Conan O'Brien isn't the king of late night after all.

NBC issued a news release calling O'Brien "the new king of late night" after O'Brien's Tonight Show, in its first week, beat The Late Show with David Letterman in ratings.

Since then, Letterman has bounced back. NBC's head of late night, Rick Ludwin, said Wednesday at the Television Critics Association fall TV tour that the news release was "premature."

"There were those who predicted that Conan was not going to be broad-based enough to work at 11:30, and we were so thrilled with the numbers for the first week that far exceeded our expectations, that we used that phrase in that headline, and that was premature," Ludwin said.


http://www.tvguide.com/News/NBC-Regrets-Calling-1008702.aspx

I wouldn't call either of them the "King of Late Night" to be honest. Jay was the true "king", if you can call him that.

Conan's my favorite of the late night hosts. But no, NBC shouldn't have called him that after just one week. They jumped the gun a bit.

In my opinion King of Late Night goes:
1. Johnny Carson - I didn't watch him much, but the guy was a legend. All the late night hosts want to be like Johnny. I know Letterman loved him (based on what I've read).
2. David Letterman - I watched his NBC show a little bit as a kid. That was like the cool late night show to watch. My household was always a Letterman over Leno household.
3. Conan O'Brien - Okay ratings aren't as high as Leno, but then again, Conan has seemed to me to have a cult following. You can't put a cult show on in place of a mainstream show and expect higher ratings. But yeah, Conan's great.

I won't even place Leno in this list. Can't stand the man.

Conan's my favorite of the late night hosts. But no, NBC shouldn't have called him that after just one week. They jumped the gun a bit.

In my opinion King of Late Night goes:
1. Johnny Carson - I didn't watch him much, but the guy was a legend. All the late night hosts want to be like Johnny. I know Letterman loved him (based on what I've read).
2. David Letterman - I watched his NBC show a little bit as a kid. That was like the cool late night show to watch. My household was always a Letterman over Leno household.
3. Conan O'Brien - Okay ratings aren't as high as Leno, but then again, Conan has seemed to me to have a cult following. You can't put a cult show on in place of a mainstream show and expect higher ratings. But yeah, Conan's great.

I won't even place Leno in this list. Can't stand the man.



Don't go making excuses for Conan's latenight failure now, just accept the fact that he is not on Jay's Level and that's it

Don't go making excuses for Conan's latenight failure now, just accept the fact that he is not on Jay's Level and that's it

Ratings wise, no Conan is not on Jay's level. But Conan is not a failure. He came to Late Night back in 1993, was successful and NBC promoted him, giving him The Tonight Show. He's doing a great job with it too.

Conan has a passionate fan base (of which I'm part of).

Besides, it took Leno a few years to beat David Letterman. So it'll take some time for some non-Conan fans to come around (obviously not all of them will). Of course either way, whether Conan does better or Letterman does better, I'm just glad Jay Leno is no longer on The Tonight Show. That show was too special a show to have Jay Leno as the host. I'm just sorry it took 17 years before NBC realized that.

People may have made a routine of watching the Leno, and I know the old people love him, and they'll still get to see him in the fall. At an earlier time slot, too.

Finally, it's between the two late night hosts that I love!

I'm sorry, but after more than 2 months as host, Conan is as close to a failure in latenight as you can get, on many levels. For one, Conan is down from Leno in every single way possible. He only averaged 2.5 million viewers last week, compared to the 5 million Leno averaged. He had a 1.0 demo, which was .1 ahead of Nightline and .2 ahead of Letterman, yet that's down from the 1.5-1.8 Leno averaged on a weekly basis.

Like him or not, Conan really needs to start stepping up his game. I mean come on, 2.5 million viewers? NBC used to rule latenight with 5 million+, and this is all Conan can pull? I watched his show I think last Friday, and I found the whole monologue nothing short of terrible. Conan isnt used to rushing the monologue, and it clearly shows. He isn't funny and his delivery is just off. Conan was okay in late late night, but he just isn't cut for 11:35. NBC didn't want to bring his "cult" audience over to 11:35. They wanted him to garner a broader audience, younger audience. Instead, he lost half of Leno's audience and ruined The Tonight Show for many latenight viewers.

I'm sorry, but after more than 2 months as host, Conan is as close to a failure in latenight as you can get, on many levels. For one, Conan is down from Leno in every single way possible. He only averaged 2.5 million viewers last week, compared to the 5 million Leno averaged. He had a 1.0 demo, which was .1 ahead of Nightline and .2 ahead of Letterman, yet that's down from the 1.5-1.8 Leno averaged on a weekly basis.

Like him or not, Conan really needs to start stepping up his game. I mean come on, 2.5 million viewers? NBC used to rule latenight with 5 million+, and this is all Conan can pull? I watched his show I think last Friday, and I found the whole monologue nothing short of terrible. Conan isnt used to rushing the monologue, and it clearly shows. He isn't funny and his delivery is just off. Conan was okay in late late night, but he just isn't cut for 11:35. NBC didn't want to bring his "cult" audience over to 11:35. They wanted him to garner a broader audience, younger audience. Instead, he lost half of Leno's audience and ruined The Tonight Show for many latenight viewers.


Post of the Day-LOL My TV defintely is not on NBC at 11:35pm anymore

Post of the Day-LOL My TV defintely is not on NBC at 11:35pm anymore

Same. I've found mself tuning into Kimmel lately as well as Dave and Jimmy. Conan not so much, which says a lot, cause I loved him on Late Night, but think he has ruined the Tonight show. He needs to seriously fire his writing staff A-SAP!

Is La Bamba still with Conan? I loved him--he was a great character.

Is La Bamba still with Conan? I loved him--he was a great character.

Yeah, he's still there. La Bamba's great. :)

I'm sorry, but after more than 2 months as host, Conan is as close to a failure in latenight as you can get, on many levels. For one, Conan is down from Leno in every single way possible. He only averaged 2.5 million viewers last week, compared to the 5 million Leno averaged. He had a 1.0 demo, which was .1 ahead of Nightline and .2 ahead of Letterman, yet that's down from the 1.5-1.8 Leno averaged on a weekly basis.

All I know is Conan makes me laugh. If I'm in a bad mood, I watch his show and I feel better. Leno NEVER did that. Instead, I reacted to Leno like much of you react to Conan. And I give you credit for at least watching Conan and deciding you don't like him. I'm sure plenty of people didn't give him a chance at all.

I wonder, does anyone know what kind of ratings he got during Late Night as compared to now? I mean has he lost or gained viewers from the move?

Conan's my favorite of the late night hosts. But no, NBC shouldn't have called him that after just one week. They jumped the gun a bit.

In my opinion King of Late Night goes:
1. Johnny Carson - I didn't watch him much, but the guy was a legend. All the late night hosts want to be like Johnny. I know Letterman loved him (based on what I've read).
2. David Letterman - I watched his NBC show a little bit as a kid. That was like the cool late night show to watch. My household was always a Letterman over Leno household.
3. Conan O'Brien - Okay ratings aren't as high as Leno, but then again, Conan has seemed to me to have a cult following. You can't put a cult show on in place of a mainstream show and expect higher ratings. But yeah, Conan's great.

I won't even place Leno in this list. Can't stand the man.

IMO I think your list is spot on. Though I would put Leno on the list at #4.

I'm sorry, but after more than 2 months as host, Conan is as close to a failure in latenight as you can get, on many levels.

I'm sorry, but 2 months isn't near enough time to build and maintain an audience. It took Leno 2-3 YEARS, not months, YEARS to beat Letterman consistently. It's gonna take at least that long for Conan to do the same. People need to give him a chance.

I wonder, does anyone know what kind of ratings he got during Late Night as compared to now? I mean has he lost or gained viewers from the move?

I think in his last days on Late Night he still got around 1.5 to 2 million. So he did gain a little.

All I know is Conan makes me laugh. If I'm in a bad mood, I watch his show and I feel better. Leno NEVER did that. Instead, I reacted to Leno like much of you react to Conan. And I give you credit for at least watching Conan and deciding you don't like him. I'm sure plenty of people didn't give him a chance at all.

I wonder, does anyone know what kind of ratings he got during Late Night as compared to now? I mean has he lost or gained viewers from the move?

I can't believe I missed this post, lol. I mean, I know where you're coming from. Conan was okay for me in latenight, but he's obviously much better suited for latenight. I watched his first 3 shows and that one a few weeks back, and I just have to say it isn't my cup of tea.

He was right on par with Ferguson in latenight, so that would be around 1.8-2 million, not sure of the demo. So, his audience is slightly bigger now. It'll definitely be interesting to see if ratings can go up any once Jay is back.

IMO I think your list is spot on. Though I would put Leno on the list at #4.



I'm sorry, but 2 months isn't near enough time to build and maintain an audience. It took Leno 2-3 YEARS, not months, YEARS to beat Letterman consistently. It's gonna take at least that long for Conan to do the same. People need to give him a chance.



I think in his last days on Late Night he still got around 1.5 to 2 million. So he did gain a little.

I understand that argument that Conan needs more time, but he's had 17 years in latenight, isn't that enough? Leno was brand new, except for his few gigs as guest host years earlier. I mean, the proof came I think 2 weeks ago when Letterman was in repeats and still beat Conan in total viewers. People had the chance to try out Conan again, but instead they opted to stick with Letterman repeats. I think that says a lot.

I think at the end of the day, Conan is just always going to have that cult audience watching The Tonight Show, and whether that's good enough shall be seen.

Yeah, he's still there. La Bamba's great. :)
I've always liked La Bamba myself. He's a character. :lol:

Post of the Day-LOL My TV defintely is not on NBC at 11:35pm anymore
Ditto - things were just fine the way they were. Leave it to NBC to fix something that wasn't broken. :rolleyes: :mad:

Ditto - things were just fine the way they were. Leave it to NBC to fix something that wasn't broken. :rolleyes: :mad:
:yeahthat

:yeahthat
And they wonder why they're in 4th place! ohno: :rolleyes:

Ditto - things were just fine the way they were. Leave it to NBC to fix something that wasn't broken. :rolleyes: :mad:

That I'll agree with. Only NBC can go from first place to last place in the matter of months :crazy:

That I'll agree with. Only NBC can go from first place to last place in the matter of months :crazy:
They've earned 4th place, that's for sure!!

IMO I think your list is spot on. Though I would put Leno on the list at #4.

You're right. Leno should be #4 on the list. I honestly can't think of anyone better. Let's see there's Craig Ferguson, who's slightly ammusing. There's Jimmy Kimmel, who's okay. There was Craig Kilborn a few years back. I never cared for him. Carson Daly is probably the worst of the late night talk show hosts.

I've been too hard on Leno. I still don't find him funny, but I should give him the credit that he's due. He got good ratings. However, he's still number 4 on my list.

My TV defintely is not on NBC at 11:35pm anymore

That's okay, because now my TV is on NBC at 11:35pm. :)

I admit I'm only home twice a week at that time, but my older sister watches Conan every night.

As a car guy/petrolhead, I have all the nice feelings in the world for Jay Leno. I'd leap tall buildings in a single bound to get one day to toy around in his collection of cars.

As a late night host, though? Not a fan. Leno's stuff has always been a bit too "vanilla" for my tastes, aside from bits like Headlines and Jaywalking. For my money, the most entertaining host in Late Night? Craig Ferguson, hands down. His monologues are the best in late night television in two decades, easily, bar none.

As a car guy/petrolhead, I have all the nice feelings in the world for Jay Leno. I'd leap tall buildings in a single bound to get one day to toy around in his collection of cars.

As a late night host, though? Not a fan. Leno's stuff has always been a bit too "vanilla" for my tastes, aside from bits like Headlines and Jaywalking. For my money, the most entertaining host in Late Night? Craig Ferguson, hands down. His monologues are the best in late night television in two decades, easily, bar none.

I've become a big Craig Ferguson fan in the last 2 years, to be honest. I find some of his stuff hilarious. His monologues have really become must-see tv for me lately.

i was excited about conan taking over the tonight show but the shows ive seen are flat and boring im even starting to miss jay and i never thought i would say that

i was excited about conan taking over the tonight show but the shows ive seen are flat and boring im even starting to miss jay and i never thought i would say that

I know what you mean, that's the exact impression I got when I watched. Conan on The Tonight Show is just not up to par with Conan on Late Night.

I've become a big Craig Ferguson fan in the last 2 years, to be honest. I find some of his stuff hilarious. His monologues have really become must-see tv for me lately.
I'm not a late night fan but from what I've seen Craig Ferguson is the best.

I know what you mean, that's the exact impression I got when I watched. Conan on The Tonight Show is just not up to par with Conan on Late Night.
I think we all knew that was going to happen. He was so much wackier in NY in his later time slot and could get away with more.

another thing i thought of is that lorne michaels was exc. producer on the old show and even though he didint oversee every ep im sure that when somthing was falling flat in rehersal for the old show he helped out and showed everyone how to make it better they dont have him to turn too anymore

When Johnny Carson retired he was the last king of late night TV. These characters now are mere paupers.

Conan has seemed to me to have a cult following. You can't put a cult show on in place of a mainstream show and expect higher ratings. But yeah, Conan's great.

Conan isn't mainstream enough for The Tonight Show. I think he's enormously talented, but he's a bad fit for that show. I know I'm way behind on this, but why did Leno leave in the first place?

Conan isn't mainstream enough for The Tonight Show. I think he's enormously talented, but he's a bad fit for that show. I know I'm way behind on this, but why did Leno leave in the first place?
What happened was that Conan was nearing the end of his contract and NBC was worried he would leave for another network. So they offered him the Tonight Show to keep him in the fold. The result is that they needed to remove the existing host to make room for Conan. That's how Jay ended up with the 10 o'clock timeslot. It's all because NBC was afraid of losing Conan to another network.

What happened was that Conan was nearing the end of his contract and NBC was worried he would leave for another network. So they offered him the Tonight Show to keep him in the fold. The result is that they needed to remove the existing host to make room for Conan. That's how Jay ended up with the 10 o'clock timeslot. It's all because NBC was afraid of losing Conan to another network.
and the reason Jay has a 10:00 show is that NBC was afraid of losing him to another network. :lol:

and the reason Jay has a 10:00 show is that NBC was afraid of losing him to another network. :lol:
Yeah, it was kind of a chain reaction! :lol:

Conan isn't mainstream enough for The Tonight Show. I think he's enormously talented, but he's a bad fit for that show. I know I'm way behind on this, but why did Leno leave in the first place?
I agree.

What happened was that Conan was nearing the end of his contract and NBC was worried he would leave for another network. So they offered him the Tonight Show to keep him in the fold. The result is that they needed to remove the existing host to make room for Conan. That's how Jay ended up with the 10 o'clock timeslot. It's all because NBC was afraid of losing Conan to another network.

Conan's audience is very niche that losing him shouldn't have been so important. I agree with you, Janice, that Conan is not the right fit for The Tonight Show at all. I'd hate to see what happens if Jay isn't cutting it at 10pm.

Conan's audience is very niche that losing him shouldn't have been so important. I agree with you, Janice, that Conan is not the right fit for The Tonight Show at all. I'd hate to see what happens if Jay isn't cutting it at 10pm.
NBC is so far down that even if Jay ends up in last place most nights, he'll still probably be NBC's biggest hit. :lol:

Conan's audience is very niche that losing him shouldn't have been so important. I agree with you, Janice, that Conan is not the right fit for The Tonight Show at all. I'd hate to see what happens if Jay isn't cutting it at 10pm.
They may have to resort to using test patterns at that point!! :eek: :lol:

They may have to resort to using test patterns at that point!! :eek: :lol:
Bring back Uncle Miltie!!

They may have to resort to using test patterns at that point!! :eek: :lol:

:rofl: I'm sure the NBC audiences wouldn't even know the difference, lol.

NBC is so far down that even if Jay ends up in last place most nights, he'll still probably be NBC's biggest hit. :lol:

Jay could end up being a big moneymaker for NBC in primetime. Even if he's averaging his old 5 million most nights, which seems very likely, NBC will consider it a hit. But who knows - Leno could end up being the hit of the fall. Comedy at 10pm is something we need.

:rofl: I'm sure the NBC audiences wouldn't even know the difference, lol.
I don't think NBC EXECUTIVES would know the difference. :eek: :lol:

NBC's last resort:

NBC's last resort:
NBC is living up to their new motto: If you can't be good, be colorful!

NBC's last resort:

Hey look, it's Heroes! :lol: Sad truth is, NBC execs, like their viewers, probably wouldn't know the difference.

Hey look, it's Heroes! :lol: Sad truth is, NBC execs, like their viewers, probably wouldn't know the difference.
NBC still has viewers?? :eek2: :lol:

NBC still has viewers?? :eek2: :lol:
Chuck and SVU are the only NBC shows I watch and NBC treats Chuck like crap. :ohno:

I've been watching Conan Almost every night since July, and i've been loveing him. I think he is great at this job for the tonight show. When i first heard that NBC was giveing it to him i was a little Nervious that he wasn't going to do a good job at it because i nevar heard anything good about him. But after i started watching it, i tough he was great at it and much better than David Letterman. The Only Part About HIs Show That i LIke is The Top 10 COuntdown. That's It. But with conan i love his introduction, his skits that he puts on (LIKE TWITTER TRACKER OR IN THE YEAR 3000) and he always had something to fill his time up with. And They have been bigger failors at late night. Chevy Chase. That's all i have to say.

I've been watching Conan Almost every night since July, and i've been loveing him. I think he is great at this job for the tonight show. When i first heard that NBC was giveing it to him i was a little Nervious that he wasn't going to do a good job at it because i nevar heard anything good about him. But after i started watching it, i tough he was great at it and much better than David Letterman. The Only Part About HIs Show That i LIke is The Top 10 COuntdown. That's It. But with conan i love his introduction, his skits that he puts on (LIKE TWITTER TRACKER OR IN THE YEAR 3000) and he always had something to fill his time up with. And They have been bigger failors at late night. Chevy Chase. That's all i have to say.
Speaking of people who failed in a latenight timeslot don't forget Alan Thicke and Thicke of the Night!

Chuck and SVU are the only NBC shows I watch and NBC treats Chuck like crap. :ohno:

I'm sure Chuck will be back on Mondays in no time - Trauma has failure written all over it.

I'm sure Chuck will be back on Mondays in no time - Trauma has failure written all over it.

Yes, but maybe it would be better to hold off until March if it means a full 13-episode run without any interruptions like the Olympics. And I bet the show would have a better chance at the back-nine if it ran into the summer!