Late Night: Fire Them All
When I was growing up and afterward, late night comedy meant The Tonight Show, starring Johnny Carson. His only competition (albeit minor) was Dick Cavett.
When Carson retired, NBC had to choose between Jay Leno and David Letterman. It chose Leno, and Letterman went to CBS. Both have been hugely successful, though Leno has almost always beaten Letterman in the ratings.
When NBC moved Leno to 10:00 p.m. and Conan O’Brien to The Tonight Show, stupidity became disaster. Leno hasn’t done well in the 10:00 slot, and ratings of The Tonight Show have slipped with Conan’s Letterman-like comedy.
When NBC began backpedaling, all hell broke loose. (Click here and here.) It’s axiomatic that one network can’t accommodate two big time comedians in roughly the same time slot. So, Conan and Leno take shots at each other. Letterman, still chapped about losing out to Leno years ago, takes shots at Leno. Leno returns fire. Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart, and other later night comics join the fray. It’s all pretty funny, except to NBC.
Here’s the solution. Fire them all. Letterman should have already been fired for his Tiger-like dalliances with young female interns. Leno and O’Brien have engaged in conduct harmful to their employer. Wipe the slate clean, and then let American Idol decide.
Letterman, Leno and Conan can try out, together with Stewart, Kimmel, and a lot of funnier unknowns. Idol can pick one to finally replace Carson, sans competition — or pick one for each network.
The timing is perfect. Simon Cowell has announced this is his last season on Idol. He decides to be a contestant in the search for the new late night comedy king. He wins. Late night comedy will transition into Don Rickles with an English accent, whose routine is mean, but unlike Rickles’, makes sense.
It’ll fit nicely with the dark mood now enveloping America.
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About Chris Parker
Chris Parker's practice focuses on the representation and counseling of companies in matters pertaining to the workplace and the protection of their intellectual property and trade secrets. In addition to serving as an advocate for clients, Mr. Parker is also trained as a mediator and frequently serves as a third-party neutral.
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While serving in an Of Counsel relationship with the firm, Mr. Bridgesmith also serves as the Executive Director at the Institute for Conflict Resolution at Lipscomb University and as an officer and principal in Strategic Resolutions Group, LLC. In these roles, Mr. Bridgesmith brings over 30 years of legal experience in dispute resolution and innovative workplace strategies to clients, students and business entities alike.
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Carol K
ckuna@raaonline.com | 65.123.149.130
No one, but no one, will ever be able to replace Johnny. I would like someone to at least try, though. Our existing choices of late night comics is anemic, at best. Me? I choose sleep rather than mediocrity!
From Late Night: Fire Them All, 2010/02/18 at 8:53 AM