If Conan had more time, would he have turned his Tonight Show around?

[Caretaker]

Re: If Conan had more time, would he have turned his Tonight Show arou

Interesting to note that NBC has been airing a commercial promoting the legacy of The Tonight Show and promoting Jimmy Fallon's upcoming hosting. The ad includes clips and mentions of Conan's time as host. According to what I've read online, it was Jimmy Fallon who demanded that NBC not gloss over the Conan era.

 

[gblews]

Re: If Conan had more time, would he have turned his Tonight Show arou

He wanted a job. He fought for a job. He got the job. Later, they fired him from the job and, when the new guy didn't work out, they offered him his job back. Who wouldn't do the same thing he did for a job they loved?

Letterman, apparently. (bolding mine)

In the meantime CBS won the bidding war in offers for Letterman, and NBC made a counter-offer that would kick Leno out and give "Tonight" to Letterman, similar to what they'd later do to Conan. In January '93 Letterman decided to go to CBS for a number of reasons, including having to wait over a year for "Tonight," not having ownership of the show, and how he had been treated by NBC earlier.

Not the same thing at all. By what you've posted Letterman really no longer wanted the job. Obviously, Jay did.

By all accounts Tonight was Letterman's dream job, however he wasn't willing to set aside dignity and integrity in order to get the job. Some are not as discerning.

Interesting to note that NBC has been airing a commercial promoting the legacy of The Tonight Show and promoting Jimmy Fallon's upcoming hosting. The ad includes clips and mentions of Conan's time as host. According to what I've read online, it was Jimmy Fallon who demanded that NBC not gloss over the Conan era.

This does not surprise me. Not all of the players in the late night wars lack integrity.

I do note that Jay, in an effort to thwart his image as the poster child for "weasle behavior", has gone out of his way to embrace Jimmy despite previously "weasling" out of his one time pledge to willingly step aside when his Tonight contract ended.

 

[Aldo]

Re: If Conan had more time, would he have turned his Tonight Show arou

Interesting to note that NBC has been airing a commercial promoting the legacy of The Tonight Show and promoting Jimmy Fallon's upcoming hosting. The ad includes clips and mentions of Conan's time as host. According to what I've read online, it was Jimmy Fallon who demanded that NBC not gloss over the Conan era.

One of the reasons (not the only, of course) that Conan refused to let the Tonight Show be broadcast a half hour later was because he didn't want to push Fallon's show back (and by extension Carson). Real class, that guy, it's nice to see Fallon has the same kind of integrity.

 

[urbandefault]

Re: If Conan had more time, would he have turned his Tonight Show arou

I like that they brought Andy Richter back. Andy was always a good foil for Conan.

 

[Amaris]

Re: If Conan had more time, would he have turned his Tonight Show arou

Interesting to note that NBC has been airing a commercial promoting the legacy of The Tonight Show and promoting Jimmy Fallon's upcoming hosting. The ad includes clips and mentions of Conan's time as host. According to what I've read online, it was Jimmy Fallon who demanded that NBC not gloss over the Conan era.

One of the reasons (not the only, of course) that Conan refused to let the Tonight Show be broadcast a half hour later was because he didn't want to push Fallon's show back (and by extension Carson). Real class, that guy, it's nice to see Fallon has the same kind of integrity.

Yes, Jimmy's a straight player. I've never seen him get involved in any kind of dirty one-upsmanship games.

I like that they brought Andy Richter back. Andy was always a good foil for Conan.

For me, that's a yes and a no. I love Andy, and have since day one, but when Conan was on his own for a while, I think he did very well, and when he moved to TBS and brought Andy back, it just doesn't feel like the right fit. I'm not saying get rid of Andy, but I don't think he adds as much now as he did back when it was still Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

 

[the G-man]

Re: If Conan had more time, would he have turned his Tonight Show arou

Letterman, apparently. (bolding mine)

Not the same thing at all. By what you've posted Letterman really no longer wanted the job. Obviously, Jay did.

By all accounts Tonight was Letterman's dream job, however he wasn't willing to set aside dignity and integrity in order to get the job. Some are not as discerning.

"Dignity and integrity"? More likely, the huge paycheck and existing job at CBS.

Neither Jay nor Dave are saints, nor are they devils. They are two famous, competitive, comedians who went head to head for the same job. One had to win, one had to lose. Both ended up pretty well off.

As for Conan, while he's long been my favorite of the hosts, let's not forget that he was only offered the Tonight Show when he threatened to quit the network if they didn't, give it to him despite the fact that someone else already had the show. How, is that particularly different than what Jay did to Carson or Letterman?

And, in the end, as noted here, Conan was probably going to get fired from the Tonight Show whether Jay took the show back or not.

 

[Yoda]

Re: If Conan had more time, would he have turned his Tonight Show arou

Well, reading that book, it makes it sound like NBC didn't want to lose Conan, and they went to him with the offer of the Tonight Show promise. And Conan re-signed with NBC before that at a pretty modest price at a time when other networks were courting him and NBC wasn't offering the Tonight Show. The succession was NBC's plan, they made the call that Leno should be out, and that Conan should be in at some point. It was preferable to them compared to losing Conan down the road. I don't think that reality could be taken as some sort of threat or ultimatum from Conan though.

As for ratings, Conan's weren't good or anything... but the Jay Leno Show was downright apocalyptic. Not sure why your link is equating the two.

 

[SAndrews10]

Re: If Conan had more time, would he have turned his Tonight Show arou

From what I remember, yes they made the changing of the guard agreement, and life was all grand in the intervening years and Leno's ratings increased and increased and increased and then the next situation developed. They had the #1 late night show and they were getting rid of it and it looked like Leno was going to ABC to do an 11:35 show, oh crap what do we do? Hence NBC created the 10p show for Jay. They were too scared to lose Conan and then years later too scared to lose Jay.

 

[gblews]

Re: If Conan had more time, would he have turned his Tonight Show arou

Not the same thing at all. By what you've posted Letterman really no longer wanted the job. Obviously, Jay did.

By all accounts Tonight was Letterman's dream job, however he wasn't willing to set aside dignity and integrity in order to get the job. Some are not as discerning.

"Dignity and integrity"? More likely, the huge paycheck and existing job at CBS.

Neither Jay nor Dave are saints, nor are they devils. They are two famous, competitive, comedians who went head to head for the same job. One had to win, one had to lose. Both ended up pretty well off.

Trying to equate Dave and Jay as being the same types is a non-starter.

Jay threw under the bus, in order, Carson, instumental in getting Jay's career from club comic to household name, Letterman, another guy who was instrumental in boosting Jay's career, and finally, Conan, who simply was the network's choice to replace Jay.

Jay has proven over the years that he is quite willing to engage in the the most weasle-like behavior in order to get what he wants. I have seen nothing like this from Jimmy, Dave, or Conan.