The Tonight Show; Carson, Leno, Fallon

[badtziscool]

I honestly think Kimmel is going to be the next king of late night. Even though it still follows the late night routine of standup, skit, interview, music, it's more in tune with the younger generation's sense of humor and entertainment which, in the future, becomes the older generation that goes to bed with a late night program on the TV.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

Well I watched the first 10 minutes of the show so far and I like the classier opening, befitting of the show's franchise, and the new set looks great. They did a wonderful job of making that space look open and almost regal in appearance compared to the more 'street' look of the old set. His opening remarks about his upbringing was nice.

**Edit**

I've watched the whole show and I loved it. The cameos in the "lost a bet" skit were wonderful, the give-and-take in the "history of hip-hop dancing" skit was funny and the rooftop concert... well, it mostly made me dizzy.

The whole show had a lighthearted, welcoming feel to it. Well done!

 

[StarHalo]

Yup, very nicely done; the set looks like it's splitting the difference between Leno and Conan, classy but modern. And giving U2 lots of screen time was of course a prerequisite, they should have done it like their last SNL appearance and just let them have the entire last ~20 minutes of the show..

 

[StarHalo]

Tonight's guests are Jerry Seinfeld, Kristen Wiig, and Lady Gaga.

And the rest of the schedule:

We 2/19: Bradley Cooper, Tim McGraw
Th 2/20: Michelle Obama, Will Ferrell, Arcade Fire
Fr 2/21: Justin Timberlake

Mo 2/24: Reese Witherspoon, Fred Armisen, Rick Ross
Tu 2/25: Paul Rudd, Shaquille O'Neal, Hannibal Buress
We 2/26: Drew Barrymore, Adam Sandler, Dierks Bentley
Th 2/27: Denzel Washington, Sara Bareilles
Fr 2/28: Cameron Diaz, Mike Tyson, Mario Batali

 

[PhotonWrangler]

One thing puzzles me about the move back to New York -

Los Angeles is still the largest production hub in the country, where there are more big-name stars per square mile than anywhere else. There's also quick access to Vegas and it's performers. Carson understood that and I believe it is the main reason why he took the show out west in the first place - easier access to talent. Moving back to New York, you've got access to Broadway performers and to a lesser extent some feature film stars, but you've got to fly a lot of your guests in from someplace far away, and you run the risk of cancellations, delayed flights, etc. During Carson's New York tenure, I seem to recall the guest list being a little repetitive at times. I hope it doesn't turn out that way for Fallon. I'd like to see him succeed.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

Well the premiere week of Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show brought the highest ratings for the show in 20 years, and were double the ratings of Leno last year. Looks like he's gonna be a keeper.

 

[StarHalo]

I wonder if his History of Rap performance with Justin Timberlake is the first time the Tonight Show host has joined in a musical performance with the musical guest? Either way, it should be pretty clear to everyone now that it's a new era for the show. For those who missed it:



And tomorrow night Seth Meyers begins Late Night; schedule is as follows:

Mo 2/24: Amy Poehler, Vice President Joe Biden, A Great Big World
Tu 2/25: Kanye West, Russell Wilson, Robyn Doolittle
We 2/26: Kelly Ripa, Brad Paisley
Th 2/27: Lena Dunham, Anthony Mackie, John Mayer Trio
Fr 2/28: Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Sophia Bush, Michael Che

 

[StarHalo]

Well Seth Meyers' faux newsman delivery is still perfectly honed, but it doesn't work at all in a talk show setting; I didn't think the show would be quite on par with Fallon's Late Night, but it's not as good as any of the other late night shows. The set seems cramped and is just walls/no "view", the band doesn't play actual songs (unforgivable in the wake of The Roots, though I still love Fred Armisen and am now wondering what it'd be like with him at the helm..), and the whole thing just seems a lot cheaper than what it replaced.

So who would you like to see in place of Seth Meyers?

 

[StarHalo]

Letterman will be announcing his retirement tonight.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

I kind of thought this was coming. He's been acting sort of disinterested lately.

Originally the show was promised to Craig Ferguson when Dave leaves, but I think Craig's show is a bit too quirky for 11:30, in the same way that Conan was too quirky for the Tonight Show. I hope I'm wrong - I like Craig Ferguson.

 

[Bullzeyebill]

Letterman will be announcing his retirement tonight

Some time in 2015, he said tonight.

Bill

 

[StarHalo]

Some time in 2015, he said tonight.

We internet-only folk only get the episodes the next day.

But who should replace him? Ferguson could sort of hold his own versus Meyers, but definitely not Fallon..

 

[StarHalo]

A TV Guide correspondent on the radio this morning mentioned some possible Letterman replacements; Jimmy Kimmel's contract is almost up with his network, so there could be a possible coup there. Another name thrown out was Neil Patrick Harris, who I'm sure would be hugely successful (and a good counter to Fallon) if they could get him nightly..

 

[PhotonWrangler]

A TV Guide correspondent on the radio this morning mentioned some possible Letterman replacements; Jimmy Kimmel's contract is almost up with his network, so there could be a possible coup there. Another name thrown out was Neil Patrick Harris, who I'm sure would be hugely successful (and a good counter to Fallon) if they could get him nightly..

Another name I've seen mentioned is John Oliver. I think he could pull this off.

 

[StarHalo]

Another name I've seen mentioned is John Oliver. I think he could pull this off.

Speaking of Comedy Central alums, I keep seeing Stephen Colbert's name come up; I didn't take it seriously at first, but it's the name I've seen most often this far. I watch the guy's show nightly, and if anyone deserves it, it's him, but would he still be "Stephen Colbert" the character? Would a network allow political satire in that time slot?

 

[PhotonWrangler]

Speaking of Comedy Central alums, I keep seeing Stephen Colbert's name come up; I didn't take it seriously at first, but it's the name I've seen most often this far. I watch the guy's show nightly, and if anyone deserves it, it's him, but would he still be "Stephen Colbert" the character? Would a network allow political satire in that time slot?

I'm a Colbert fan also, and I agree that he could be a good fit. He would have to drop his schtick though.

 

[StarHalo]

Buzzfeed did a list of female comedians they could see in Letterman's role; of their list, the two most feasible would be Carrie Brownstein (an outside, sort of local-regional oddball like Letterman, would counter Fallon perfectly,) and Jane Lynch (who could overshadow Fallon completely..)

 

[PhotonWrangler]

Yeah, Jane Lynch would be an interesting choice. I don't know anything about Carrie Brownstein though.

 

[StarHalo]

I don't know anything about Carrie Brownstein though.

Check out some Portlandia; the way Letterman's humor is Indiana-centric, she's Portland-centric..

 

[StarHalo]

Congrats to Stephen Colbert on being named host of the Late Show; now we're left to wonder what kind of show it's going to be..