he loses The Tonight Show's grip on the No. 1 slot, which NBC seems to think is its birthright.

 

I think Damages really missed an opportunity with Leno. He would have been another one of those "I can't believe that guy is playing such an evil dude" decisions. Leno as a mob boss...it should happen.