i’m sad to say that i liked his old format better

i say give him a chance to settle in to his new place, he’ll figure something out, he’s not stupid

To get more specific it seems that the “acting” of Leno and his super-star guests is very stilted, unrehearsed, sophomoric and totally unfunny. When Leno leans over ala Merv Griffen toward Conyay West and asks, “What do you think yo mama would say [about your behavior at the Grammy awards]?” I wanted to vomit. How self-servingly phony can the guy get!

Leno would have been much better served by going to ABC. He could readily best old-man Letterman and Red-Skelton incarnation (“I dood it!”) O’Brien.

This is the end of late-night tv: Conehead stinks, Letterman stinks more than the pH of an old man’s urine and Nightline is completely out of place at 11:35. People want to relax, to laugh, to feel good before the go to sleep to face another day at the rat races. None of these losers deserve our patronidge. Watch at your own peril.

1. Don’t stick to a fix format. Mix and match segments to surprise the audience a bit. For example, the occasional racing bits is fun.

2. The “10 at 10″ is interesting — for a few episodes. It feels too scripted and unease. Show it strategically, not every night.

3. Drop the reading typos segment. It is hard to watch. Laughing at other’s mistakes is not exactly a real type of joy.

4. Change the tune of “Jaywalk” a bit. Again, “people are so dumb” is not a very comfortable feeling. There is no need to showcase how the writers/Leno are so much smarter than a people off the street. Many people can talk to Leno and shame him on his knowledge level too. Just have fun, but not belittling people.

5. Add some “Ed Sullivin” feel to the show. Find some talented young singers/bands and provide surprise and excitement to the audience. Don’t just find the most popular ones.

6. Add some intellectual bits to the show to level the field with Letterman. For example, other than the typical long interviews with the entertainers, occasionally conduct some short interview some writers or artists. It will raise the feel of this show.

In all, produce the show like editing a magazine like “Time” or “Newsweek.” Mix and match long and short segments. It will change the look of prime-time TV.

Robert, you’re right on the demographics, but still, I thank you for making my point for me. According to the numbers in your article, you were essentially stating that NBC would be satisfied with Leno, if his ratings maintained in prime time the same numbers he had at 11:30 pm. That’s hardly a plus. And how long are Leno’s sponsors expected to follow this move?

Friday is always going to be weak overall. You can’t gauge anything by it unless you’re a dollhouse fan

I think the concept can work but I have been surprised that the execution has been sub-Leno standards. That’s why I didn’t tune in Friday.

NBC needs to develop its 8-10 slate before worrying about the 10 p.m. hour. The network’s strongest shows are non-scripted (Sunday Night Football, The Biggest Loser and America’s Got Talent). Law and Order has been a mainstay for 20 years but it’s past time to look at replacements. The comedy block has critical favorites and niche hits, not mainstream appeal.

NBC was fourth place throughout its lineup. If Leno can draw similar ratings for much less money at 10 p.m., NBC (and its parent company, General Electric) will be happy. Plug that hole for awhile as the rest of the schedule is fixed.

Possibly David Letterman could do a similar show. I doubt it but he’s a nationally-known host with a loyal following. However, CBS is number one at 10 p.m. and will be the last to go to the variety show format.

I don’t think Jimmy Kimmel could do it. He’s had a few forays into primetime with specials and even a summer gig hosting a game show. Nothing worked. ABC will stay with its 10 p.m. lineup because it has no other option now.

1) Interviewing on the chairs doesn’t feel right to me. To me it is more fun if the host is behind a desk doing the interview.

2) The random placement of the skit pieces throughout the program. I hated having to watch the entire episode waiting for headlines, only to see he actually does have a desk and wasn’t using it for the interviews.

The show needs to be kept like it was before, with all the comedy bits at the beginning, and the interviews at the end.

But in NBC’s emailed ratings “updates” referring to The Jay Leno Show have also been including adults 25-54 ratings with the following clause “(the key demographic for late local news)”.

Were I a betting man, I’d put money down that if the 18-49 numbers begin to look particularly bad for Leno, NBC PR’s next fallback line will become 25-54 ratings and they’ll justify that because of the local news lead-in.

btw – congrats to Jay, this was beyond anything I expected. I’m glad, because he (Jay) rulzzz, as far as comedy talk show is concerned. He and Craig Ferguson, actually. Not because Craig is funny, (he is NOT) it’s just… he has Kristen Bell on the show like every other month, and that, in my book, is considered a quality TV.

Sub 6m by 1st week Oct.

Also is Bored to Death the next Emily’s Reasons Why Not?

Definitely a good first week. I’ll be surprised if next week’s average is too far below 2.5, which will be great for NBC. But it should be closer to 1.5 by next month.