Jay Leno Hints At ABC Future

Deadline Hollywood Daily's Nikki Finke points out that on Monday's "Tonight Show," Jay Leno hinted at a possible future with ABC while reading the popular segment, "Headlines."

Leno held up a TVWeek cover that said "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno...starring Jay Leno on ABC." Then, Leno joked, "It's like a headline from the future!"

Watch:

Leno's future has been widely speculated about since Jeff Zucker announced Conan O'Brien would take over the "Tonight Show" in 2009 (Jimmy Fallon was recently named O'Brien's successor). Both Fox and ABC are potential next steps for Leno, as is Sony Pictures Television (a February article revealed that all three outlets were courting him). But Finke speculates that ABC makes the most sense for the next phase of Leno's career:

Look, I've always thought that Leno and ABC were a logical fit when he leaves NBC (notice I don't say if he leaves NBC) next year. Yes, Fox gets more ink as his possible next home. But ABC doesn't seem to want edgy programming, so Leno's exaggerated mainstream appeal makes sense for the network -- even if his advanced age doesn't. Here's the problem with both Fox and ABC for Jay: he wants to go head to head with Conan and Letterman. So Nightline would be history.

Back in 2002, Disney's Bob Iger was ready to jettison the late night news show in a heartbeat if he could lure David Letterman away from CBS. It almost happened -- that is, until word leaked out that Disney was axing ABC's best news program starring its best news anchor Ted Koppel. There was a shitstorm of protest.

Then, in 2004, Iger sought again to steal a late night host -- this time, Conan. That was when Zucker, in order to keep O'Brien at NBC, promised to make Conan host of The Tonight Show in 2009 -- thus explaining the origins of Leno's non-stop animosity towards the pint-sized Big Media prez/CEO. Given that Leno is still the late night ratings leader, Iger is circling, along with Fox and Sony television. After all, Koppel's gone, and Nightline is an afterthought.

Comments

[ReasonableBill]

Well for sure I will never watch Conan O'Brien. He has never impressed me.

[peacebro]

"..he wants to go head to head with Conan and Letterman. So Nightline would be history. "

I would choose him over the others and with a gazillion other news shows never watch Nightline anyway.

[macbabe]

ditto...
Conan's too goofy for me, love you J, don't go away, the world still needs you!

[ReelBusy]

Even if Jay doesn't take his full audience with him to a new ABC show the ABC network's nationwide coverage is such that Jay's new show would dilute the audience numbers for both Conan's Tonight Show and Dave's Late Show bigtime.

Nobody's growing new viewers for these shows.
If the networks add more shows at 11:30, they have to cannibalize each other.
And Colbert and all the cable guys now too.

Second, if Conan doesn't stay number one in the ratings Tonight Show ad dollars go down big time.

Third, there are a lot of paths to losing "wheelbarrows full of money" for NBC since they can't really win here, they can only break even. They are already number one ratings-wise and making the most money. For them a it's a "win" (read as "stay even") only if Conan keeps the show number one and and only if Fallon doesn't tank his show at 12:30 to Ferguson or Kimmel.

That's a hard parlay to hit just to keep the status quo.

Conversely ABC has nothing to lose by throwing a bunch of money at Jay and pushing Kimmel a half hour to compete for the younger viewers at 12:30 (where Kimmel should be anyway). Jay could even own his show at ABC like Dave does and Johnny Carson did.

Everybody wins......except NBC.

[pie8ter]

Sorry Fallon is a tool. I can't believe NBC actually gave him the late night gig.

[ReelBusy]

I agree.
I hope my lack of faith in Fallon and his ability to succeed came across in the post.

[laksa]

Expect rating to drop like a ton of brick after Leno. I do not watch the others.

[zvirklee]

Who are you? Robert Mugabe?

[screenname2]

I still miss Jack Paar.

[peacebro]

me, Steve Allen....shmock, shmock!

[ReelBusy]

It's still all about Carson, Johnny that is.

[We]

With the astonishing amount of money he no doubt has in the bank, I don't understand why he doesn't do something else. I'm sure he gives a lot to charity, but committing for example to 12 months in the field with Doctors Without Borders would blow his mind. At this stage of his life, apply his brain and wallet to resolve genuine apparently inextricable problems.

[Schnitzel]

As I understand it Leno is a card carrying conservative with 2 passions: his car collection and large sums of money. I seriously doubt he would be caught dead hosting a fund-raiser for Doctors Without Borders, let alone touring around in the jungles of Peru with Patch Adams.

[editorjuno]

He's also a well-known workaholic who's no doubt taken some offense at his impending replacement by O'Brien -- I wouldn't be surprised if he just wants to stick it to his NBC bosses, something that charity work wouldn't accomplish..

[We]

Check out what Doctors Without Borders accomplished with "Plumpynut" for example - wow:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/19/60minutes/main3386661.shtml

After time off, Jay could always return to tv - I'm sure he'd be more evolved: much less inane, more adult-like.

[neesy08]

I've always watched the TS since Carson retire. I enjoy the opening diaglogue and his headliners. I missed it last night. I only watch the guest if there is somebody I like

[bini99]

I watch Jay almost every night-I find him charming, Letterman is the same as Conan-more interested in themselves than the guest. They're both snide-can't get through an interview without being snarky.
As soon as Jay is over (and if I'm still awake) I watch Craig Ferguson-he's so much better than Conan ever could be, as far as I'm concerned, he should replace Letterman now.
Let's all be real now-the best interviewer was Tom Snyder-may he rest in peace. Just him and a guest for an hour, it was bliss.

[indypete]

Tom and his guest and his eyebrows!

[Stranahan]

These comment threads always come down to people talking about who they like. Everyone discussed - Leno, Letterman, Conan, Kimmel, Ferguson, everyone - all very talented and hardworking people.

There's a reality of numbers, though. Leno is beating Letterman by a widening margin. Ferguson recently passed Conan. If Conan goes to the Tonight Show slot and Leno goes to ABC, Conan and Letterman will split their audience...and Leno will beat them both by even more. Additionally, with both Conan and Jay in L.A. - Jay will get the A list celebrities because he'll have the numbers and booker in L.A. with long relationships. But mainly - because of the numbers.

[JennyJay]

Conan's demographic actually is - - 13 year old boys. His show has all the adult sophistication of
a freaking inner tube. I hope Leno goes to ABC, he does the BEST MONOLOG of anybody. Time for him to go some place where he is appreciated.

[valleygent]

AND WHO CARES...THIS GUY IS BAD...JUST PLAIN BAD. GIVE ME JOHNNY CARSON ANY DAY.

[Schnitzel]

I've never thought that Jay Leno is funny. If you ask me he never should've even been considered qualified for the job when Carson left. His jokes are corny, campy and bland at best; and his questions during interviews are insipid, This guy is still telling the same tired Bill Clinton jokes he was telling in 1998 for crying out loud. I can't understand what people see in him. If ABC want to waste air time on him I guess that's their call it's not like they have anything else on in that time slot worth watching - but Leno really wouldn't be an improvement - I'll stick with Stewart and Colbert.

[BubbaC33]

There are two types of latenight TV viewers. The witty, intelliegent viewers. And then there are Leno fans. Letterman rules.

[FirstShirt]

Whoever chose O'Brien to replace Leno should be fired. When that goofball takes over the tonight show willbe history.

[MisterCole]

Conan is great but I fear his show will go the direction of Letterman's post-NBC years. The Letterman of NBC was inventive unpredictable relaxed and always funny. Once he jumped ship to a huge theater, he stopped wearing sneakers, throwing the chat over to Paul after a monolgue and the show became a loud stale circus with boring big name guests. Conan should just keep the show in New York. The shows he had during the writers strike were some of the funniest I've seen and oddly enough channeled the spirit of Letterman's NBC days.

I always preferred the Jay Leno I'd see as a guest on other shows. His appearances on the NBC Letterman show were always a highlight of the week. He'd come out with a sandwich in hand and spout off on daily annoyances and stupidity. His Tonight Show has always failed with its comedy skits, too broad and clumsily executed but segments like headlines or product inventions where Leno sets up each one seem much better at catering to Leno's talents.

I hope ABC does jettison the now useless Koppel-less Nightline and gives Leno the freedom to do something that is his own and better suits his talents without the cookie-cutter format of the late night talk shows. It would be nice to someone get away from the band-desk-sofa cliche that has been with talk shows for decades. Whether Leno is willing to try that remains to be seen