Movies & TV Discussions

They are saving quite a bit of money. Hour-long dramas are quite expensive to produce and include large casts, complex sets and extensive post-production. Jay Leno was quoted as saying that the typical episode of CSI costs five times as much as one of his 10PM shows.

I've seen Leno's 10PM show a few times and I'll continue to drop in when I have nothing better to do at night. I always enjoy the Jaywalking segments, and I also like the new car racing bit. (At the moment, Drew Barrymore holds the lead. This car racing segment was swiped from a British car show called Top Gear, on which Leno has appeared a couple of times.) I also like the choice of musical acts and some of the combinations are outstanding. Bruce Hornsby and Eric Clapton performing together? Emmylou Harris and Vince Gill? I'm there.

Jay's show will take time to catch on but I think it will, at least enough to make some money for NBC.

--Bob

Bob

Leno should hire you for a publicist, I am actually thinking of checking it out based on your posting.

TaraLee

I have watched it a few times. I love that I can still see my favorite "Jay" segments like Jaywalking, Headlines, and finds at the $.99 store. But I have to tell you - I know it must be hard to crank out new material for that many years- I have known the punchlines to *a lot* of his monologue jokes and when he starts talking about something I play a game with my husband and tell him which stand-by joke he's going to use as the punchline for that story. Maybe the news just hasn't changed all that much. I do have a pretty good memory and it's a fun game, but he is running on "E" a lot of the time.

I don't care for Leno personally.  It's that weird jawline/underbite/whatever. Plus, he needs to speak from the diaphram and not from his nose. 

LOL  ok, that was my 2 centavos :)

Like they say Tara, when women go grey, they look old.  When men go gray, they look "distinguished".

NO FAIR~!  LOL

I personally hate Leno, My husband just loves him. I've watched the new show a few times and think it's okay. I'm still watching Letterman due to this "scandal" lol so sry not that into Leno...he should retire.

I neither like nor dislike Jay Leno.  (How can one have such a visceral emotion as hate for any celebrity - except maybe Roman Polanski - I don't get that at at all)  I've caught his previous show from time to time but I'm either here (online) or reading a book at night so I never became a fan or anything.

However, considering that the ratings haven't been good for the new show, I think the Peacock Network is shooting its tail feathers off and hastening its own demise.

EVEN THOUGH  I WATCH NBC I JUST DON'T LIKE THE NEW JAY LENO SHOW,

HE DOES PRETTY MUCH THE SAME AS HE DID ON THE TONIGHT SHOW BUT

IT'S KIND OF BORING NOW.  HE JUST DOESN'T SEEM AS FUNNY OR IT'S

MAYBE THE FORMAT OF THE SHOW. I JUST DON'T THINK IT FITS LENO.

THE BEST SHOW I HAVE SEEN SO FAR IS THE FIRST ONE WHERE HE HAD KANYE

WEST ON.

Thomasa ~ I'm not a Leno fan either, as I posted above, but I support the ones who are, no problemo ;)  I don't know who Kanye West is, sorry... is he a singer?  I have heard the name before.

Just a tip Thomasa ~ when we type in ALL CAPS, that's considered "yelling" on the internets.  Sometimes I do it and others do it though...welcome to VP :)

I hear that Leno is bringing down the ratings of the late local news in most markets. The count down to the end of this show has begun.

Nancy~ Kanye West is a rapper/singer, he is the one who interrupted the MTV music awards to protest Beyonce not winning an award while the winner was making her acceptance speeche. He is an a#@# IMHO

I don't really like the show, I think its annoying.  He was supposed to be off the air, and he shouldn't have come back.

I don't like the Jay Leno Show. It's just the Tonight Show in two chairs rather than in a couch and a desk format. I don't think Leno is funny, I think he's super cocky, and I hate looking at him. I never watched him on the Tonight Show unless someone I really wanted to see was on there and, despite all the hoopla, I still like David Letterman better as a late night show host. I am not in love with Conan O'Brien but tolerate him better than Leno.

Leno's show has the exact same stuff the Tonight Show had. I don't even know why they bothered switching things around. I certainly do not want to watch him five nights a week. Maybe once a week, I could handle. Five nights? Um no. Blah.

My Mom watched Jay Leno in the beginning. However, his show is in conflicgt with Law and Order and a few other shows in that time slot. I believe this was a bad move by NBC.

ElizabethAnnR said…

My Mom watched Jay Leno in the beginning. However, his show is in conflicgt with Law and Order and a few other shows in that time slot. I believe this was a bad move by NBC.

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The notion of NBC giving over its entire 10 PM time slot means that series that were strong presences before the 11 PM news (such as L&O) have to now compete with shows that are firmly entrenched at eight or nine o'clock (all times here are Eastern), which means lower ratings for some and outright cancellation for others (Southland). 

Clearly, the fact that networks are now investing in the low-cost variety/reality genres and jettisoning scripted dramas and sitcoms speaks volumes not just about how they want to save money and still make a profit, but about how they don't really care about "traditional TV viewers" like me.

I'm not a fan of Jay Leno.  Leno used to have an edge to his comedy but he lost that many years ago.  I just don't find him funny any more so I have no desire to watch him one night a week let alone five.  Plus this is just so obviously a bargain basement kind of way for the network to make money without exerting a lot of effort.

It is such an obviously cheap way to fill air time. Jay was "encouraged" to leave because Conan O'Brien was going to jump ship if he didn't get a better slot.

I wish he had just left on his own instead of now limping along with hackneyed jokes on the way to cancellation. Go out on a high note, instead of NBC shamelessly trying to keep the "Jay demographic." How about develop interesting programming to get NEW viewers? Not cheap.

Fardreamer said…

ElizabethAnnR said…

My Mom watched Jay Leno in the beginning. However, his show is in conflicgt with Law and Order and a few other shows in that time slot. I believe this was a bad move by NBC.

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The notion of NBC giving over its entire 10 PM time slot means that series that were strong presences before the 11 PM news (such as L&O) have to now compete with shows that are firmly entrenched at eight or nine o'clock (all times here are Eastern), which means lower ratings for some and outright cancellation for others (Southland). 

Clearly, the fact that networks are now investing in the low-cost variety/reality genres and jettisoning scripted dramas and sitcoms speaks volumes not just about how they want to save money and still make a profit, but about how they don't really care about "traditional TV viewers" like me.

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Be that as it may be, I am not one of the people who are watching Jay Leno in the 10pm slot. We do, however, get some channels at more than one time due cable TV. NBC is not one of them.

I agree that the networks don't care about "traditional TV viewers" like us. It's all about ratings and $money$.

Thanks for the input.

I'm not an industry insider nor am I even an expert on media affairs, but I have read in TV Guide (which is also becoming a bit too tabloidy as of late) that NBC affiliates are not happy with the new 10 PM programming. Ratings for the 11 PM local news are reportedly low and getting lower because Jay is such a weak lead-in to the late night newscasts.

Alex

I heard the same thing about Jay, on Howard Stern, as an aside Howard hates Jay. But at any rate apparently NBC is beginning to make sounds about focusing on the best programming, and some are assuming that it means that Jay is on the way out.

 Jay Leno was going to end his tenure as Tonight Show host a few years ago.  NBC got him to stay and I presume sweetened the deal by offering him primetime.  Conan continues to make network executive nervous, figuring he would not be able to beat Letterman...

When Leno first replaced Carson I rarely watched him.  I still won't and don't.   If enough people feel he's a comforting, familiar likeable person, they may watch but I suspect he's not interesting, compelling or warm enough to hold onto viewers most nights.   No one is going to watch him to see what happens.. as in he's a roller coaster ride of a personality and must see t.v. to some.

I just today read an interview with Jay where he said he would have preferred to stay at the later time slot if he had the choice.

The article also said that Jay's getting the same amount of viewers now that he used to on the Tonight Show, but apparently that is not good enough because they were hoping he would bring in MORE viewers.

As for me, honestly I am more likely to flip him on now then I was before.  Now if there is nothing on at that time, I tend to turn him on.  Before, I never even considered it because the Simpsons were on at 11 and Family Guy at 11:30 :)

Here is the full interview: http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/366971-Jay_Leno_Talks_Back_An_Exclusive_Interview_With_B_C.php

I never watch his show. I never really liked his cocky persona anyway but could deal with it for a late night show. But FIVE nights a week at 10? No way. Same ole thing - ask people questions and humiliate them when they don't know the answer, make jokes about people in the news, have people on and ask lame questions of them.

There is too much to watch at 10 p.m. for me to even consider watching Leno. I did read that ratings were not what NBC hoped. It's Leno overkill. Once a week is good. Five times a week? Not so good, in my opinion.

I just saw the show for the first time last night.

I thought it was good, but I agree with the other people who posted... five times a week is too much!

Maybe Leno's humor is better appreciated when you're half asleep, which is why it did better at a later hour. (ha)

Don't get me wrong, I think Jay Leno is one of the top comedians (even went to see his stand-up routine). But this show hasn't hit its stride yet. I hope it does before it gets cancelled.

I've never cared for Jay Leno or his show so it doesn't matter to me what time it is on.  That said, I get frustrated when a good show appears and then it is cancelled before it is even given a chance. Last spring, NBC aired Kings. The time slot was horrible and was up against well established popular shows. After four runs they changed it to Saturday night [what were they thinking?] and then pulled it after one evening. They aired the remaining episodes during the summer.

Although the shows competed with other shows we watched we never failed to catch up with the episodes on Primetime on Demand. It was fast becoming a family favorite that generated conversation between us and our adult children scattered across the states. It disapperaed before it had a chance.

Maybe they could bring Kings back and put it in one of the 10pm time slots. I'd watch the series again.

I agree Meri, it is like that with Dollhouse.  I love that show but they decided to take it off the air for a month or two :(  Boooo.  A lot of the new shows they seem to test for a 1/2 a season and then cancel them, rather than letting people get used to the show.  Imagine if someone had pulled Friends off the air after 4 episodes because it was not getting a lot of viewers.

I think the networks are trying to hard to match the success of Friends, Fraiser, Will and Grace, and the like.  It is as if they think a show has to be an instant success or else it is pulled.  Give these shows a chance!  Let them go a whole season at least.

Meri said…

I've never cared for Jay Leno or his show so it doesn't matter to me what time it is on.  That said, I get frustrated when a good show appears and then it is cancelled before it is even given a chance. Last spring, NBC aired Kings. The time slot was horrible and was up against well established popular shows. After four runs they changed it to Saturday night [what were they thinking?] and then pulled it after one evening. They aired the remaining episodes during the summer.

Although the shows competed with other shows we watched we never failed to catch up with the episodes on Primetime on Demand. It was fast becoming a family favorite that generated conversation between us and our adult children scattered across the states. It disapperaed before it had a chance.

Maybe they could bring Kings back and put it in one of the 10pm time slots. I'd watch the series again.

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As someone with a bit of background in mass communications, I can suggest that you and anyone you know that liked Kings write to NBC and tell them so.  It probably won't help...but you never know!

The sad reality about network TV is this. Our viewing habits have changed radically over the past 30 years.  The Big Three networks no longer are - to borrow a Seinfeldism - masters of their domain, and cable, DVRs and the Internet have further fragmented the once near-monolithic audiences that ABC, CBS and NBC once attracted all to themselves. 

I did but they had already made up their mind. There was a discussion thread about it on the NBC site that just mysteriously disappeared one day.

Yep. The broadcast networks, sadly, don't want to spend money on scripted dramas or comedies unless they know they'll survive.  NBC is really bad at this as of late.

Fardreamer said…

Yep. The broadcast networks, sadly, don't want to spend money on scripted dramas or comedies unless they know they'll survive.  NBC is really bad at this as of late.

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Some of the shows they come up with are crazy though and anyone with a half of a brain knows they won't stick.

Then again, look at Glee. I don't watch it but it's almost a cult favorite (on twitter at least) and I thought it was the lamest show ever cooked up. I still think it is lame but many others love it. A show really does need to be given a chance before being pulled. It takes time for people to find it and to warm up to it.

I remember when ER first came on. It was slow going for a little while. What if they had yanked that show? I watched it for years! But it took me a while to remember when it was on, to get to know the characters, and to get hooked.

I also had that same situation with Nip/Tuck. That is not on a typical station but it was sooooooooooo out there that I thought I would hate it. Well, I watch with a sense of shock, horror, and amusement and have since the show started. I never would have guessed it would have survived considering the subject matter and crrraaazzyyy storylines. Sometimes, I guess, networks have to take a chance and stick with a show for a while to see if it grows legs so to speak.