I was in the midst of writing a commentary on how NBC needs to fire its current group of programming idiots and hire a new bunch of idiots, when the big news came in … Conan O’Brien will not do The Tonight Show at the new 12:05 a.m. slot and wants out of his contract. And that got me thinking about NBC’s situation right now, both internally and in the eyes of other networks and the public. When the pondering finally stopped I came up with the following: NBC is royally screwed.
I mean screwed like the ladies at the Bunny Ranch. It’s so bad over there that it makes the Fred Silverman-Supertrain-Pink Lady and Jeff era of NBC look like intelligent, thought-provoking programming. It’s a train wreck that doesn’t look like it’s going to improve any time soon. Let’s take a look at some of the stuff going on at the once-proud peacock.
Like I said: screwed. I don’t know how NBC and its programming dunderheads are going to talk their way out of this one. Honestly, I don’t think talk is going to work this time. If Jay does move back to the Tonight Show and Conan leaves, there is going to be some very bad blood out there, with the Tonight Show feeling its effects as ratings probably take a tumble. And if they can’t get some decent replacement programming on at 10:00 p.m., viewers will leave even faster than they left when The Jay Leno Show premiered. At that point it won’t matter if Jennifer Aniston hosts the Tonight Show naked — no one will tune in.
It doesn’t look very good for NBC right now. If there was ever an example of a major broadcast network imploding, it would be this. Here’s hoping they can fix it all before it becomes too late to do anything. Which, when you think about it, may be right after the Olympics.
Clacked by Richard Keller 
on Jan 13, 2010 @ 10:00 EST5EDT
I completely disagree.
I would tune in to see Jennifer Annistion host The Tonight Show naked.
I think Leno needs to read the statement Conan made and realize he shouldn’t agree to NBC’s stupid ideas. He should go and do a car show somewhere. But I doubt he gives 2 shits about Tonight Show tradition or Conan and Fallon. All he does on his show is “HEY IM FIRED!” jokes when everyone knows he isn’t fired. As for whatever happens Comcast needs to put some new people in charge of NBC because the Bush Administration could make better decisions than these morons.
Whoever leaves NBC be it Leno or Conan (its going to be Conan) all there is to say to them is welcome to FOX.
“Hello, I’m Stone Phillips, and this is Dateline”. Times 5. Problem solved, from the NBC idiot executives’ perspectives. Maybe they can go Catch more Predators. Plus, can’t they just round up another bunch of overweight people desperate for publicity and launch “The Second Biggest Loser”? Or find some D-list celebrities for a dance competition.
Meanwhile, “Burn Notice”, “White Collar”, “Psych”, “In Plain Sight”, “Men of a Certain Age”, “Damages”, and other shows continue to thrive on basic cable.
Fox doesn’t want Leno, ABC wanted Leno, Fox wants Conan.
If you don’t watch Craig Ferguson you should, his show is just about how much NBC sucks. “They are lying rat ass bastards!”
What I find really funny is what happens when Leno really retires for good, he isn’t young and doesn’t need the money. Does anyone really think that Jimmy Fallon will get it? NBC is screwed and it’s their own damn fault.
However filling 5 hours of TV time is quite easy, the probably is that NBC is so cheap what will most likely get is garbage… oh yeah it’s NBC everything they have is garbage.
I wonder how Comcast feels about the whole buying NBC thing now? But they have plenty of people I’d bet would be willing to step into The Tonight Show even if it becomes Not Quite the Tonight Show at 12:05 – any Kardashian or Girl Next Door would kill any of their relatives or housemates (watch out Hef) to take over that gig.
How about Chelsea Handler or any of the very funny comics from her round table? Any of those comedians are miles funnier than Conan, IMHO, so maybe I’d actually tune in to whatever the show morphs into.
And NBC has already canceled and uncanceled “Trauma” so maybe they could do the same with “Medium” and “Southland”…whoops.
If only Life had gotten the same chance. Well, Charlie Crews was quite the poster child for patient, poetic vengeance, so the current brouhaha is quite appropriate.
Sadly, with the removal of the comedy portions, Carson Daly’s show is actually quite watchable, and often features athletes, musicians, and other performers you would never see on the other late night shows. I will actually miss that one.
As to the rumored Olympics losses, Conan was just relishing in reporting the story, not making it up.
In spite of the rumor that Comcast has not had a hand in these decisions, I’d be willing to guess they are the instigators. I don’t think anyone thought, really, that Conan was a good choice as a host for a channel that skews toward the elderly. They should have left well. Enough alone and concentrated on actual programming rather than trying to stop the dam with Jay Leno’s head.
I look forward to the possibilities of Day One, but that’s all I watch on NBC.
Day One has pretty much been canceled. It was supposed to have 13 episodes, then become a 4 hour “miniseries” and now it’s only 2 hours.
If the movie does well in the ratings, it could still go to series. And at this point, it probably stands a good chance since NBC has nothing else.
Agreed, re: Day One… And now that NBC will have 5 new timeslots I think Day One has as good a chance as ever. Hope to see it soon, anyone know when it’s airing?