Tonight Show Shake-up

What were they thinking? Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien are easily two of the most recognizable faces and comedians that Massachusetts has produced. And now there's... I don't even know what you call this.

Before I even begin, I would like to invite you all to share your opinions on the matter...

This is how I see it: The moment they said we're moving Jay to primetime, he was done. I mean, we've seen him host, talk to thousands of guests, the same ones again and again... how about something different? I mean, I can't recall ever seeing him have an acting role, why not write him into one of your successful comedies? I mean, throw him in The Office, Community, 30 Rock... actually those are the only ones that come to mind as being successful! Seriously though, when he started hosting the Tonight Show, he had it like once a week I think, (am I that old?) and then took it on full time... NBC could have weened us off him in that time slot in that manner as they could then better track the migration of the Conan faithful.

Did anybody really miss Leno when he went on hiatus those months? I mean, it would have been one thing if Conan had left the network and Jimmy Fallon was just thrown into the 11:35 time-slot, but there were too many awkward goodbyes and hellos. I mean guests were saying goodbye to Jay as if they would never appear on either of the new shows.

Truth be told, I am actually a Craig Ferguson guy. First of all he's fantastic, but simply the format of the show really has me. Quick introduction, commercial, monologuing, commercial, do we have time for emails, commercial, then one or two guests that are really more there to have fun then to do what seems like plugging something I don't really care about, commercial and then we remember what was learned on the show. Perfect. I mean, I'm a 24 year old male... aren't I like THE demographic that late night tv is geared to? I just don't know why NBC hasn't significantly changed the format of their late night shows for as long as I can actually remember.

I'm going to wrap this up with just a few more observations. Late night talk-show hosting seems like a tough business. I've seen Craig Kilborn start perhaps television's most relevant show of my generation, The Daily Show, on Comedy Central and then really get forgotten hosting CBS's Late Late Show, (credit Jon Stewart's awesome appeal factor to some of that, and some to Conan O'Brien as his competition). Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect did it's thing for awhile, having a great, fresh format that was semi-unsuccessfully recreated by Colin Quinn's Tough Crowd, and having a similar format uber-successfully revamped by Chelsea Handler on E! If NBC is trying to make comedy its prime-time forte, try something new! Please! Maybe Leno can make a half-hour work at his proposed new 11:35 slot, maybe everyone else on the network will go along with it, but I just don't see it. I don't think they'll have anything resembling Must See T V short of getting George Clooney back in scrubs and Jerry Seinfeld sitting around an apartment again.

Word has it that Conan's stint on the Tonight Show is going to end Friday, like tomorrow people! He's been joking almost entirely on the topic this past week, and his ratings have soared.

Like I said before, let me hear what you think. We might end up saving a network!