I know the talk shows are popular in the US, but I'd love to know the mindset that NBC were thinking in 2009? Having talk shows at 10pm, 11.35pm and 12.35am each night, excessive... a bit of an understatement.
It's worse than that even. After Late Night, you had (and still have) Carson Daly's show on NBC. So effectively 4 consecutive celebrity based talkshows. Admittedly Carson Daly's show is in a different style, but still!
I know the talk shows are popular in the US, but I'd love to know the mindset that NBC were thinking in 2009? Having talk shows at 10pm, 11.35pm and 12.35am each night, excessive... a bit of an understatement.
It's worse than that even. After Late Night, you had (and still have) Carson Daly's show on NBC. So effectively 4 consecutive celebrity based talkshows. Admittedly Carson Daly's show is in a different style, but still!
Last I read, Carson Daly's show is no longer a traditional late night show (desk, studio, house band, guests etc) and more of a documentary/journalistic style programme.
Oh really? Admittedly the only clips i've seen of it are quite old, though having just looked at newer clips now, it's clearly changed style substantially in the last few years. Makes a lot of sense considering.
I know the talk shows are popular in the US, but I'd love to know the mindset that NBC were thinking in 2009? Having talk shows at 10pm, 11.35pm and 12.35am each night, excessive... a bit of an understatement.
It's worse than that even. After Late Night, you had (and still have) Carson Daly's show on NBC. So effectively 4 consecutive celebrity based talkshows. Admittedly Carson Daly's show is in a different style, but still!
Last I read, Carson Daly's show is no longer a traditional late night show (desk, studio, house band, guests etc) and more of a documentary/journalistic style programme.
It dropped all the traditional talkshow trappings years ago and is a pretty refreshing, but over-looked, alternative. It made Ferguson's so called "anti talkshow" look like an actual talkshow. Which of course it was.
Especially when you consider that Craig Ferguson was always behind the mighty NBC even when his show was arguably superior.
Blandness always trumps individuality.
Craig Ferguson's show was very cult though and hard for new viewers to get into, if you didn't get all the characters and in-jokes from the past 10 years. Fallon has been very clever in attracting a younger audience and updating the late night format for a new generation, reflected in the improved ratings of The Tonight Show. It's hard to tell at this point what Seth Meyers' show will eventually turn out as, it's still quite bland and following the standard late night formula at the moment.
It's interesting network wise, as NBC has been struggling in primetime for many years, but is still dominant in late night. People often say that viewers watch TV for the programmes, not the channels, but evidently there is still network loyalty when it comes to late night.
Or they just avoid Letterman. Despite all the changes at NBC up until this year the competition has been very consistent other than Jimmy Kimmel on ABC getting move to compete head to head at 11.35pm, bumping Nightline to an hour later.
I must admit I really don't understand the popularity of Jimmy Fallon. He has this annoying fake energy that is so obviously put on. He over laughs at jokes, he over enthuses with his guests. Every guest that comes on and every piece of work they've ever been involved in is 'the best thing he's ever seen'. I could take that kind of enthusiasm and over laughter if it was really him, but it clearly is not. The cracks occasionally appear and you see him switch on his character when he realises he has to. When he has guests on that he actually knows very well, you get to see the real person more and he's far more tolerable. I wish he would just tone it down.
As for Seth Meyers, it's a tough one. He doesn't stand out at all yet. Though neither did Conan in the first couple of years. Letterman and Conan in Late Night ended up gathering a real young cult audience, it'll be interesting to see if Seth Meyers can do the same eventually.
I must admit I really don't understand the popularity of Jimmy Fallon. He has this annoying fake energy that is so obviously put on. He over laughs at jokes, he over enthuses with his guests. Every guest that comes on and every piece of work they've ever been involved in is 'the best thing he's ever seen'. I could take that kind of enthusiasm and over laughter if it was really him, but it clearly is not. The cracks occasionally appear and you see him switch on his character when he realises he has to. When he has guests on that he actually knows very well, you get to see the real person more and he's far more tolerable. I wish he would just tone it down.
There was, of course, the running joke on Ferguson's show where Craig and Geoff would pretend there were different celebrity-based flies flying around the studio, including the Jimmy Fallon fly who flew around saying "oh wow oh cool so cool wow oh wow so cool".
This is a good round-up of the situation, in-house as well
So did people get angry with Leno simply because he didn't show any hesitation over taking The Tonight Show back from Conan as opposed to giving him a chance?
When Conan O'Brien briefly hosted the Tonight Show in 2009, it was taped at the then purpose built Stage 1 at Universal Studios.
This week, Jimmy Fallon is hosting a special week of the Tonight Show in Los Angeles ... in Stage 1 at Universal Studios!
When Conan O'Brien briefly hosted the Tonight Show in 2009, it was taped at the then purpose built Stage 1 at Universal Studios.
This week, Jimmy Fallon is hosting a special week of the Tonight Show in Los Angeles ... in Stage 1 at Universal Studios!
Beautiful set they had as well, always thought it was a shame how short-lived it was.