Can you feel the excitement in the air? You’ve seen the weird promos, you’ve checked out the star-studded opening-night guest list, and now, the only thing standing between you and the debut of The Jay Leno Show are five measly nights of repeats* on NBC. And considering that the network’s late-night programs have been in a ratings free fall ever since Conan O’Brien took over hosting duties of the Tonight Show from the Chin back in June, Leno finds himself in a position where, if his new show turns out to be a ratings hit, he’ll endear himself to both network suits and local NBC affiliates. So how come so many people are rooting for him to fail?
However, as Nikki Finke reported over the weekend, Leno has been “unanimously cleared†by the WGA of any wrongdoing in these matters, but this doesn’t mean that a significant number of people aren’t still actively (if not necessarily publicly) rooting for both him and his show to fail. As for our feelings, well, the thing that upsets us the most about the whole situation is that we won’t be able to pin the blame (or credit the success!) to Ben Silverman anymore.
However, as Nikki Finke reported over the weekend, Leno has been “unanimously cleared†by the WGA of any wrongdoing in these matters, but this doesn’t mean that a significant number of people aren’t still actively (if not necessarily publicly) rooting for both him and his show to fail. As for our feelings, well, the thing that upsets us the most about the whole situation is that we won’t be able to pin the blame (or credit the success!) to Ben Silverman anymore.
What say you, VultureWatchers? Will you watch The Jay Leno Show next week, if only out of morbid curiosity? Are you boycotting? Will you start watching David Caruso take off his sunglasses just to spite Jay and NBC? You know where to leave your thoughts!
*And one night of football!
NBC putting Leno in awkward spot [Variety]
The Secret Case Of WGA vs Jay Leno: Cleared Unanimously; Offered Apology; UPDATE: But Why The WGA Cover-Up? [DHD]