If Jay Leno Is The Future Of TV, TV Is Dead

9:58 am EST September 5th, 2009 | News | 20 Comments

Time, in one of its time-honored traditions as the arbiter of stuff says that Jay Leno is the future of TV. If there’s any truth to that I have only one thing to say to my beloved idiot box: it’s not me, it’s you.

Television is in one of its dry spots right now. For myself, there are only a few programs being shown on broadcast that I watch regularly. Why? Because broadcast TV thinks you’re stupid and is jammed to the gills with idiotic reality shows. Even in the time-honored procedural category, the pickings have been come slim as of late.

And now NBC has decided to inflict Jay Leno on the public in prime time. I hope they stay away. Not only has Leno been amazingly ungracious towards Conan O’Brien taking over the Tonight Show (then again, this was the guy who ignored Carson after he took over Tonight himself), Leno happens to have not been even sort of funny since the 20th century. That’s the rub. NBC is stripping a talk show by a has-been comedian across prime time (where I hope to God he gets slaughtered in the ratings) and that’s the future of TV?

Ugh.

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20 Responses to “If Jay Leno Is The Future Of TV, TV Is Dead”

  1. Suicida| says:
    September 5, 2009 at 10:07 am

    “If there’s any truth to that I have only one thing to say to my beloved idiot box: it’s not me, it’s you.”

    You magnificent bastard…..

  2. Colorado Dave says:
    September 5, 2009 at 10:56 am

    I don’t even own a TV.

  3. Wilfredo says:
    September 5, 2009 at 11:03 am

    I know it’s supposed to be on Free TV, but having Leno on primetime FIVE NIGHTS A WEEK, feels like I’m getting ripped off.
    Unfortunately, there was nothing in that post that you wrote that I didn’t agree with.

  4. MIke Hussein Cohen says:
    September 5, 2009 at 11:10 am

    I really hope it bombs badly. I despise Jay Leno.

  5. Chez says:
    September 5, 2009 at 12:15 pm

    Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter if it gets killed in the ratings — and that’s really the rub. From a quality TV standpoint, NBC’s move with Leno is obscene; from a business standpoint, it’s brilliant. Leno’s show costs NBC nothing to put on the air — they own it outright and having it on five nights a week means they won’t have to pay production companies a fortune for all the programming that would normally go in those slots. In other words, it’s not about ratings — it’s about making money. And Leno’s pretty much guaranteed to do that hand over fist. This is the future of television. At some point, the networks will just run color bars because it makes more money than it costs.

  6. Duros62 says:
    September 5, 2009 at 12:57 pm

    having Leno on primetime FIVE NIGHTS A WEEK, feels like I’m getting ripped off.

    My thoughts exactly. I don’t think it will be the stink fest that Rosie LIVE! was, but it ain’t gonna win no Emmys (Emmies?) either.

  7. Wilfredo says:
    September 5, 2009 at 1:56 pm

    “In other words, it’s not about ratings — it’s about making money. And Leno’s pretty much guaranteed to do that hand over fist. This is the future of television. At some point, the networks will just run color bars because it makes more money than it costs.”

    Well, I guess it means I’m gonna have to take up book reading.

  8. Sean D. Martin says:
    September 5, 2009 at 3:03 pm

    OW: get[ting] slaughtered in the ratings) and that’s the future of TV?

    Yup. Pretty much.

  9. Sean D. Martin says:
    September 5, 2009 at 3:09 pm

    NBC, like most networks these days, has problems they don’t even recognize, let alone know how to deal with.

    Expect to see the slogan “more colorful” popping up under the NBC peacock this fall.
    …
    What’s more, chief marketing officer John Miller says, “Our goal now is to make sure we have shows that people will want to watch.”

    Pardon me a moment while I bang my head against the table. Not to underestimate the power of a good branding campaign, but isn’t having “shows that people will want to watch” supposed to be the goal already? All the time? …

    And while we are asking troubling questions, can you plausibly argue that your network is becoming “more colorful” as you eliminate 10:00 p.m. dramas in favor of five nights a week of Jay Leno?

  10. Clancy says:
    September 5, 2009 at 3:20 pm

    I won’t be watching Leno either, but it does indicate that at least one network station finally realizes that they are no longer only competing with the other networks. There are literally hundreds of stations now. About two dozen of which air original programming, and half that airing original scripted programs. In reality (not reality tv, however), there is more quality television now than in the past, it’s just being offered by other places in addition to NBC, ABC, CBS, or Fox. AMC, Showtime, HBO, FX, USA, TNT, even ABC Family, all air original dramas. I’m sure there are more that I simply can’t think of off the top of my head.

  11. Jaim says:
    September 5, 2009 at 3:40 pm

    Jay Leno has never been funny. Conan has his moments, but he’s not really a laugh riot either.

    Yeah, I don’t watch much TV. Haven’t even seen “Mad Men.”

  12. Lee Stranahan says:
    September 5, 2009 at 3:44 pm

    These discussions usually come down to ‘I hate Leno’ or “I love Letterman’ or ‘I hate Conan’ – which is beside the point.

    The Leno show was a great move by NBC. I was worked at NBC for the past five years and I wrote a HuffPost column maybe a year ago talking about how losing Leno would have KILLED NBC.

    Whether YOU like Leno or not, he was #1 in the ratings. Since he left, Letterman is #1 in the ratings. This was predictable. Leno was ready to go to ABC. If that had happened, Leno would be #1 and NBC’s Conan Tonight Show would be number 3.

    It’s simple – Conan and Letterman play to the same demo. Leno plays to a different demo. Conan and Letterman split that demo – which equals Leno winnings.

    Leno is going to help Conan’s ratings, too.

    Also – this is best time EVER for good TV, broadly speaking. There are way too many good shows to watch – True Blood, Maher, Weeds, Mad Men, Maddow, KO, Ed, Moyers, Charlie Rose. Name a better time for TV.

  13. jr says:
    September 5, 2009 at 4:24 pm

    “Lewinsky jokes are still relevant in 2009″-Jay Leno

  14. JD Rhoades says:
    September 5, 2009 at 6:05 pm

    Well, I guess it means I’m gonna have to take up book reading.

    This is an excellent idea. Of course, I’m a little biased….

  15. Oliver Willis says:
    September 5, 2009 at 6:22 pm

    I should have said this is a bad time for broadcast TV. The Leno move is a bad move because NBC says “we’re in 3rd place and we give up at 10pm.” I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the Fox broadcast news at 10 start to beat NBC. I don’t think Conan and Letterman split the demo, Conan’s audience is much younger. I’ve never been a huge Letterman fan, but he’s funny at least, and Conan is the king. Leno is Leno.

  16. Crusty Dem says:
    September 5, 2009 at 6:52 pm

    We’ll see, Lee. One thing is certain, for a while, NBC will be doing well financially. The question is what effect will this have on NBC’s status, being a distant 3rd from 10-11. Of course, maybe we’re all wrong and there’s a huge audience for garbage in that time slot. In a world where American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, NCIS, CSI, and Two and a Half Men dominate the Nielsens, maybe it should be expected…

  17. Quaker in a Basement says:
    September 6, 2009 at 1:45 am

    Television? Bah!

  18. MAB says:
    September 6, 2009 at 9:44 am

    And did you see the commercials that have started airing to promote the new show?? The music behind them: “Hold On, I’m Coming.” Jay Leno to the rescue!

    Can you imagine if Johnny Carson had done something like this after handing over the reins to Leno? “Hold On, I’m Coming”?? (In that case, the music would have been quite apt.)

    So yeah, when Leno took over the Tonight Show he couldn’t mention Carson and now that he’s left, he’s got to make sure that everyone knows he’s still the Big Dog. (I guess he’s trying to live up to his Big Dog Productions name??)

    Then again if a TV network threw $ at any of us criticizing Leno, who wouldn’t take it? Whoever is in charge at NBC is to blame, for not having any ideas.

  19. Wilfredo says:
    September 6, 2009 at 5:45 pm

    @MAB – Yeah, the schmuck who thought of that genius idea resigned from NBC to take on a more lucrative job. Yet another to hate humanity.

  20. Scott Mercer says:
    September 7, 2009 at 9:52 pm

    Even the so-called “Golden Age of Television” which was filled with quality dramas also had most of the TV watching public absorbed by the inane antics of “Uncle Miltie” Berle (who makes Jay Leno seem like a member of the Algonquin roundtable, plus wrestling and game shows (until the Game Show scandal wiped them out).

    My point is, people have always been complaining about how lowbrow television has been, ever since it began, and yet, there have always been some amount of quality programming available on some outlet, if one cared to look for it.

    “Mad Men” is just a good example of the current shows that make me forget that WWE wrestling still gets decent ratings.

    Hey, all you people that don’t own a TV, pick up one, and get the DVDs of “Mad Men.” They really are worth watching.