Late night mess at NBC... Latest: Conan's new show (reply #250)

[NeedMoreFans]

I agree that Lost was a good show for the first season or two but I lost interest after that as did many other people I know.

 

Admittedly I'm not a TV guy so maybe I should stop commenting on this thread after this. But I guess I don't agree with this idea of judging a network on ratings knowing that something as god aweful as American Idol was the #1 show several years running.

 

I haven't heard of half the shows you mention above much less seen them but the ones I have seen snippets of are bland at best (Scrubs, CSI) or incredibly lousy at worst (Grey's Anatomy and the Amazing Race). Are those supposed to be examples showing how we are supposed to judge a TV network in a positive light? Desperate Housewife? I am failing to see any value in that whatsoever.

You can't look at the quality of the show (which is subjective)...you have to look at the ratings (which is objective). Even if you think Idol is horrible, the numbers don't lie...people watch it. There have been some fantastic shows that got zero ratings, so they were canceled. No one is watching NBC right now, even if people think they have good programming.

[1992casey]

However, a younger audience is more valuable for advertising money, so

the ratings do not necessarily tell the whole story.

 

The older crowd has plenty of money to spend. It's just that they want to decide on their own how they want to spend it. The younger crowd is a whole lot easier for advertisers to convince to buy their products.

[Godspeed]

There is just so much terrible television in the leading Nielsen numbers. I can't sit through an episode of Grey's Anatomy without laughing. Private Practice is somehow worse. Two and a Half Men and Big Bang Theory are simply exercises in comedic cliches. I seem to recall the crime procedurals getting sufficiently skewered in Saving Sarah Marshall, but maybe that's just David Caruso's "acting" (rightfully) taking the fall. Paint by numbers television just ain't for me. And all reality shows do for me is showcase humanity at their worst.

 

Granted, this all comes from a guy who only intentionally watches about 2.5 hours of primetime network programming a week, but I feel it's for good reason.

[Patrick425]

I'm really surprised that NBC is running reruns of Conan at the 10:30 slot. I would have just thought they would cut all ties to O'Brien and maybe run reruns of The Tonight Show with Leno, or possibly just put a rerun of some one hour drama show in that slot.

[adamb100]

Tonight show reruns are too old. Daily shows like that get old fast.

[Patrick425]

Tonight show reruns are too old. Daily shows like that get old fast.

They are running reruns of the Tonight show, but with Conan instead of Leno. I'm not complaining (I like Conan better), I'm just surprised. Perhaps they figure it would be too much of an overload of Leno..on at both 9 and 10:30.

 

 

[GAME05]

They are running reruns of the Tonight show, but with Conan instead of Leno. I'm not complaining (I like Conan better), I'm just surprised. Perhaps they figure it would be too much of an overload of Leno..on at both 9 and 10:30.

maybe they should just run old Carson shows and then everybody could be happy!

[Invader3K]

Just heard that FOX supposedly is approaching Conan, possibly with the idea of him being on American Idol next season (after Simon leaves). I can't say I'd be terribly interested in seeing that, and not sure if Conan would be interested in it, either. I'd hope he can do better, if this rumor is even true to begin with.

[burnzy24]

Conan will be have his own show on TBS starting this November per his twitter page. I will be at 10 Central.

[JoeHova]

Conan will be have his own show on TBS starting this November per his twitter page. I will be at 10 Central.

What? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/laugh.gif I guess following in George Lopez's footsteps was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

[TooLiveBrew]

Check & mate for TBS

[Hofbraunhaus]

It's interesting that he is going to cable. Hopefully this means he won't have to tone down his stuff as much as he did for the Tonight Show. This is going to severely interfere with my viewing of the Daily Show and Colbert Report. Thank you DVR.

[GAME05]

maybe reruns of Family Guy will turn out to be a better lead in than Jay Leno.

[Diskono]

I guess this means that we're all going to hate Conan by the time the baseball playoffs are over.

[Mr QL]

I wish he would of went to fox but at least he's back on TV.

[dadofandrew]

I think it's terrible Conan is stepping on George Lopez's dreams.

 

I think it says a lot Fox would rather have Seinfeld and Simpsons reruns on at 10/11. Needless to say, Conan will not put much of a dent into the network guys.

[Mr QL]

Bide his time until Letterman retires maybe

[BrewCrewForever]

I love the move. He won't touch Leno or Letterman in ratings. But his show on cable he can be more edgy and won't have to tone it down like he did on NBC. Looking forward to this.

[Vgmastr]

I think it's terrible Conan is stepping on George Lopez's dreams.

 

I think it says a lot Fox would rather have Seinfeld and Simpsons reruns on at 10/11. Needless to say, Conan will not put much of a dent into the network guys.

Conan initially refused to go to TBS because he wouldn't bump anyone out of his show. Lopez called Conan personally to assure him he was ok with it. Fox wanted Conan, but all the legalities surrounding the affiliates and getting time slots cleared made the TBS deal more attractive for Conan, where he'd get full national coverage at 11. This works well for everyone, Lopez is smart, he knows Conan will be a fantastic lead in for him, so he graciously agrees to move to midnight. Lopez already had the youngest late night audience in television, which works well for Conan, who also skews younger, and now suddenly TBS is a big player in late night, and they're going to be getting the young audience, which all the advertisers desire.

[Oldcity]

I guess this means that we're all going to hate Conan by the time the baseball playoffs are over.

First thing I thought of too.

On the surface, I was disappointed by this. But that's a good point about Letterman--maybe Conan will be his replacement.

[RayKingsForemanGrill]

I think it's terrible Conan is stepping on George Lopez's dreams.

 

I think it says a lot Fox would rather have Seinfeld and Simpsons reruns on at 10/11. Needless to say, Conan will not put much of a dent into the network guys.

It's not so much Fox as the affiliates. Right now, the affiliates get to keep all advertising revenue from their syndicated programs after 9PM. Were a national "Fox" show to come on in late night, it would cut into the local affiliates revenue stream.

So, it's not so much that they'd rather have Seinfeld and Simpsons. It just makes more dollars and sense for the local affiliates.

 

[1992casey]

Exactly. Syndicated programming is more lucrative than network programming. That's why Milwaukee's Channel 4 dropped The Tonight Show for four years back in the 1980s. And that's why nobody rushed to pick up CBS after it was dropped by Channel 6 back in the 1990s.

[GAME05]

Conan will probably also get back to bringing on new and interesting musical guests like he did on Late Night--he understandably had to done that down for the Tonight Show, too.

 

i wonder what sort of celebrities would be attracted to a low-audience TBS show, or if he'll get the same ones that Leno and Letterman get. it might be more interesting if he doesn't attract the big names because then he'll bring out the weirder people. i rarely watch the celebrity interviews, anyway, unless Conan is interviewing Norm MacDonald.

[Invader3K]

Any word on if Andy Richter will be coming with him?

[Oldcity]

Ah, the last Norm interview with Conan was hilarious.