A cold winter storm pounded Burbank yesterday afternoon as I drove by the NBC Studios at Alameda and Olive Avenues. Along the side the building, huddling under the overhang, a long line of folks waiting to get into “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” A miserable day to be standing outside, but I can understand the dedication. Leno’s days on “The Tonight Show” are numbered.
Last December, Leno and NBC announced he would be getting a new weekly prime time talk show at 10 p.m. sometime in September. This announcement followed months of anger from fans and negative reaction from critics, after NBC made the decision to kick Leno off “The Tonight Show,” effective May 29, 2009. Replacing Leno at the “The Tonight Show” desk, Conan O’Brien.
This network plan could work out really well for some television viewers. For fans of Leno, they will soon be able to watch his show from 10-11 p.m. rather than waiting until 11:30 p.m. — the time “The Tonight Show” airs. Still, if the ratings of “The Tonight Show” drop significantly, NBC could end up regretting this new plan.
