NBC Moving Leno to Primetime, Eliminating 5 hours of Shows

[DoctorFinger]

You may not realize it, but the death knell may have just rung for Heroes (among others), and it was rung by Jay Leno (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081209/ap_en_tv/tv_nbc_leno).

Here's the backstory. A few years back Conan O'Brien was offered the 11:30 by ABC. NBC wanted to keep him, so they made a deal He'd either take over NBC's 11:30 spot by (I think) 2009, or he'd get a huge buyout of his contract. Well Leno still gets good (sometimes very good) ratings, and he didn't want to leave. So apparently NBC tried to play Solomon and make everyone happy. Conan gets 11:30, and Leno gets the 10pm slot every night. Leno likely won't do much in terms of raitings, but his show costs almost nothing to produce, so it's almost guaranteed profit for NBC.

What does that mean? In the short term it means NBC will have 5 fewer hours a week to program. Which means shows on the bubble - like Heroes - are in trouble. I'd also bet that Life gets the axe (ER is already in it's last season) . Either way, while I think this will be a disaster creatively, it'll be a success financially.

[rein]

5 less hours of primetime tv I have to worry about watching. I mean, wtf NBC? WTF!?

[Typical Michael]

If they cancel Chuck, I sure will be upset.

[maharahaj]

I haven't seen a single second of Heroes but I thought that was NBC's "Big Show". I know lots of people who loved the show. Has it dropped that much in popularity?

[Farsight]

HEROES will survive.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS is dead. CHUCK is likely dead. LIFE is likely dead. NBC's relevance is on life support.

[Suave Peanut]

Oh good! If Leno stays on as the main performer, then maybe Conan's show will not have to become more broad or, say, "mainstream" in its approach to comedy. Really, I'm just looking forward to being able to watch Conan and Craig Ferguson without having to choose one.

[Lint of Death]

I haven't seen a single second of Heroes but I thought that was NBC's "Big Show". I know lots of people who loved the show. Has it dropped that much in popularity?

I think it's taken a huge hit since the first season, though I firmly opine that it hasn't stopped being a good show - indeed, that the second half of this third season has been jawdroppin' awesome. However, I think I heard that other good shows like Chuck, which runs before Heroes, are taking worse ratings hits.

P.S. If Heroes were to mysteriously get the axe they'd be moving around the other shows, since right now Heroes would never conflict with these schedule changes.

[Lint of Death]

Maybe I'm not getting this. Is it five hours lost because the new slot takes up an hour every week night?

The weird thing about it to me is that a lot of the already present shows are once-a-week but these new arrangements are five hour-slots per week. I wonder how that's going to work out?

[Psykoboy2]

Maybe I'm not getting this. Is it five hours lost because the new slot takes up an hour every week night?

Yes. Leno would be on from 10 to 11 (eastern) Monday through Friday.

[TheFlyingOrc]

I hate that NBC is doing so poorly, because the Office and 30Rock are 2 of the best shows on television.

Last year, when Thursday nights were My Name Is Earl -> Scrubs -> 30Rock -> The Office, I was in heaven.

[DigitalFirefly]

Most of the shows I watch are on NBC: Heroes, The Office, 30 Rock, SNL, Conan. This is probably my favorite season of Heroes so far, I'd be pissed if it got canceled.

As for Jay moving to 10, it sounds like it's going to be the same show but with a different name.

[Lint of Death]

Most of the shows I watch are on NBC: Heroes

Wasn't last night's ep freaking amazing!?! Best death yet, and that's saying something.

[Lutheran]

Chuck and Heroes get almost identical ratings , I would assume on monday nights they will just not replace My own worst enemy and Chuck and Heroes will be left alone.

[Psykoboy2]

Enemy was canceled anyway. L&O:SVU will probably move to Sundays or earlier in the night on Tuesdays, L&O: The Mother Ship may go to Saturdays if it survives this season (it's on the bubble from what I understand), ER is gone anyway, and fuck if I know what airs on Friday nights.

[bryan]

How's Life's ratings? Where do I go to look it up?

[Telefrog]

How would Leno moving to 10PM be a threat to most primetime shows? As the article says, most people don't watch the 10PM dramas anyway.

Yet dramas have been fading in recent years. One reason is digital video recorders; more people are watching shows they taped earlier than the live 10 p.m. shows.

I would think that the late time slot and DVRs are more of a threat to shows on the bubble.

[darkbase]

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but this sounds good to me. Leno isn't half bad, but usually nothing else is on when The Tonight Show airs, so maybe that'll change. I don't care for any of the shows the OP mentioned (I got out of Heroes after season 2, what a disaster, stickin' to my comics) and it doesn't seem like my favorite NBC shows are in any danger (The Office, all Law & Orders, Kath & Kim, and 30 Rock). You know, between those and Dexter, that's pretty much all the TV I watch. I get SNL clips on Hulu and Adult Swim online.

[CaptainYesterday]

How's Life's ratings? Where do I go to look it up?

http://thefutoncritic.com/showatch.aspx?id=life

I think Heroes is the most contrived shows on tv, that said I don't think it's going anywhere with Bryan Fuller coming back from PD, and them recently letting go the master story killer Jeph Loeb. It will get at least another season, but this may be it's last.

If I was NBC though I'd worry about a creative mutiny, people like Dick Wolf that have long created content for NBC or some of their bigger named stars may look at it as though NBC is choosing to make Leno happy over them.

This also sets in place my biggest fear in the TV landscape. NBC seeing success in a third variety hour, that is going to make them look for less costly shows to produce, and that inevitably means REALITY TV.

God help us all.

[Wraith]

I started watching Chuck on Mondays. I always watch The Office Thursdays, and kind of like Earl and 30 Rock. Beyond that, I don't care. ABC will have Lost again soon, and I DVR Mythbusters, Dirty Jobs, and "new" episodes of Top Gear. That's really enough TV to keep me busy.

[fitbabits]

I can't stand Leno, O'Brien, Letterman, Kimmell, etc. The only one I can bear to watch is Ferguson, and that's because I can identify with a lot of what he says.

There was a piece on NPR (All Things Considered, I think) about this. Reality TV is to blame for a lot of scripted shows being canceled, due in no small part to cost (it costs ~$3 million per episode of CSI - multiply that by 24 and you're looking at almost $75 million per season). It's simple economics, really.

[CaptainYesterday]

This (http://thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20081125nbc02) is what NBC thinks passes for new and exciting TV. They're picking up more and more reality tv, so when Leno takes over the last spot for late prime time television all our favorite shows will be on the ol' chopping block as cheaply produced shows prevail.

Sorry, I know this is a little off-topic, but who doesn't enjoy a good rant.

[Wraith]

Sorry, I know this is a little off-topic, but who doesn't enjoy a good rant.Is your avatar...Dr. Cox from Scrubs with hair like Alice from The Brady Bunch?

[CaptainYesterday]

Is your avatar...Dr. Cox from Scrubs with hair like Alice from The Brady Bunch?

Yah, it's from one of JD's daydreams!

[Sl1pstream]

Leno isn't even that funny. :/

[carnage11]

Meh......I download most shows anyways. As I work two jobs and go to school and have no time to watch TV when shows are aired. I think they should switch to something like that. Let's just get TV on the internet already and let us download and watch when we want. We've had the technology for years now, what's the hold up?

Who here has sat through some semi-lame show waiting for a good show to come on? I know I've watched hours and hours of TV I didn't want to watch, because there was nothing else on, and then when a good show comes on, it's at the same time as another good show, so you have to pick and choose or switch back and forth between commercials, essentially ruining both shows.

The internet is the perfect medium for media, they just have to figure out a way to do it legally I guess.

[pseudopseudo]

Damn Leno... just bow out while you're still kind of on top of your game. You could easily pick up a nightly show at Vegas and make decent money doing your stand-up.

Instead... this. It just reeks to high hell of greediness. (And maybe a little laziness on NBC's part?)

Either way, we all lose when Jimmy Fallon takes over on "Late Night".

[Psykoboy2]

Either way, we all lose when Jimmy Fallon takes over on "Late Night".

Actually....I win (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=140).

[Jeffool]

Either way, we all lose when Jimmy Fallon takes over on "Late Night".No joke. The best we can hope happens is that Fallon bombs and NBC opts to replace him with something insanely edgy, given the late time slot. Like a show with me.

[Sandman]

Eh...I prefer Letterman.

[Skull3r]

Are there any talks of rearranging the rest of the schedule to accommodate for the other shows at earlier times? Personally, I didn't know that the 10 o'clock time slot was that coveted. Also, why is this the death knell for heroes? I'd be pissed if NBC decides to axe the show. I'm still hoping that the writers grow a pair, and end it on their terms rather than having a really fast ending.

[MalReynolds]

Companies just dont have the money anymore i guess

[Crowe]

This better not affect Chuck. Tonight episode was awesome and I will flip out if it doesn't receive a 3rd season.

[DoctorFinger]

Are there any talks of rearranging the rest of the schedule to accommodate for the other shows at earlier times? Personally, I didn't know that the 10 o'clock time slot was that coveted. Also, why is this the death knell for heroes? I'd be pissed if NBC decides to axe the show. I'm still hoping that the writers grow a pair, and end it on their terms rather than having a really fast ending.It may be the death knell for Heroes. When you combine 5 fewer hours of primetime with tanking ratings, it's a definite possibility that it gets the axe.

Oh, and the affiliates are supposed to be supremely pissed about this. The late local news is (usually) the biggest money maker for them, and their ratings are heavily influenced by the ratings of it's lead in at 10. But NBC all but admits that Leno @ 10 won't draw shit for ratings (the only benefit is how cheap it'll be to produce) so the NBC affiliates know the ratings - and therefore the revenues - from their late local news will tank as a result.

[Sl1pstream]

Meh......I download most shows anyways.

Good luck downloading canceled shows. :p

[Johan]

Either way, while I think this will be a disaster creatively, it'll be a success financially.

I hate 99% of what's on television.
I love Leno.
I don't like staying up until 12:30 at night or taping shows.

This is a win, win, win for me! :) I will watch him every night at ten p.m. Leno is like a glass of warm milk and a cookie for me. He's a comedian that I can trust to make fun of anything without appearing to want to hurt anyone while doing so (unlike Letterman, who is a dick who intentionally aims his humor at ideological points-scoring. Will Letterman ever make fun of Obama? Not likely...as opposed to his continual raping of Bush and McCain). I love Leno. Awesome!

[MagGnome]

I don't understand how anyone can watch TV every night. I can barely stand more than one hour a week, tops. The amount of crap on TV is incredible.

[Sl1pstream]

I don't understand how anyone can watch TV every night. I can barely stand more than one hour a week, tops. The amount of crap on TV is incredible.

I DVR the stuff I want (Futurama, Miami Ink and a 2 local shows) and I watch those back-to-back the next day while skipping commercials. Hulu is used for 30 Rock, The Office, Chuck and King of the Hill.

I watch about 1 or 2 hours of tv every night since I got my DVR and I've been pretty good at avoiding crap.

[MagGnome]

I DVR the stuff I want (Futurama, Miami Ink and a 2 local shows) and I watch those back-to-back the next day while skipping commercials. Hulu is used for 30 Rock, The Office, Chuck and King of the Hill.

I watch about 1 or 2 hours of tv every night since I got my DVR and I've been pretty good at avoiding crap.

I honestly just don't have the time or desire to watch much TV. COG and videogames give me most of the entertainment I need, and Netflix fills up the rest.

[Sl1pstream]

Lately my videogame playing has been down to a minimum, I think I needed a break and I really couldn't be bothered to even move much after I got home from work these past two weeks.

I hope to get back to gaming soon but for now, tv has become my friend.

[MagGnome]

Lately my videogame playing has been down to a minimum, I think I needed a break and I really couldn't be bothered to even move much after I got home from work these past two weeks.

I hope to get back to gaming soon but for now, tv has become my friend.

I did end up laying on the couch last night and watching TV, since I was too tired from my injury to do anything else. Luckily a Family Guy marathon was on.

[pseudopseudo]

I just came upon a mind-changing question in my brain... since when has 10pm been considered "Primetime"? Doesn't news come on for half the nation at 10pm?

[Psykoboy2]

I just came upon a mind-changing question in my brain... since when has 10pm been considered "Primetime"? Doesn't news come on for half the nation at 10pm?

10pm Eastern.....for most of the country, I guess, 10pm is news time, but in the eastern time zone...well, film is at 11.