Mini-rant: Leno vs. Conan

Reports are surfacing this morning that NBC is canceling Jay Leno's low-rated prime time show and giving him back his old 11:35 late night timeslot. What would that mean for Conan, who is currently the host of that 11:35 slot? NBC is reportedly considering shrinking Leno's show to a half hour, and having Conan's show air at 12:05am. OK. Despite what this rant might sound like, I actually didn't really care about latenight show wars. To me Letterman is the best and as long as he is staying put where he is, I don't care. But, as this whole situation continues to become a mess and an exploding fiasco, I'm mad at NBC and at Leno for letting all of this happen.

Yes, airing an episode of Leno's show 5 times a week is vastly cheaper than filling that primetime spot with a drama/reality show double the budget. But from a creative standpoint, taking the exact same show, cause let's face it, Leno's 10pm show is not any different from his old Tonight Show, and airing it an hour earlier was pointless and a big fat waste of time and credibility on the already struggling network's part. And the only person I feel bad for in this whole thing is Conan, who is a brilliant entertainer, and who uprooted his entire life to be based in LA for the new Tonight Show. He's been dragged through the mud through this entire thing, while Leno has coasted by on preferential treatment, and now Conan is stuck in this awkward, weirdo position of having everything implode on him through no fault of his own. TMZ is reporting that the choice is up to Conan, and I seriously hope he walks away and screws NBC over. But, whatever happens, I'm on TEAM O'BRIEN. Ok, end rant.