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Jay Leno: Old Media's Biggest Enemy

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TheBusinessGuy
09/14/09

In reply to Jay Leno: Old Media's Biggest Enemy
Why does everyone forget that this isn't entirely unprecedented? After Jack Paar left the Tonight Show, NBC gave him an hour talk show in prime time. Not every weeknight, but still, it's a precedent, and it lasted a couple of years. (By the way, Paar is a conversational gem--a snarkmeister of the Mad Men era. Check out the DVD collection of his best work.)
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Edited by TheBusinessGuy at 09/14/09 8:59 PM TheBusinessGuy was starred TheBusinessGuy was unstarred

uncle_wiggly
09/14/09

In reply to Jay Leno: Old Media's Biggest Enemy
NBC has Leno, Conan, Fallon, Carson Daly. CBS has Letterman and Craig Ferguson. ABC has Kimmel. Spike Fereston is on some other network. This is eight celebrity chat shows. The supply of celebrities will be used up by the end of the month, then what? Even with eight chat shows on the major networks, Charlie Rose somehow manages to get the best guests.
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TheBusinessGuy
09/14/09

@uncle_wiggly: And Charlie Rose manages to waste those best guests because the point of any Rose interview is the long-winded "brilliance" of Rose's questions, which always contain both the question and the answer. A far better interviewer is Dick Cavett, who was witty, concise, conversational, informative, and just deferential enough to let his guests talk and shine.
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homovegetarian
09/14/09

In reply to Jay Leno: Old Media's Biggest Enemy
my hope is the oldies will watch his show and go to bed. turning late night tv in a less milk-toast venture.
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Pope John Peeps II
09/14/09

In reply to Jay Leno: Old Media's Biggest Enemy
"all time cool people's icon David Letterman"

I honestly don't know how I will ever stop laughing derisively at this statement.
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MrInBetween
09/14/09

@Pope John Peeps II: They're even laughing at Ball State.
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ndhapple
09/14/09

In reply to Jay Leno: Old Media's Biggest Enemy
And if Leno had aired at 10pm instead of 1135 15 years ago, we never would have gotten some of the best television that has ever been shown.

Here are some of "those" shows we probably never would have seen...
-Law and Order (the Original)
-LA Law
-Hill Street Blues
-ER (The first 10 seasons)
-The West Wing (aired at 9pm but was a hugely expensive drama - something the Leno move is a rebuke to)
-Homicide: Life on the Streets
-Kings (which I loved, which was originally supposed to air at 10pm...)

Can you think of what TV today would be like without the influence of Law and Order or Homicide or ER or LA Law? I can't.
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DahlELama promoted this comment Edited by ndhapple at 09/14/09 3:06 PM ndhapple was starred ndhapple was unstarred

DahlELama
09/14/09

Comment redacted due to some incorrect information, though there was some correct information that I stand by but am not good at artfully rewriting.
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Edited by DahlELama at 09/14/09 3:25 PM DahlELama was starred DahlELama was unstarred

ndhapple
09/14/09

@DahlELama: Which of those shows aired on CBS? All of those shows aired at 10pm on NBC, save for WW and Kings.
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DahlELama
09/14/09

@ndhapple: You are correct, ma'am/sir--my apologies. For some reason I thought Kings was on CBS. Editing my comment now. But I still disagree with the premise of your comment--there's no way the airing of Leno would've prevented these shows from airing. Also, I don't see how West Wing is proving your point if it aired at 9.
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ndhapple
09/14/09

@DahlELama: Because Leno stands for the new NBC mantra of "managing for margins." The days of the $4 million per episode ensemble drama are over if Leno works. Nothing personifies that style of program quite like the West Wing did.

It just saddens me to know that such a show probably wouldn't get the green light at this day and time.
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DahlELama
09/14/09

@ndhapple: If it makes you feel better, Heroes spends a ridiculously exorbitant amount of money on an ensemble drama.

Oh, I'm sorry, did you want it to be a good show?
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SpicyTamale is a GA peach
09/14/09

@ndhapple: A very good show called Life was canceled because of Jay Leno. And for that i bit my thumb at him.
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Imnotatnbc
09/14/09

@SpicyTamale is a GA peach: OMG, Life was cancelled because nobody was watching it. Jay didn't kill it. Law and Order is still on the air and that was in the 10:00 time slot.
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dinalohan
09/14/09

@ndhapple: $4 million per episode?! On what planet?
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seyswho
09/14/09

@dinalohan: On this one. Hell, during the last season of "Friends", at least one or two of the cast members were making a million bucks an episode. And that was just a sitcom (albeit an extraordinarily popular one).
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lionel-mandrake
09/14/09

In reply to Jay Leno: Old Media's Biggest Enemy
"TV producers, writers, actors, grips, agents - everyone who takes a piece of the bloated production budgets a primetime drama throws off."

Explain this statement please. From where I sit, these people are an important part of the media economy, in other words, your readers. Why the snotty, ungrateful attitude?
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dinalohan
09/14/09

@lionel-mandrake: Right! And grips just get a 3% raise every year, it's not like they're the reason budgets are "bloated" (which they decidedly are NOT)
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MrInBetween
09/14/09

In reply to Jay Leno: Old Media's Biggest Enemy
The Jay Leno Show's first guest: Jerry Seinfeld. Tonight's full hour will be brought to you by WONDER BREAD.
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Edited by MrInBetween at 09/14/09 2:47 PM MrInBetween was starred MrInBetween was unstarred

City_Dater
09/14/09

In reply to Jay Leno: Old Media's Biggest Enemy
Next to the limp, sweaty, homophobic desperation of America's Favorite Unfunny Comedian, the endless CSI variations that CBS will be running at 10:00pm are looking really good.
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BowlingForDollars
09/14/09

In reply to Jay Leno: Old Media's Biggest Enemy
If the networks would stop moving shows with great potential around, delaying their premieres, etc., they wouldn't have to resort to something shitty like a 10pm Leno show.

Can I get a what what for Lost? Pushing Daisies?
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sarrible
09/14/09

In reply to Jay Leno: Old Media's Biggest Enemy
Castle isn't a new show; it was a midseason replacement last year. And it's pretty great.
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DahlELama
09/14/09

@sarrible: That's still pretty new, and anyway, Private Practice is even older. But yes, I am definitely a Castle fan, and that's what I'll be watching instead.
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CaptainFantastic
09/14/09

@DahlELama: Is Castle the one where the male author rides around with the female detective? Because that female detective is very attractive and this may be my only chance to ever say so.
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DahlELama
09/14/09

@CaptainFantastic: Yes, that's the one. Go GoogleImage Stana Katic and thank me in the morning.
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thebrat
09/14/09

In reply to Jay Leno: Old Media's Biggest Enemy
One thing I didn't like was the phrase 'DVR proof' comment made by Jay at the press conference a few months ago. This to me means commercials within the show. This is a growing phenomenon I am not happy about. It is the main reason I do not want to watch. I would rather pay for the channels I want to watch than have to sit through blatant product placement during a show I would otherwise enjoy.
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Pesti-Esti
09/14/09

@thebrat: What he meant by 'DVR proof' was that the show was topical, so people would watch it live as opposed to DVRing it.
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City_Dater
09/14/09

@Pesti-Esti:

And assuming jokes about Bill Clinton's genitals are "topical", he's right.

Please. Scraping the mold off Leno and moving him to an hour when people aren't nodding off while they watch isn't going to make him fresh. A closer-to-consciousness audience is the worst thing that could happen to this guy.
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