12.10.08 Links

9:35 am EST December 10th, 2008 | Uncategorized | 7 Comments

* This Leno primetime thing has fail written all over it. Leno stopped being funny – and only mildly so – about 20 years ago.

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7 Responses to “12.10.08 Links”

  1. Michael Markman says:
    December 10, 2008 at 11:18 am

    I’s all compared to what, Oliver. NBC is setting low ratings expectations. Leno will never win his timeslot. But he’ll slash NBC production costs compared to five hourse of cop and hospital dramas. And he’ll draw enough audience to be profitable.

  2. Diamondrock says:
    December 10, 2008 at 11:54 am

    Indeed. Don’t forget that even if Leno *isn’t* funny he’s been beating Letterman in the late night ratings for years. NBC doesn’t care if it’s funny. It’s all about the ad revenue.

  3. Sean D. Martin says:
    December 10, 2008 at 12:10 pm

    Leno’s show will be cheaper than a hour-long drama, but it will never draw as much revenue. It just won’t even really win in its time slot so NBC won’t be able to charge nearly as much for ads. Because of the lower costs Leno’s (and I assume this is what NBC is thinking) may still end up being more profitable than a drama, but only in the narrow view.

    See many DVD sets of past seasons of The Tonight Show?

    Fewer people are watching non-cable stations. With video tapes, DVRs, and Tivo fewer people are watching commercials. It’s why there has been an explosion in product placement within shows and those obscenely irritating banners which appear along the entire lower third of the screen.

    With Leno’s show, NBC is choosing to forego all the revenue that comes from the post-broadcast packaging of a show.

  4. ed says:
    December 10, 2008 at 4:13 pm

    Good grief Oliver, you’re old enough to remember when Jay Leno was funny! Dude, you’re old.

    And this is a way to completely blow a 20something’s mind: Tell them that there was a time, long, long ago, when Jay Leno was funny. Really. They’ll never believe you.

    At least Leno is still good for one thing: Informing the great Jon Swift (http://jonswift.blogspot.com/)

  5. Anna Granfors says:
    December 10, 2008 at 5:44 pm

    What Sean D. said. Hollywood’s been trying to find ways to do it cheaper for years now. And the more people that watch American Idol and now the 10 pm Leno, the more they’ll give us.

    It’s the same principle that informs practically everything else…for some reason, the push is on to make every member of the corporatocracy obscenely rich, at the expense of the little guy. Swear to god, some of these assholes are just mutating into bottomless maws that devour everything they can.

  6. jon says:
    December 10, 2008 at 7:06 pm

    Some days it will be a hit, some days a miss, some days useless, other days interesting. It all depends on the guests. I can see it working if he has a night devoted to music, another to stand up and sketch comedy, another to politics, one to Hollywood, and another for whatever.

    But I’ll probably miss it most nights anyway since I hardly watch any television live anymore.

  7. Oliver Willis says:
    December 10, 2008 at 7:17 pm

    We’re a long way from the days when I used to wish Leno was subbing for Carson because I found Leno funnier. Kids today don’t even know what a Johnny Carson is.

    Leno isn’t funny because its the safest, most obvious joke. This is the guy who came up with the Dancing Itos for Chrissake.

    Conan for me is like Letterman for the generation before me: ironic, cutting edge and host of the funniest interviews you’ll ever see (watch when he has someone like Heidi Klum on).

    My main fear has been that going to 11 will neuter some of Conan’s best bits, but I think he has the comedy chops to do it.

    masturbating bear