Whenever interviewed about his newfound career in late night, Conan would humbly and gratefully mention Johnny Carson, patriarch of the “Tonight Show” franchise, and would even mention how he’d love to take the reins of the show one day. Able to deflect situations such as these with humor right off the bat, Conan’s debut on “Late Night” started humbly, but quickly grew in popularity, eventually earning him the status of a late night powerhouse. Prodded about this very fact during a press conference, Conan famously retorted, “Sir, I am a complete unknown!” NBC, ever cautious about their decision, renewed Conan’s contract to the network in thirteen-week increments, before finally signing him to long term deals after about a year. NBC’s reaction mirrored that of the general public: “Who?”Ĭonan, a gangly yet charming Irish giant had been writing for “The Simpsons” after his stint at SNL, but critics could not get over the fact that he was a relative unknown. He suggested former staff writer Conan O’Brien. Lorne Michaels, executive producer of “Saturday Night Live”, was put in charge of building the new “Late Night” and finding a host for the programme. With Letterman’s spot and NBC vacated, the network was left scrambling to find a replacement. Eventually, Letterman left NBC to start up his own show opposite “Tonight” at CBS, where he was promised more creative control and ownership over his own material. Instead, Leno was signed, and Letterman felt deeply sidelined and hurt. No one was more surprised than David Letterman, host of NBC’s “Late Night”, who had eyed Carson’s desk for years and had been all but promised that famed Los Angeles stage when Carson retired. Leno had been Johnny’s permanent guest host for years, and he’d had designs on Carson’s timeslot as well.
NBC then turned around and shocked audiences, critics, and entertainment insiders alike, when they, in turn, announced that Johnny’s successor would be then-guest host Jay Leno. In 1991, venerable entertainer Johnny Carson shocked NBC executives when he announced during a network press tour that the following spring would bring an end to his run as host of “The Tonight Show”, NBC’s signature late night programme since the golden age of television. It covers the behind the scenes drama of a network trying to appease all of its talent in the midst of an upcoming change. There Goes Johnnyīill Carter covered the first major change in late night television with his wonderful book “The Late Shift”. Currently embroiled in a war over late night comedy shows, NBC seems to have not learned its lesson not to alienate its viewers or its talentand just like it was eighteen years ago, NBC’s war of the late night worlds is centred around one Mr Jay Leno. History has an ugly way of repeating itself at NBC.
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