TV Buzz: What Does The Future Hold For The Tonight Show? NBC Chief “Dethrones” Conan O’Brien. David Letterman Drinking His Milkshake.
This summer, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve overheard a line like, “Oh, I love Conan, but to be honest, I haven’t been watching [The Tonight Show].” Conan’s ratings, whichcontinue to falland have been widely scrutinized in the media, reflect this trend. Today, it wasannouncedthatThe Late Show with David Lettermanhas bestedThe Tonight Showfor four consecutive weeks, a record dating back to 1995. What I find curious about these aforementioned statements from fans, besides their frequency, is that so often they express guilt. Many 20somethingsshare a bondwithConan O’Brienincomparable to any late night host, and by not watching, it stings of geek treason. But these lounging confessions also pack a subtle tinge ofNikki Finke-likecutthroat satisfaction, and this is what I find most worrisome in terms of the long haul. Why is this?
Yesterday at a conference, NBC late-night-chief,Rick Ludwin, referred to a previously issued network press release appointing Conan O’Brien asThe King of Late Nightas “premature.” Ouch. Who the hell retracts a crown, especially weeks later? A faux pas. Still, as Mark Graham atVulturepoints out, Ludwin followed his alarming admission by clarifying that NBC wasn’t disappointed by Conan’s current ratings. But of coursethey are. And withJay Leno, akaThe Chin, readying his new primetime show on NBC—ugh!—complete with agimmicky racetrack, we predict that this is going to get ugly; maybe even surge to an unprecedentedly awkward level for Big Network TV.
There is something unsettling and disagreeable about the expansive acoustics in Conan’s pricey, posh new studio. His monologues can now feel incredibly lonely on television because of this, strained of their yesteryear pep. To be candid, I even find the sense of isolation a tad creepy, with shades ofRupert Pupkinauditioning to himself inThe King of Comedy. This is not really Conan’s fault. I can hear the studio audience laughing in the distance, sure, but for a host who has established a moderately intimate, normal-geek M.O. over the years, it creates the impression that Conan is a ginger fish out-of-water. It’s not so much the N.Y.C-to-L.A. transition factor; it’s more akin to a Conan-gone-Vegas conundrum.
Since he debuted onThe Tonight Showearlier this summer, the dissonance between host and studio has lead me to stay with the show from beginning-to-end only a handful of times. And as Conan and Leno continue to distance themselves in the press, the affable combination and comradery between Letterman andCraig Ferguson, currently my favorite late-night host (alongsideStephen Colbert, if you include that cable block), has never appeared more casual yet on the attack. So, where exactly does his famous Red Wave take Conan from here?
What’s your take on Conan’s low-ratings,The Tonight Showtwo months in, and the Late Night Wars?
