Second thoughts on Leno @ 10 PM

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on December 9th, 2008

Fifty per cent more people are watching television at 10 PM than they are at 11:30. Hmmm… Perhaps this Leno thing might work.

We’re also thinking that, if he drops down to 10 PM, he’s going to have to tweak the format a bit. At 11:30, you’re obligated to keep things just ever so slightly toned down. (Yeah, yeah, The Dancing Ito’s isn’t exactly toning it down, but the overall feel is just a notch or two lower.) Conversely, at 10, you’re allowed to be a bit brassier. Perhaps the show will be a little more like a variety show.

What’s that you say? The variety format is dead? Matt Roush said so? No. The variety show as done by Rosie O’Donnell and Dolly Parton and Mary Tyler Moore is dead, but Leno might be one of the few people on the planet who can figure out how to make it work. (As his current show is run– the framework of which was handed to him by Johnny, which got it from Paar and Steve Allen– it’s practically a variety show already. On a typical night, you got your musical act, the occasional standup comic, those kids who come in and do birdcalls, etc. All that’s needed are some plate-spinners, a couple Cirque du Soleil acts and the occasional Russian bear on a bicycle.

And, if that’s the plan, well, it’s going to be a boon for standup comics. For now they might have a regular spot on prime time. Has there been a prime time spot for comedians (doing standup) in the last thirty years? (Not counting Last Comic Standing, of course.)

Stay tuned.

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