# The Tonight Show; Carson, Leno, Fallon



## StarHalo (Feb 7, 2014)

So Leno has said goodbye and the way is paved for Jimmy Fallon to take the helm of The Tonight Show; some who remember Carson's exit don't feel Leno was ideal for the job, so if that's the case, who would have made a better host? Do you feel Fallon is up to the task, or do you have someone else in mind?


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## PhotonWrangler (Feb 7, 2014)

When Leno first took over I had some reservations; who could possibly measure up to the classy, quiet charm of Carson? Fortunately I was wrong and Leno grew into the role well. He really made the show his own and I've been a fan for his entire run.

Conan was a mistake. He was too manic and self centered for the show. He's funny in a different way but it wasn't a good fit for The Tonight Show. Honestly I was glad to see Jay return to the helm.

Jimmy Fallon doesn't have the stature that Leno has yet, but time will tell. My sense is that he's a good kid and will work hard to carry the franchise forward in a good light. I hope that Leno shows up as a guest once in awhile. You know, kick the tires and show the new kid a few tricks.


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## SCEMan (Feb 7, 2014)

It's hard to say. Everything is relative to that period of time. 

Carson took the Tonight Show to a level that will never be matched. I remember watching Johnny in the 60s-70s, and back then with only 3 channels for entertainment/news/media/everything, he ruled late night and his format is still being followed even now by Letterman, et al. Unless you grew up in that era it's hard to imagine the power he had on public thinking. His monologue was routine water cooler talk at work the next morning.

Now obviously, NBC is expecting Fallon to update the format and make it relevant to today's social media/internet environment. Otherwise why fire the guy who's been number one in his time slot for year after year?


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## NonSenCe (Feb 8, 2014)

leno was good. but i think it is time to move on. (again) times change and leno has been there long enough. (i do want to see him in tv again)

conan obrien was funny in akward way but not a lead star for this kind of show (more suited in the wackier late night version). 

fallon in my mind is more toned down and mature version of conan. so i think he can be good replacement for leno. just needs time to "be the face of franchise" and get comfortable there. (and he like leno needs great set of writers and other people in background. a lot of success hangs of them and material they give.)


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## gadget_lover (Feb 8, 2014)

I was very sad to see Johnny go. His mix of interviews, skits, comedy and music worked very well. What I loved best was his classy interview style. I don't recall any guests acting as if they were being attacked. Classy, funny and entertaining... A hard combination to beat. Watched him every night since I was a kid.

Contrast this to Jay, who did a very good job. He did not do as many original skits, and sometimes carried on a "feature" way too long. I watched him when I had free time thanks to Tivo. He was not always kind to his guests. In her last appearance, Sandra Bullock had the occasion to say to Jay "You're such an ***" as Jay brought up embarrassing parts of her career. That would not have happened with Johny.

Jimmy... he's a bit more like Johnny. His interview style is more subdued and respectful, though he sometimes gets very animated. I've enjoyed his show too (thanks again, TiVo) and hope he gets the kind of writers that can combine the best of the Leno show with his style.

Daniel


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## jtr1962 (Feb 8, 2014)

Hope I don't ruffle any feathers, but I'm honestly amazed The Tonight Show even survived this long. Like network news, I just feel the entire format is dated no matter who hosts it. In the spirit of full disclosure though I'll admit I was never a fan of The Tonight Show. Then again, there were a lot of other popular shows whose success I just couldn't fathom ( Cheers, Friends, and Seinfeld all come to mind ). Anyway, I wish Fallon luck but like his predecessors I have no plans to watch him.


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## StarHalo (Feb 8, 2014)

jtr1962 said:


> I just feel the entire format is dated no matter who hosts it.



I can't say "dated" is what comes to my mind when Fallon plays beer pong with celebrities or Conan does his clueless video game reviews; it's clearly a different demographic from when Carson would banter with Hollywood royalty Vegas-lounge style. But that's a valid opinion, so what would you replace it with? What would be an improvement over a nightly monologue/skit/interview/music revue?


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## jtr1962 (Feb 8, 2014)

StarHalo said:


> What would be an improvement over a nightly monologue/skit/interview/music revue?


The entire nightly monologue/skit/interview/music revue concept is what's dated IMO. To draw an analogy here, think of the time when everyone got their news from either a newspaper or network news. Nowadays the Internet is typically the news source of choice for the younger crowd. Those sources are by no means limited to "official" news sources, either. Often, a story will begin when somebody sees something and posts it on Twitter/Facebook/online forums. Same thing the way I see entertainment heading. I often get my entertainment from places like you-tube. Much of it is not from those in the entertainment industry. More importantly, I can watch whenever I want, as often as I want. The idea of having a show on at the same time, every single night, is what's dated here. I don't even follow shows with a weekly series format any more because it's all too easy to forget to watch them a few times, and then you lose track of what's going on. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. Like I said, I'm surprised The Tonight Show still attracts enough of an audience to remain viable, although I'll bet a good part of that audience is well past middle age. The show can try to remain relevant up to a point, but like network news sooner or later entertainment is going to be largely crowd-sourced. The larger point is the general public has choices, lots more of them than back in the day when there were only three major networks. It's hard for _any_ serial show to come up with enough fresh material to attract and retain a sizable audience these days.


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## StarHalo (Feb 8, 2014)

jtr1962 said:


> I can watch whenever I want, as often as I want. The idea of having a show on at the same time, every single night, is what's dated here.



Well that I can relate to, our household has only Netflix/Hulu/AmazonPrime, no cable or over-the-air, so the whole concept of a television "schedule" has been out the window for a long time. And we do watch almost exclusively the non-network, next-level stuff all we want; Dexter, Sherlock, Downton, SOA, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, etc. But at some point you want to watch something topical, something recent. Even with all those top-shelf choices, we still watch the nightlies, because otherwise the experience would just be like watching stored material from the library, a bit too monastic. I don't know that I could work with this kind of on demand service if it didn't have some new material (bearing in mind that I'm already missing news events, sports, the Olympics, etc..)


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## jtr1962 (Feb 8, 2014)

StarHalo said:


> I don't know that I could work with this kind of on demand service if it didn't have some new material (bearing in mind that I'm already missing news events, sports, the Olympics, etc..)


I totally understand the need for new material, although I tend to prefer event like the Olympics or Tour de France for that because the outcomes of sporting events tend to be somewhat unpredictable. That said, the network Olympic coverage stinks. Besides the focus mostly on American athletes, I find the frequent commercial breaks annoying. I find the schizophrenic, unpredictable way they jump around events even more annoying. This stuff is all taped well in advance. Can't they just show one event at a time, then move on to the next one? And have the TV Guide reflect that (i.e. 8:00-8:30: snowboarding 8:30-9:30: figure skating, 9:30-10:00: luge, etc.). This way people can watch just the sports they're interesting in.


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## Monocrom (Feb 8, 2014)

Jay Leno will be back. he screwed over Conan, he'll screw over Jimmy.

Actually, Jay is a scumbag. And I don't just mean that isolated incident with Conan. The only thing I respect about Jay is his love of automobiles. Other than that... Absolute scumbag.


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## StarHalo (Feb 8, 2014)

Monocrom said:


> Jay Leno will be back.



It is rather strange that he's starting a standup tour immediately after his show ended; it doesn't really count as retirement if you launch into a career that will take more time and effort than your previous job..


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## dc38 (Feb 8, 2014)

I don't think Fallon is very funny at all...or classy, for that matter


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## Monocrom (Feb 8, 2014)

StarHalo said:


> It is rather strange that he's starting a standup tour immediately after his show ended; it doesn't really count as retirement if you launch into a career that will take more time and effort than your previous job..



Once the tour is over... Guess who's coming back.


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## Monocrom (Feb 8, 2014)

dc38 said:


> I don't think Fallon is very funny at all...or classy, for that matter



+1

Jay's a scumbag. But at least he's a funny scumbag who can _act_ classy when the situation calls for it.


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## SCEMan (Feb 8, 2014)

StarHalo said:


> It is rather strange that he's starting a standup tour immediately after his show ended; it doesn't really count as retirement if you launch into a career that will take more time and effort than your previous job..



Leno never left his standup career, just touring, but he still did standup on the side while hosting the Tonight Show. Carson did the same.


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## PhotonWrangler (Feb 9, 2014)

Here's a link to the closing scene in Fallon's late night show. At the end of the song they had a fitting way of showing the transition from his old show to his new one. The two studios are right across the hall from each other.


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## inetdog (Feb 9, 2014)

Interesting, given the news report that show production will be moved from LA to NYC, costing ~160 jobs in CA.


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## PhotonWrangler (Feb 9, 2014)

inetdog said:


> Interesting, given the news report that show production will be moved from LA to NYC, costing ~160 jobs in CA.



Yep. NBC has been pulling back control from LA to NY for awhile. Several years ago they shut down some of their technical operations in LA and transferred them to NY.


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## Capolini (Feb 9, 2014)

Johnny was the best,,,,the originals usually are! At least I think he was the original!!

It is snowing again!! It is almost dark,,,Capo and Lakota are going to pull me on my custom sled! Have a good night everyone.


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## inetdog (Feb 9, 2014)

Jack Paar (5 seasons) was before Johnny, and I do not think he was the first either.
Yup. First was Steve Allen (3 seasons).


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## Capolini (Feb 9, 2014)

inetdog said:


> Jack Paar (5 seasons) was before Johnny, and I do not think he was the first either.
> Yup. First was Steve Allen (3 seasons).



Yes!! I just googled it!! Steve Allen, Jack Paar then Johnny! I had an inkling there was One or Two before Johnny!

I was born in 1960, right in the middle[1957-1962] of Jack Paar's stint!


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## StarHalo (Feb 9, 2014)

I'm aware of Allen and Paar, but there was only so much room in the thread title line, and it's a pretty small/select group who knows about those two nowadays.

It has occurred to me that the slot after The Tonight Show is technically Letterman's show; viewing it this way, Fallon has superseded both Leno and Letterman..


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## StarHalo (Feb 12, 2014)

My first/instinctual thought when I heard Leno was leaving: Russell Brand. His Brand X show was probably too smart for TV, but boy, what a ride, still the only guy to invite and then sit down and chat with the Westboro Baptist Church..


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## Monocrom (Feb 13, 2014)

StarHalo said:


> My first/instinctual thought when I heard Leno was leaving: Russell Brand. His Brand X show was probably too smart for TV, but boy, what a ride, still the only guy to invite and then sit down and chat with the Westboro Baptist Church..



All that shows is he doesn't have enough talent for the job and needs to play the "Outrageous Controversy" card to get viewers to tune in.


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## Chauncey Gardiner (Feb 13, 2014)

Monocrom said:


> +1
> 
> Jay's a scumbag. But at least he's a funny scumbag who can _act_ classy when the situation calls for it.



Monocrom,

Whats up with that? ^ I've never heard or read anything concerning Jay to warrant that label.

~ Chance


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## Monocrom (Feb 13, 2014)

Chauncey Gardiner said:


> Monocrom,
> 
> Whats up with that? ^ I've never heard or read anything concerning Jay to warrant that label.
> 
> ~ Chance



Might be a little over the top re scum bag reference.


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## SCEMan (Feb 13, 2014)

Monocrom said:


> Might be a little over the top re scum bag reference.



Yeah, personally I'd reserve that moniker for Letterman's wife-cheating with his employee.


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## steveg270 (Feb 13, 2014)

Im not sure bout Fallon. I think he's ok but my wife thinks he's really good. He is funny but in a modern sort of way if that makes sense. Im almost 60 so I look at things a little different then him I guess. As far as Leno goes, I love Jay I think he was incredibly funny with very good timing. A lil risqué at times which I enjoyed. I will miss him. As far as Johnny goes there is no one like him. He was so classic. He was just a super cool character and the show was just so much fun to watch. We also need to realize that the amount of competing shows on the TV was nothing like it is today with cable and satellite, but no matter what Johnny was a great act and a class dude. ahhhh


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## Bullzeyebill (Feb 13, 2014)

SCEMan said:


> Yeah, personally I'd reserve that moniker for Letterman's wife-cheating with his employee.



Just trying to keep this thread civil. That;s my job!!!!


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## PhotonWrangler (Feb 14, 2014)

A few years ago when NBC was planning on firing a number of Tonight Show staff to cut costs, Leno took a hefty pay cut in order to reduce the number of layoffs. Gotta give him props for that.


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## StarHalo (Feb 17, 2014)

The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon airs tonight. (Late Night with Seth Meyers starts next week.)


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## PhotonWrangler (Feb 17, 2014)

My DVR is set!


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## flashfan (Feb 17, 2014)

Jay Leno is a scumbag? If not about the Conan incident, what else is there?

In re: the Conan incident, as I recall it, Leno was made out as the bad guy, but I always thought Conan was at "fault," for didn't he demand that he be given The Tonight Show, regardless of the fact that Leno would be forced out? Entertainment is such a dirty, back-stabbing business.

Not sure if I'll follow Fallon. Carson I never really watched; Leno I liked and more or less followed; Conan was not interesting at all to me...will have to see how Fallon does.


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## Bullzeyebill (Feb 17, 2014)

Please, no more "scumbag" postings.

Bill


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## Silgt (Feb 17, 2014)

PhotonWrangler said:


> A few years ago when NBC was planning on firing a number of Tonight Show staff to cut costs, Leno took a hefty pay cut in order to reduce the number of layoffs. Gotta give him props for that.




I thought he said he never cashed out any of his cheques from NBC since he started? So that should be a hefty retirement fund there eh?


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## Norm (Feb 17, 2014)

Bullzeyebill said:


> Please, no more "scumbag" postings.
> 
> Bill



The next scumbag comment will see this thread closed. - Norm


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## PhotonWrangler (Feb 17, 2014)

I'm also interested from a production standpoint. I've seen Studio 6B in person and it is small with a low ceiling. They were talking about cramming an additional 100 seats in there so I'm interested in seeing how they can pull off a big network look in a small space.


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## Speedfreakz (Feb 18, 2014)

I was a fan of Letterman back in the day but I think he has gotten stale over the years. Never cared for leno. I liked Conan for awhile but after watching him for awhile he does seem, much like leno, Letterman and others very "recipe" or "formula" based. Too many short interviews-bang bang bang next. I did like Russell Brands show and did enjoy the "in depth-ness" of Bob Costas show on at late night


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## Silgt (Feb 18, 2014)

btw the U2 live performance both at the roof top & inside the studio was superb...so say a U2 fan lol

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk


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## badtziscool (Feb 18, 2014)

I honestly think Kimmel is going to be the next king of late night. Even though it still follows the late night routine of standup, skit, interview, music, it's more in tune with the younger generation's sense of humor and entertainment which, in the future, becomes the older generation that goes to bed with a late night program on the TV.


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## PhotonWrangler (Feb 18, 2014)

Well I watched the first 10 minutes of the show so far and I like the classier opening, befitting of the show's franchise, and the new set looks great. They did a wonderful job of making that space look open and almost regal in appearance compared to the more 'street' look of the old set. His opening remarks about his upbringing was nice.

**Edit**

I've watched the whole show and I loved it. The cameos in the "lost a bet" skit were wonderful, the give-and-take in the "history of hip-hop dancing" skit was funny and the rooftop concert... well, it mostly made me dizzy.

The whole show had a lighthearted, welcoming feel to it. Well done!


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## StarHalo (Feb 18, 2014)

Yup, very nicely done; the set looks like it's splitting the difference between Leno and Conan, classy but modern. And giving U2 lots of screen time was of course a prerequisite, they should have done it like their last SNL appearance and just let them have the entire last ~20 minutes of the show..


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## StarHalo (Feb 19, 2014)

Tonight's guests are Jerry Seinfeld, Kristen Wiig, and Lady Gaga.

And the rest of the schedule:

We 2/19: Bradley Cooper, Tim McGraw
Th 2/20: Michelle Obama, Will Ferrell, Arcade Fire
Fr 2/21: Justin Timberlake

Mo 2/24: Reese Witherspoon, Fred Armisen, Rick Ross
Tu 2/25: Paul Rudd, Shaquille O'Neal, Hannibal Buress
We 2/26: Drew Barrymore, Adam Sandler, Dierks Bentley
Th 2/27: Denzel Washington, Sara Bareilles
Fr 2/28: Cameron Diaz, Mike Tyson, Mario Batali


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## PhotonWrangler (Feb 19, 2014)

One thing puzzles me about the move back to New York -

Los Angeles is still the largest production hub in the country, where there are more big-name stars per square mile than anywhere else. There's also quick access to Vegas and it's performers. Carson understood that and I believe it is the main reason why he took the show out west in the first place - easier access to talent. Moving back to New York, you've got access to Broadway performers and to a lesser extent some feature film stars, but you've got to fly a lot of your guests in from someplace far away, and you run the risk of cancellations, delayed flights, etc. During Carson's New York tenure, I seem to recall the guest list being a little repetitive at times. I hope it doesn't turn out that way for Fallon. I'd like to see him succeed.


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## PhotonWrangler (Feb 23, 2014)

Well the premiere week of Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show brought the highest ratings for the show in 20 years, and were double the ratings of Leno last year. Looks like he's gonna be a keeper.


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## StarHalo (Feb 23, 2014)

I wonder if his _History of Rap_ performance with Justin Timberlake is the first time the Tonight Show host has joined in a musical performance with the musical guest? Either way, it should be pretty clear to everyone now that it's a new era for the show. For those who missed it:



And tomorrow night Seth Meyers begins Late Night; schedule is as follows:

Mo 2/24: Amy Poehler, Vice President Joe Biden, A Great Big World
Tu 2/25: Kanye West, Russell Wilson, Robyn Doolittle
We 2/26: Kelly Ripa, Brad Paisley
Th 2/27: Lena Dunham, Anthony Mackie, John Mayer Trio
Fr 2/28: Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Sophia Bush, Michael Che


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## StarHalo (Feb 25, 2014)

Well Seth Meyers' faux newsman delivery is still perfectly honed, but it doesn't work at all in a talk show setting; I didn't think the show would be quite on par with Fallon's Late Night, but it's not as good as any of the other late night shows. The set seems cramped and is just walls/no "view", the band doesn't play actual songs (unforgivable in the wake of The Roots, though I still love Fred Armisen and am now wondering what it'd be like with him at the helm..), and the whole thing just seems a lot cheaper than what it replaced. 

So who would you like to see in place of Seth Meyers?


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## StarHalo (Apr 3, 2014)

Letterman will be announcing his retirement tonight.


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## PhotonWrangler (Apr 3, 2014)

I kind of thought this was coming. He's been acting sort of disinterested lately.

Originally the show was promised to Craig Ferguson when Dave leaves, but I think Craig's show is a bit too quirky for 11:30, in the same way that Conan was too quirky for the Tonight Show. I hope I'm wrong - I like Craig Ferguson.


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## Bullzeyebill (Apr 4, 2014)

StarHalo said:


> Letterman will be announcing his retirement tonight



Some time in 2015, he said tonight.

Bill


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## StarHalo (Apr 4, 2014)

Bullzeyebill said:


> Some time in 2015, he said tonight.



We internet-only folk only get the episodes the next day.

But who should replace him? Ferguson could sort of hold his own versus Meyers, but definitely not Fallon..


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## StarHalo (Apr 4, 2014)

A TV Guide correspondent on the radio this morning mentioned some possible Letterman replacements; Jimmy Kimmel's contract is almost up with his network, so there could be a possible coup there. Another name thrown out was Neil Patrick Harris, who I'm sure would be hugely successful (and a good counter to Fallon) if they could get him nightly..


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## PhotonWrangler (Apr 4, 2014)

StarHalo said:


> A TV Guide correspondent on the radio this morning mentioned some possible Letterman replacements; Jimmy Kimmel's contract is almost up with his network, so there could be a possible coup there. Another name thrown out was Neil Patrick Harris, who I'm sure would be hugely successful (and a good counter to Fallon) if they could get him nightly..



Another name I've seen mentioned is John Oliver. I think he could pull this off.


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## StarHalo (Apr 5, 2014)

PhotonWrangler said:


> Another name I've seen mentioned is John Oliver. I think he could pull this off.



Speaking of Comedy Central alums, I keep seeing Stephen Colbert's name come up; I didn't take it seriously at first, but it's the name I've seen most often this far. I watch the guy's show nightly, and if anyone deserves it, it's him, but would he still be "Stephen Colbert" the character? Would a network allow political satire in that time slot?


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## PhotonWrangler (Apr 5, 2014)

StarHalo said:


> Speaking of Comedy Central alums, I keep seeing Stephen Colbert's name come up; I didn't take it seriously at first, but it's the name I've seen most often this far. I watch the guy's show nightly, and if anyone deserves it, it's him, but would he still be "Stephen Colbert" the character? Would a network allow political satire in that time slot?



I'm a Colbert fan also, and I agree that he could be a good fit. He would have to drop his schtick though.


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## StarHalo (Apr 8, 2014)

Buzzfeed did a list of female comedians they could see in Letterman's role; of their list, the two most feasible would be Carrie Brownstein (an outside, sort of local-regional oddball like Letterman, would counter Fallon perfectly,) and Jane Lynch (who could overshadow Fallon completely..)


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## PhotonWrangler (Apr 8, 2014)

Yeah, Jane Lynch would be an interesting choice. I don't know anything about Carrie Brownstein though.


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## StarHalo (Apr 8, 2014)

PhotonWrangler said:


> I don't know anything about Carrie Brownstein though.



Check out some Portlandia; the way Letterman's humor is Indiana-centric, she's Portland-centric..


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## StarHalo (Apr 10, 2014)

Congrats to Stephen Colbert on being named host of the Late Show; now we're left to wonder what kind of show it's going to be..


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## PhotonWrangler (Apr 10, 2014)

I think this was a brilliant choice. Colbert has a sharp wit for current events so the monologues should be great. He has also said today that he will conduct the show as himself, not as the character he plays on the Colbert Report. This is the right choice IMO. The show will benefit from the full nuance of his real persona.

I'd like to see John Oliver fill Colbert's old slot.


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## StarHalo (Apr 11, 2014)

An article over on Mashable reveals that Colbert and CBS had reached a deal for him to succeed Letterman in December 2012, with no date set since Dave would dictate when he wished to retire. However Colbert's contract with Comedy Central runs out at the end of this year, so he will most likely be taking a break for nearly all of 2015. Colbert also stated that he will not be "in character" for the show.

Edit: Now that I think about it, that explains why Late-Night-era Fallon and Colbert did the "best friends/enemies" cameos on each other's shows constantly; the network knew they were both going to be around a long time..


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## StarHalo (Apr 28, 2014)

And now Craig Ferguson is leaving the Late Late Show in December, so it's a full reboot of the CBS late night lineup..


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## PhotonWrangler (Apr 28, 2014)

Yeah, I felt that was coming. I will miss his quirky humor, particularly his banter with "Geoff Peterson" aka Josh Robert Thompson.


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## Solid Lifters (Apr 29, 2014)

First Jay Leno and now Craig Ferguson. Man, this year sucks. I love them both. But, more so for Craig. He's my favorite and now he's leaving. I felt the same way when Johnny Carson left. But, it's time for him to move on and I respect his decision.


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## StarHalo (May 9, 2014)

Colbert's time slot will be filled by _The Minority Report_ starring Daily Show alum Larry Wilmore.


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## PhotonWrangler (May 30, 2014)

Arsenio just got cancelled. The show has halted production and is currently airing reruns. Apparently his numbers have been sagging after the initial interest passed. This is sad - he's a talented guy.


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## StarHalo (May 30, 2014)

Didn't know Arsenio had a new show, guess it wasn't on Hulu/Netflix/Prime. I dumped my ghetto Roku and got an Amazon Fire TV, which means no more gray-market back channel to watch Conan on (can see him on the iPad or cell phone, just not the TV..)


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## StarHalo (Oct 15, 2014)

Jay Leno is back - on CNBC; _Jay Leno's Garage_ will be a weekly hour-long show in the same vein as the similarly titled web series.


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## StarHalo (Nov 6, 2014)

Jay Leno will be a guest on the Tonight Show tomorrow night/Friday the 7th.


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## PhotonWrangler (Nov 7, 2014)

Thanks for the heads-up! I plan to watch this. It will be weird seeing him on the other side of the Tonight Show desk. In New York.

**Update**

Well that was fun, especially seeing the mock tension between Jay and Jimmy.


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## RedLED (Nov 16, 2014)

Silgt said:


> I thought he said he never cashed out any of his cheques from NBC since he started? So that should be a hefty retirement fund there eh?


That is true, he saved his TV money, however, he still gets $175,000.00 for private corporate meetings and conventions.


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## PhotonWrangler (Dec 17, 2014)

Slightly off topic but Craig Ferguson's last show is this Friday night. I'm going to miss that wonderfully quirky show.

**Edit**

Here's a sample from a night in 2009 when they lost power to the whole CBS building. He did his closing monologue using a single flashlight for illumination. Scroll to 1:26 and tell me if you think he's holding a Pelican.


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## StarHalo (Jan 16, 2015)

Larry Wilmore's show [following _The Daily Show_] is now named _The Nightly Show_, premiering January 19th.


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## Steve K (Jan 16, 2015)

StarHalo said:


> Larry Wilmore's show [following _The Daily Show_] is now named _The Nightly Show_, premiering January 19th.



oh shoot.... that's Monday, isn't it! Cool.... I've loved his appearances on the Daily Show and some of the shows he has helped write/produce before. I hope he does well... even though he's not trying to fill Colbert's shoes, simply filling his time slot does encourage comparisons.


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## StarHalo (Feb 10, 2015)

Comedy Central reports John Stewart is retiring later this year, after 15 years.


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## PhotonWrangler (Feb 10, 2015)

StarHalo said:


> Comedy Central reports John Stewart is retiring later this year, after 15 years.



I kind of expected this. Now that he's had a taste of filmmaking as a director, I'm thinking he wants to pursue this as his next career.

EDIT

Confirmed, here's the story on his resignation.


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## Imon (Feb 10, 2015)

Huge bummer about the Stewart news.
Been watching the Daily Show since I was in high school and Stephen Colbert was still a correspondent.


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## Steve K (Feb 10, 2015)

StarHalo said:


> Comedy Central reports John Stewart is retiring later this year, after 15 years.



crap!

well, that's it. time to throw out my TV.


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## Chauncey Gardiner (Feb 12, 2015)

StarHalo said:


> Comedy Central reports John Stewart is retiring later this year, after 15 years.



Perhaps Lyin-Brian Williams will replace Stewart. Instant name recognition, he could do a good job, people would tune in and Williams would be free to self aggrandise to his little hearts content. 

He won't be returning to NBC News.

~ Chance


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## PhotonWrangler (Feb 12, 2015)

Chauncey Gardiner said:


> Perhaps Lyin-Brian Williams will replace Stewart. Instant name recognition, he could do a good job, people would tune in and Williams would be free to self aggrandise to his little hearts content.
> 
> He won't be returning to NBC News.
> 
> ~ Chance



Nah, he's not that good at mock outrage the way that Stewart is. I'd like to see John Oliver return to the seat but he's got a good gig over at HBO.


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## StarHalo (Feb 16, 2015)

The new movie _Hot Tub Time Machine 2_ briefly flashes to a clip of _The Daily Show_ in the year 2025, with Jessica Williams as host; Jessica tweeted yesterday that she's completely under-qualified for the job but looks forward to seeing what will happen with others who are right for the job.


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## StarHalo (Feb 18, 2015)

Had to scroll back through this thread to double check, but it's true; this week is the *one year anniversary* of Fallon on the Tonight Show.


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## Bullzeyebill (Feb 19, 2015)

Watching Fallon in his previous show, I did not like him. But now, he is AWESOME!!


Bill


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## StarHalo (Mar 30, 2015)

Congrats to Trevor Noah on being named host of The Daily Show, should be interesting..


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## Steve K (Mar 30, 2015)

I've seen Trevor on the show a couple of times. Too early for any sort of conclusions, but at least he strikes me as being an intelligent fellow. John Oliver did a good job while sitting briefly in Stewart's desk, so I have hopes that Trevor will also do well.

Larry Wilmore's show has been doing well enough, and I love a lot of his previous work, but I'm still a bit sad that The Nightly Show falls short of the high bar that Colbert set. I hope it doesn't sound like I don't like Wilmore.. I do, but Colbert's show was incredible.

and in sequence.. of sort... @Midnight is a lot of fun! Points!


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## Chauncey Gardiner (Mar 31, 2015)

^
^
Uh, that was horrible. 

~ Chance


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## PhotonWrangler (Mar 31, 2015)

I dunno about this Trevor guy. Some of his past tweets have included jokes that were either sexist, misogynistic or anti-semetic. He's going to have to clean up his act a bit.


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## StarHalo (Apr 1, 2015)

Steve K said:


> I'm still a bit sad that The Nightly Show falls short of the high bar that Colbert set. I hope it doesn't sound like I don't like Wilmore.. I do, but Colbert's show was incredible.



Agreed, I often worry that we were in some sort of golden era for talk shows that is now passing. Fallon is solid, but with no Colbert, now no Stewart, no Letterman..


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## Chauncey Gardiner (Apr 1, 2015)

PhotonWrangler said:


> I dunno about this Trevor guy. Some of his past tweets have included jokes that were either sexist, misogynistic or anti-semetic. He's going to have to clean up his act a bit.



I watched one of Mr. Noah's comedy shows on Netflix, African American. 
It, and the video above, reminded me of a guy . 

I'm not sure if it's an act, or simpley his world view. Time will tell if Comedy Central's viewers will stay tuned-in to listen to a foreigner joke about all the things wrong with the U.S.A. It didn't work out so well for Piers Morgan.

~ Chance


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## StarHalo (Apr 2, 2015)

Avoiding a dupe/redundant post, sorry to link you elsewhere: A classic moment on Fallon last night.


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## Chauncey Gardiner (Apr 2, 2015)

That was a great segment! 

~ Chance


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## PhotonWrangler (Apr 2, 2015)

Katie Couric really pranked James Corden on his new show. You can hear how the whole studio goes dead silent at 13 seconds in and James is cursing in disbelief and panic. It was an astonishing moment and they pulled it off beautifully.


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## PhotonWrangler (Jul 14, 2015)

Jimmy Fallon explains his recent finger injury that had him in the ICU for 10 days...


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## StarHalo (Sep 7, 2015)

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, *this Tuesday*, 11:35 PM EDT. Guests George Clooney and Jeb Bush.


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## recDNA (Sep 7, 2015)

Never liked Colbert. He forces it.


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## PhotonWrangler (Sep 7, 2015)

I'm still missing Craig Ferguson. He's not just a comedian, he's a storyteller.


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## recDNA (Sep 7, 2015)

PhotonWrangler said:


> I'm still missing Craig Ferguson. He's not just a comedian, he's a storyteller.


I agreee. He was entertaining.


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## PhotonWrangler (Sep 7, 2015)

recDNA said:


> I agreee. He was entertaining.



And I really enjoyed the banter with his sidekick "Geoff Peterson" (Josh Robert Thompson).


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## PhotonWrangler (Oct 7, 2015)

Ok, this was fun. 

Jay Leno tags in for Fallon during monologue


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## Steve K (Oct 8, 2015)

StarHalo said:


> The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, *this Tuesday*, 11:35 PM EDT. Guests George Clooney and Jeb Bush.



thoughts on Colbert's show so far?

Personally, I enjoy his interviews, which strike me as being "deeper", or less shallow, that a lot of other interviews. 

I don't enjoy the Late Show as much as I enjoyed the Colbert Report, though. I miss his comedy bits, such as the "Cheating Death" series and the "Word of the Day" series, which was where he introduced us to the concept of "truthiness".


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## StarHalo (Oct 8, 2015)

Steve K said:


> thoughts on Colbert's show so far?



Haven't seen it; CBS wants $5/mo from us online viewers just for their content, and that's the only show of theirs I care to see. Meanwhile everyone else is over on Hulu for $12/mo with no commercials.


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## PhotonWrangler (Oct 8, 2015)

I like it so far, although his "character" still seems a little forced. He needs to drop the narcissist schtick. I agree with Steve K on the interviews being deeper and not as focused on glittering starlets.


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## recDNA (Oct 8, 2015)

Never liked Colbert. Still do not. Carson was by far the best. Letterman second ( but not since the beart attack) That Scottish guy 3rd. All gone now. There is no "talk" show I can stomach anymore. Fallon is the worst. My wife likes him. I don't get it. Leno was tolerable but that's about it. The only one that was must watch was Carson then the first few years of Letterman. His late late show was even better.


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## PhotonWrangler (Oct 8, 2015)

recDNA said:


> Never liked Colbert. Still do not. Carson was by far the best. Letterman second ( but not since the beart attack) That Scottish guy 3rd. All gone now. There is no "talk" show I can stomach anymore. Fallon is the worst. My wife likes him. I don't get it. Leno was tolerable but that's about it. The only one that was must watch was Carson then the first few years of Letterman. His late late show was even better.



"That Scottish guy" is Craig Ferguson. I miss that show. He's doing a game show now but it's not the same. 

Of course I miss Carson. I was lucky enough to be in the audience for one of his shows in Burbank. It was fun to see him, McMahon and Doc Severensen in person. 

Anyone remember Milton Delugg when he was the band leader for Carson during the New York years? Delugg's name showed up in the credits of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade as musical director until fairly recently, so he was still in the biz for a long time.


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## SCEMan (Oct 8, 2015)

recDNA said:


> Never liked Colbert. Still do not. Carson was by far the best. Letterman second ( but not since the beart attack) That Scottish guy 3rd. All gone now. There is no "talk" show I can stomach anymore. Fallon is the worst. My wife likes him. I don't get it. Leno was tolerable but that's about it. The only one that was must watch was Carson then the first few years of Letterman. His late late show was even better.



Ditto. Grew up watching Johnny and saw him when taping in Burbank once (while still in NY) and loved Letterman's Late Night show following Carson, but not so much afterwards. I did enjoy Leno somewhat and found Craig Ferguson hilarious while he lasted. I skip them all now as I find them either juvenile or boring.


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## StarHalo (Oct 8, 2015)

Fallon is clearly not Carson, but how would you do Carson's "Vegas lounge" format in this day and age? The Daily Show and Colbert Report led the era because they were very current, very in-the-know, which Fallon mirrors successfully; I don't know that an older guy doing the cavalcade-of-the-stars-of-yesteryear would work at all at this point (who would he interview?)


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## Mr Floppy (Oct 9, 2015)

Steve K said:


> thoughts on Colbert's show so far?
> 
> Personally, I enjoy his interviews, which strike me as being "deeper", or less shallow, that a lot of other interviews.
> 
> I don't enjoy the Late Show as much as I enjoyed the Colbert Report, though. I miss his comedy bits, such as the "Cheating Death" series and the "Word of the Day" series, which was where he introduced us to the concept of "truthiness".



I like it but yes the Colbert report is still preferable. The late show is quite different I have to say. We didn't get Carson out here but letterman was pure entertainment. Colbert seems a bit more satire. From his background I suspect. 

Craig ferguson was great but I can't believe the guy they hired after Craig. He is not funny. Not in his material, nor his delivery. James corden, in case you were wondering. The other thing of note he did was Gavin and Stacey, a not so funny welsh comedy.


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## hron61 (Oct 11, 2015)

Yes, J. Carson was the MAN.
I heard the Carson tapes were purchased by someone and starting in january they will be running the complete Carson shows nightly (not a best of), but complete shows. 
I personally cannot wait, late night now is such a joke.


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## Bullzeyebill (Oct 12, 2015)

Fallon is a song and dance man. He presents a fun show, not to be compared to his predecessors. Don't compare him to other's. My two cents.

Bill


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## PhotonWrangler (Oct 12, 2015)

Good assessment, Bill. Thanks for resetting my perspective a little.


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## statuesquereporter (Oct 15, 2015)

I think Jimmy Fallon is doing a great job. His show has fun segments and I enjoy watching him every time.


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## bykfixer (Oct 15, 2015)

I enjoyed Johnnie harassing Ed McMan about his drunkeness or many of the skits...or when he'd make himself laugh to the point he couldn't continue for a minute or two.

Jay took a little getting used to, but his repetiore with his band leader (I forget his name) was priceless when he'd goof on his jazz musicians all smoke weed persona (even though Jay always looked like he'd had a toke or two)

Stopped watching tv about 10 years ago so I haven't seen Jimmy. But I hear he's doing at least as good as Drew is doing with replacing Bob Barker.


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## StarHalo (Aug 15, 2016)

_The Nightly Show_ _with Larry Wilmore_ has been cancelled. Network president Kent Alterman said the cancellation was a "business decision" explaining that the show hadn't "resonated" with their audience. _The Nightly Show_ saw an average of 776,000 viewers per night in 2016, while _The Colbert Report_ was seeing an average 1.7 million viewers in its last year on air.


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## Imon (Aug 16, 2016)

StarHalo said:


> _The Nightly Show_ _with Larry Wilmore_ has been cancelled. Network president Kent Alterman said the cancellation was a "business decision" explaining that the show hadn't "resonated" with their audience. _The Nightly Show_ saw an average of 776,000 viewers per night in 2016, while _The Colbert Report_ was seeing an average 1.7 million viewers in its last year on air.



Seemed inevitable.
I'm sure the Daily Show saw a similar dip in ratings with the departure of Jon Stewart although probably not as severe as Wilmore's time slot.

Funny thing is I remember telling my roommate my freshman year of college that I didn't think the Colbert Report would last. I remember saying something like, "Colbert was OK on The Daily Show but I don't think he can carry his own show."
Boy, was I wrong. :duh2:


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## PhotonWrangler (Aug 16, 2016)

It's sad to see hsi show get cancelled but I agree that I suspected that it wouldn't last that long. Stewart and Colbert set the bar pretty high and it's difficult to match their energetic, rapid fire delivery.

Now that Colbert has been out of his old character for his current show, his ratings have sagged a bit. However the show saw a spike during the live convention coverage, partially because he brought back his old character from The Colbert Report.


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## Cyclops942 (Aug 26, 2016)

hron61 said:


> Yes, J. Carson was the MAN.
> I heard the Carson tapes were purchased by someone and starting in january they will be running the complete Carson shows nightly (not a best of), but complete shows.
> I personally cannot wait, late night now is such a joke.



Soooo.... any word on if/when/where this is/will be happening?


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## PhotonWrangler (Aug 26, 2016)

I'm pretty sure that Carson ended his run before HD came into play, so all of his shows will be SD (his earliest stuff was black & white). Still a classic show though, and he set the bar for everyone else. It will be good to see those episodes again.


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## StarHalo (Aug 26, 2016)

The Vault Series DVDs feature not only full Carson episodes but they include _the commercials_ too. There aren't many episodes, and they're not cheap.


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## jumboroll (Aug 30, 2016)

gadget_lover said:


> Jimmy... he's a bit more like Johnny. His interview style is more subdued and respectful, though he sometimes gets very animated. I've enjoyed his show too (thanks again, TiVo) and hope he gets the kind of writers that can combine the best of the Leno show with his style.
> 
> Daniel



I agree and I am enjoying his show too


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## PhotonWrangler (Aug 30, 2016)

StarHalo said:


> The Vault Series DVDs feature not only full Carson episodes but they include _the commercials_ too. There aren't many episodes, and they're not cheap.



It might be that some of the episodes couldn't be restored to respectable quality. Those old 2" quad videotapes are an extinct format and there are only a handful of usable machines and engineers left who know how to keep them in interchange (tuned up). And as the tapes age, even in a climate controlled vault, it gets harder to restore them over time because the magnetic image fades and prints through to adjacent layers on the reel.

I remember those big blue 3M tape cases and the distinctive aroma of a fresh reel of tape. Good times.


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## StarHalo (Sep 15, 2016)

Guests Carol Burnett and Wayne Newton tonight [on Hulu]/last night on the Tonight Show; 2016 or 1976?


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