The Jay Leno Show Review
Leno’s New Show Too Similar to Tonight Show
Sep 16, 2009 Joanna Castle Miller
Jay Leno walked out on stage almost exactly the same way as he has for the last 17 years, only this time he walked through double glass doors. The rest of his primetime show The Jay Leno Show, which premiered on Monday, September 14, occurred in quite the same way—too close to his Tonight Show for comfort.
The Jay Leno Show Premiere Falls Short of Tonight Show Efforts
Leno had guests, but he had no desk. He had a monologue, but before he told his jokes a crowd mobbed him for handshakes, then returned, in perfectly orchestrated fashion, to their seats. He had a mural of the city behind him, but because of the set’s poor lighting it looked more like a reversion back to Arsenio Hall than the new, exciting endeavor that NBC has been advertising.
His interview with Jerry Seinfeld brought up some of the tension and confusion at NBC caused by Leno’s switch over to primetime. His perceived monopoly over the time slot has been a matter of controversy at the network and in the industry as a whole. But real-life controversies do not make good comedy. The addition of Oprah to the interview would have helped, had the bit been funny. Instead her entrance caused awkwardness and even some dead seconds on the air.
Leno’s Tonight Show “Headlines” segment did make a reappearance, but because it came at the end of the show it was rushed and felt like anticlimax.
Kanye West Interview Saves Leno Premiere
The highlight of the evening was Kanye West, who because of his very timely errors at the Video Music Awards had been propelled to the top of celebrity news on the eve of his Leno appearance. According to Leno, West requested a chance to talk on the air before he performed with Jay-Z and Rihanna. The brief interview was undoubtedly great promotion for both West and Leno.
After Jay asked West what his mother would think of his recent behavior, his guest became silent, then very emotional. Jay put his hand on West’s knee, acting more like his daytime TV guest Oprah than his comedic guest Seinfeld. West then joined his peers, and together the three artists gave a strong musical performance.
If Leno’s new show can elicit similar moments in the future, he might be able to separate himself from late night television and stand alone as a quality talk show among his primetime competition. Some NBC viewers might miss the comedy or drama pieces that Leno’s show replaces, but they probably do not expect that The Jay Leno Show could provide both comedy and drama – in a newsworthy way.
Leno’s New Show – Quality Might Not Matter
Because of their lower quality, The Jay Leno Show's similarities to Leno’s old Tonight Show cause his new work to look less like a primetime-worthy hour, and more like a desperate attempt by NBC to combat the loss of older fans that have tuned out the younger Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, which took over from Leno and premiered in June. The generation of Leno fans are an important demographic, and as they start to go to bed earlier, so must Leno, to whom they are loyal.
That loyalty, which made Leno the most popular man on late night television, might allow him generous breathing room as his new show hits the ground. Last night’s premiere received 34% higher ratings than Conan O’Brien’s Tonight Show premiere in June. Time will only tell if such ratings can last, and time is what Leno has – an hour per night in primetime, to be exact.
The Jay Leno Show airs weeknights at 10/9c on NBC.
NBC Premieres The Jay Leno Show
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