Is the NBC late night shakeup all a big ratings ploy propagated by the once dominant network? Let me start by saying that this article is nothing but a free thinking conspiracy theory spurred by spending several hours the last couple nights watching The Tonight Show. How many other times have I watched two consecutive days of The Tonight Show? Probably never. Is this the side effect of a hard decision to gain back the late local news crowd, or the direct consequence of a sneaky-smart plan to generate buzz and remind people what they could be missing?
As far as I can tell, there are several potential outcomes here:
- NBC offers loads more money if Conan just sucks it up for a few years in the midnight slot. After all, Leno is getting old. Leno takes over The Tonight Show again. Conan gives in, moves back a half hour and everyone’s life goes on.
- Conan continues to refuse to budge, get’s a new show on USA (ok not USA, but some other network anyway), Leno moves back a time slot to continue his new show and Jimmy Fallon becomes The Tonight Show host. Oh God no.
- Drew Carey retires from Price is Right to host the Jay Leno Show. Jay Leno moves back several hours to host Last Call with Carson Daily. Carson Daily becomes Co-Anchor to NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, but is later challenged to a scotch-off with Ron Burgundy. The embarrassing defeat brings the music-lover to tears and Ron Burgundy takes over the position because “it’s a mans job.” Conan O’Brian goes to Saturday Night Live to attempt to revive another dying NBC show.
- Everything stays the same. NBC decides to ride out the current situation for the near future. The Jay Leno Show frequently take breaks to give updates on local murders, scores of high school basketball games, and why after watching the next segment we “may never wash dishes the same again!”
It seems to me that the outcome could likely look like the final option, and maybe all this news wasn’t so bad for the network after all. The good thing is, none of it really matters. The funniest man on late night will still be around somewhere, and he’ll be just as funny.
