RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Media Conan

isn't difficult to tell how and what he's doing without watching?



the 11:30 talk show block has been fulfilled by carson, leno, and letterman for decades. and as much as i loathe leno, the numbers clearly state he was a powerhouse in the timeslot. hardly a field that welcomes "new blood" (for a recent example: conan's decreasing ratings).

i'm a long-time conan fan, but i'm still not sure if he's the right fit for something as mainstream as the tonight show. i've watched much of the first few episodes, and while i do like them, i feel there's something ... i dunno. "sell outty" about them.

in this specific instance of letterman vs. conan, the (tremendous!) advantage CBS has is the experience and brand name dave brings to the game. dave essentially invented his show, in both the 12:30 NBC and 11:30 CBS spot. that's a pretty bold strength.

personally, i think letterman was at his best in the first few years when he moved to cbs, which, holy fuck, is 15+ years ago. the hope is he'll recapture that with the "new wars". judging from his episodes in the last few months, and the two new shows thus far this week, there's absolutely an evident new push in the great direction.

there's an edginess to dave's show that is awesome. it has nothing to do with age, its just a timeless and irreplaceable aspect of him. leno was the opposite; a mainstream whore (and a shithead). to his credit, that made for higher ratings, though significantly worse critical opinion.

conan had some of that edginess in the "no holds barred" 12:30 slot (that dave basically created) but it hasn't shown up (yet) in his tonight show role. if he takes leno's route, it's likely he'll get better ratings. though just as likely it'll again mean a worse show.