"The Jay Leno Show Stays On Familiar Ground." LA Times & Public Not Found of 1st Show - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Wreckless · 09-15-2009, 09:37 AM

SOURCE

It's not a good sign when the Bud Light commercial is funnier than the comedy show it interrupts.

Sixteen minutes into the new "The Jay Leno Show," it was difficult not to panic. This is the future of television? This wasn't even a good rendition of television past.

Clearly Leno believes that if it ain't broke, don't fix it, and he has been very vocal about the fact that his late-night talk show was not broke. So here it is again, different time slot, busier set and same old jokes. Literally.

Yes, there was a reference to an Obama-held "root beer summit" between Kanye West and Taylor Swift, but there was also a Bush joke, a Cheney joke, a Wal-Mart joke, a Cash for Clunkers joke (getting warmer) and a Joe Biden/Nancy Pelosi joke so dated that Leno had to precede it with "people are still talking about. . . ." All of which made his opening monologue seem like an attempt to cash in on the current vampire fixation -- comedy of the undead.

Cut to a flatly bizarre musical car wash skit -- in which Dan Finnerty tortured some pleasant-looking woman named Meg with his silly and sexually suggestive songs -- and by the time a tuxedoed Jerry Seinfeld (Really, Jerry? Was it a tuxedo event?) appeared through the set's May Co.-esque doors, it was hard not to hope he would simply release the audience with the promise that they would not have to serve for another 12 months.

"I'm just trying to grasp what's going on here," Seinfeld said instead, just as if he could read our minds. "In the '90s, when we quit a show, we actually left."

Who thought we'd feel such nostalgia for the '90s?

For a moment, Seinfeld seemed a breath of fresh air, expressing concern that he was the biggest name Leno could get: "Is your staff aware that I have not been on television for 11 years?" and quipping that he was there to announce his new talk show. Then the star power of Oprah Winfrey appeared like a living fresco via teleprompter and it all went downhill again.

A mock "interview" with President Obama containing an actual Viagra joke ('90s alert!) was followed by a supremely uncomfortable "unplanned" chat with West in which the rap star apologized for "stepping on the emotions" of Taylor Swift, whose acceptance speech he had trampled over at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night.

Attempting, perhaps, to recapture his ratings-rocket Hugh Grant moment, Leno assumed the role of disappointed uncle, gravely asking West what he thought his mother would have to say in light of his actions. After several beats of silence, West said he was going to take some time and "analyze how I'm going to make it through the rest of this life."

Then he got up and rocked the house with Rihanna and Jay-Z. Which, given the smashed-flat-in-the-middle-of-the-road nature of all that had gone before, seemed just plain weird. Rihanna and her orange thigh-highs can work many forms of magic, but save this show? Probably not.

Then it was back to those wacky headlines with school lunch, cabbage boob and Chinese restaurant jokes galore. Because this is Jay and that's what he does. The only thing he does, apparently.

To be fair, it's difficult to imagine a show under more squint-eyed scrutiny than this one. In recent weeks, Leno has been on the cover of as many magazines as Ted Kennedy, often with the same celestial backlighting, and allowed to repeat his already oft-repeated genial amazement that NBC took "The Tonight Show" away from him when he was at the top of his game.

Now, if the media is to be believed, Leno is currently the Most Powerful Man alive, the Mad Scientist of the digital age, capable of ending scripted drama with a single show. (And the week after Larry Gelbart died, which just seems wrong.)

So anything that Leno did Monday night would inevitably be combed through with the frantic intensity of "Lost Symbol" speed-readers.

Which is why this strange, shallow puddle of comedy is so difficult to accept. With all eyes on Leno, this is the best he, and his writers, and the struggling network could come up with? A "Cheaters" parody in which the joke is that he and bandleader Kevin Eubanks are having an affair? Edgy stuff for Jay, perhaps, and brave of any middle-aged man to appear on TV in argyle, but honestly, NBC. Has it come to this?

Yes, "The Jay Leno Show" promises to be better than, say, Rosie O'Donnell's mad flight into variety, but gosh darn it, at least Rosie took some chances. Leno, with the world at his feet, took none at all, unless you count some bawdy word play on the nickname for Richard, which I most emphatically don't.

The best we can hope for is that "The Jay Leno Show" will get better, much better, or at least provide good fodder for Conan.

mary.mcnamara@latimes.com

Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times

Schmoopie · 09-15-2009, 12:10 PM

I enjoyed the show and if I had any reason to be disappointed, it would be because I'm so used to seeing Jay on The Tonight Show. Essentially it's the exact same show; with him coming out on stage, shaking hands with guests out in front, doing the monologue, etc. However, I really want him to have a desk. It just seemed weird, him in a chair, talking to his guest. I really noticed this with Jerry Seinfeld. That was a hilarious interview, but way too short, IMO. I loved Jerry wearing that tux, saying that he was wearing it because he is the first guest and that bit about him not being on TV for the past 11 years was hysterical! The Oprah thing wasn't that bad; in fact it was pretty short and I loved how she and Jerry were talking back and forth and Jay would try to say something and end up being ignored. That was great. The other skits were okay, but nothing special. The car wash thing was kind of funny but pretty forgettable. I didn't watch the rest of the interviews and ended up watching just the parts I wanted to; exactly the way I did when I watched Jay on the Tonight Show. Maybe he's trying to keep things the same to build up his audience who watched him faithfully on "Tonight". I mean, really it was like watching the same show except with a different set and an earlier time slot. Ironically, though I had recorded it and was watching it at around the same time the Tonight Show would normally be on!!

catlover79 · 09-15-2009, 02:00 PM

I want a longer monologue, more interaction between Jay and Kevin, and more time for Headlines!! I miss the desk, too. What was the point of the car wash thing? Too long and not funny.

70s show watcher · 09-15-2009, 03:10 PM

it was ok but nothing really special jerry was pretty funny though

PunkyP0WER · 09-15-2009, 03:41 PM

i watched it and basically its the tonight show without a desk. the only difference for me is i watch leno before going to work instead of it coming on just as i get to work. i think this will backfire on nbc though. i think loyal leno viewers who have not warmed to conan, will watch leno at 10pm, their late news afterward and then turn off the tv.

JulieSomoski · 09-15-2009, 08:05 PM

Speaking as a viewer rather than a Leno fan, I found no reason to be disappointed with the show. Like Monika said, the monologue and Headlines could have been longer, but I'm sure they were shotened just to fit everything they had into the first show. In coming nights, I'm sure we'll see both get back their full 15/10 minutes of airtime.

I thought it was funny. I enjoyed it. And clearly, viewers did to. It had over 18.5 million and a 5.0 demo, and even better yet, the audience stayed around for the entire show. That says something - since viewers didn't leave in droves throughout the hour, you have to think that they liked what they saw. NBC should be very impressed, and Leno could turn out to be NBC's biggest hit his season.

Marvo301 · 09-15-2009, 08:12 PM

Yeah, I think the reason the monologue and headlines were shorter was to make room for the Kanye West interview which had not originally been planned.

Schmoopie · 09-16-2009, 02:46 AM

This afternoon, my husband and I took my car to be washed and when we were getting ready to go through the carwash, I told my husband "I hope that guy doesn't start singing!" He looked at me like I was nuts!

Wreckless · 09-16-2009, 08:46 AM

They could of taken out the car wash part, but I understand why it was their. I think in the future their will be more monologue.

Wreckless · 09-16-2009, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schmoopie

This afternoon, my husband and I took my car to be washed and when we were getting ready to go through the carwash, I told my husband "I hope that guy doesn't start singing!" He looked at me like I was nuts!

catlover79 · 09-16-2009, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marvo301

Yeah, I think the reason the monologue and headlines were shorter was to make room for the Kanye West interview which had not originally been planned.

Yeah, the monologue was longer tonight. GOOD!!

Wreckless · 09-16-2009, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover79

Yeah, the monologue was longer tonight. GOOD!!

I was out last night, then went to bed. I will watch the ep. on the Jay Leno Show website, but was it a good show last night?

catlover79 · 09-16-2009, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wreckless

I was out last night, then went to bed. I will watch the ep. on the Jay Leno Show website, but was it a good show last night?

I turned it off after the monologue. I didn't want to watch the guests (Michael Moore, Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz).

Wreckless · 09-16-2009, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover79

I turned it off after the monologue. I didn't want to watch the guests (Michael Moore, Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz).

I hope Tom Cruise didn't have another couch scene, while I was gone

. Ok Monika thanks. I'll watch the ep. online.

09-15-2009, 09:37 AM	#1
Wreckless Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Nov 04, 2007 Location: Banned Posts: 9,406	"The Jay Leno Show Stays On Familiar Ground." LA Times & Public Not Found of 1st Show SOURCE It's not a good sign when the Bud Light commercial is funnier than the comedy show it interrupts. Sixteen minutes into the new "The Jay Leno Show," it was difficult not to panic. This is the future of television? This wasn't even a good rendition of television past. Clearly Leno believes that if it ain't broke, don't fix it, and he has been very vocal about the fact that his late-night talk show was not broke. So here it is again, different time slot, busier set and same old jokes. Literally. Yes, there was a reference to an Obama-held "root beer summit" between Kanye West and Taylor Swift, but there was also a Bush joke, a Cheney joke, a Wal-Mart joke, a Cash for Clunkers joke (getting warmer) and a Joe Biden/Nancy Pelosi joke so dated that Leno had to precede it with "people are still talking about. . . ." All of which made his opening monologue seem like an attempt to cash in on the current vampire fixation -- comedy of the undead. Cut to a flatly bizarre musical car wash skit -- in which Dan Finnerty tortured some pleasant-looking woman named Meg with his silly and sexually suggestive songs -- and by the time a tuxedoed Jerry Seinfeld (Really, Jerry? Was it a tuxedo event?) appeared through the set's May Co.-esque doors, it was hard not to hope he would simply release the audience with the promise that they would not have to serve for another 12 months. "I'm just trying to grasp what's going on here," Seinfeld said instead, just as if he could read our minds. "In the '90s, when we quit a show, we actually left." Who thought we'd feel such nostalgia for the '90s? For a moment, Seinfeld seemed a breath of fresh air, expressing concern that he was the biggest name Leno could get: "Is your staff aware that I have not been on television for 11 years?" and quipping that he was there to announce his new talk show. Then the star power of Oprah Winfrey appeared like a living fresco via teleprompter and it all went downhill again. A mock "interview" with President Obama containing an actual Viagra joke ('90s alert!) was followed by a supremely uncomfortable "unplanned" chat with West in which the rap star apologized for "stepping on the emotions" of Taylor Swift, whose acceptance speech he had trampled over at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night. Attempting, perhaps, to recapture his ratings-rocket Hugh Grant moment, Leno assumed the role of disappointed uncle, gravely asking West what he thought his mother would have to say in light of his actions. After several beats of silence, West said he was going to take some time and "analyze how I'm going to make it through the rest of this life." Then he got up and rocked the house with Rihanna and Jay-Z. Which, given the smashed-flat-in-the-middle-of-the-road nature of all that had gone before, seemed just plain weird. Rihanna and her orange thigh-highs can work many forms of magic, but save this show? Probably not. Then it was back to those wacky headlines with school lunch, cabbage boob and Chinese restaurant jokes galore. Because this is Jay and that's what he does. The only thing he does, apparently. To be fair, it's difficult to imagine a show under more squint-eyed scrutiny than this one. In recent weeks, Leno has been on the cover of as many magazines as Ted Kennedy, often with the same celestial backlighting, and allowed to repeat his already oft-repeated genial amazement that NBC took "The Tonight Show" away from him when he was at the top of his game. Now, if the media is to be believed, Leno is currently the Most Powerful Man alive, the Mad Scientist of the digital age, capable of ending scripted drama with a single show. (And the week after Larry Gelbart died, which just seems wrong.) So anything that Leno did Monday night would inevitably be combed through with the frantic intensity of "Lost Symbol" speed-readers. Which is why this strange, shallow puddle of comedy is so difficult to accept. With all eyes on Leno, this is the best he, and his writers, and the struggling network could come up with? A "Cheaters" parody in which the joke is that he and bandleader Kevin Eubanks are having an affair? Edgy stuff for Jay, perhaps, and brave of any middle-aged man to appear on TV in argyle, but honestly, NBC. Has it come to this? Yes, "The Jay Leno Show" promises to be better than, say, Rosie O'Donnell's mad flight into variety, but gosh darn it, at least Rosie took some chances. Leno, with the world at his feet, took none at all, unless you count some bawdy word play on the nickname for Richard, which I most emphatically don't. The best we can hope for is that "The Jay Leno Show" will get better, much better, or at least provide good fodder for Conan. mary.mcnamara@latimes.com Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times

09-15-2009, 12:10 PM	#2
Schmoopie Keep Calm and Love Snoopy Forum Star Join Date: Jul 13, 2008 Location: Lynnwood, Washington Posts: 15,697	I enjoyed the show and if I had any reason to be disappointed, it would be because I'm so used to seeing Jay on The Tonight Show. Essentially it's the exact same show; with him coming out on stage, shaking hands with guests out in front, doing the monologue, etc. However, I really want him to have a desk. It just seemed weird, him in a chair, talking to his guest. I really noticed this with Jerry Seinfeld. That was a hilarious interview, but way too short, IMO. I loved Jerry wearing that tux, saying that he was wearing it because he is the first guest and that bit about him not being on TV for the past 11 years was hysterical! The Oprah thing wasn't that bad; in fact it was pretty short and I loved how she and Jerry were talking back and forth and Jay would try to say something and end up being ignored. That was great. The other skits were okay, but nothing special. The car wash thing was kind of funny but pretty forgettable. I didn't watch the rest of the interviews and ended up watching just the parts I wanted to; exactly the way I did when I watched Jay on the Tonight Show. Maybe he's trying to keep things the same to build up his audience who watched him faithfully on "Tonight". I mean, really it was like watching the same show except with a different set and an earlier time slot. Ironically, though I had recorded it and was watching it at around the same time the Tonight Show would normally be on!!
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09-15-2009, 02:00 PM	#3
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	I want a longer monologue, more interaction between Jay and Kevin, and more time for Headlines!! I miss the desk, too. What was the point of the car wash thing? Too long and not funny.
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09-15-2009, 03:41 PM	#5
PunkyP0WER Member Senior Member Join Date: May 23, 2008 Location: MACY*S on 34th St. Posts: 1,908	i watched it and basically its the tonight show without a desk. the only difference for me is i watch leno before going to work instead of it coming on just as i get to work. i think this will backfire on nbc though. i think loyal leno viewers who have not warmed to conan, will watch leno at 10pm, their late news afterward and then turn off the tv.
	__________________ Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to. - Fred Gailey & Doris Walker It was the movie that no one thought would be a hit It was the sleeper a studio had no idea how to sell And its success was even more miraculous because this Christmas present was opened in June! Fred & Doris Gailey FOREVER! That's the magic of *macys**

09-15-2009, 08:05 PM	#6
JulieSomoski Roseanne Reboot - March 27! Forum Veteran Join Date: Nov 06, 2004 Location: Michigan Posts: 7,558	Speaking as a viewer rather than a Leno fan, I found no reason to be disappointed with the show. Like Monika said, the monologue and Headlines could have been longer, but I'm sure they were shotened just to fit everything they had into the first show. In coming nights, I'm sure we'll see both get back their full 15/10 minutes of airtime. I thought it was funny. I enjoyed it. And clearly, viewers did to. It had over 18.5 million and a 5.0 demo, and even better yet, the audience stayed around for the entire show. That says something - since viewers didn't leave in droves throughout the hour, you have to think that they liked what they saw. NBC should be very impressed, and Leno could turn out to be NBC's biggest hit his season.
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09-15-2009, 03:10 PM	#4
70s show watcher Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: May 20, 2008 Location: between point place and studio 8 h Posts: 4,549	it was ok but nothing really special jerry was pretty funny though

09-15-2009, 08:12 PM	#7
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,453	Yeah, I think the reason the monologue and headlines were shorter was to make room for the Kanye West interview which had not originally been planned.
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09-16-2009, 02:46 AM	#8
Schmoopie Keep Calm and Love Snoopy Forum Star Join Date: Jul 13, 2008 Location: Lynnwood, Washington Posts: 15,697	This afternoon, my husband and I took my car to be washed and when we were getting ready to go through the carwash, I told my husband "I hope that guy doesn't start singing!" He looked at me like I was nuts!

09-16-2009, 08:46 AM	#9
Wreckless Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Nov 04, 2007 Location: Banned Posts: 9,406	They could of taken out the car wash part, but I understand why it was their. I think in the future their will be more monologue.