Good-bye Conan...

**CN3089** · January 23rd, 2010 03:55 PM

Conan Saves His Best Ratings For Last Tonight Show

Conan’s last turn as host of The Tonight Show garnered a 4.8 rating with adults 18-49 in the 25 local markets with Nielsen people meters.

If those numbers hold up, not only is it a series high with adults 18-49 it’s 85% higher than ~~the previous series high set~~ Thursday night (2.6 rating), it’s over 40 percent better than the 3.4 rating with adults 18-49 Jay Leno got in his not-so-final Tonight Show after all on May 29. Leno’s not-so-final episode also scored nearly 12 million viewers. Viewer numbers for last night’s episode won’t be available until late next week.

Not only was it better than all the late night and primetime competition on Friday — not really a huge feat with most networks broadcasting the Hope for Haiti Now benefit between 8p-10p, it was also a better 18-49 rating than any show got on Thursday night.

Update: the previous series high, at least in final numbers (again the numbers above are preliminary) was a 3.8 rating with adults 18-49 for Conan’s Tonight Show premiere last June.

**jcap** · January 23rd, 2010 05:02 PM

Originally Posted by English Mobster

words

Sorry, but you're the one who is terribly mistaken.

Leno was approached by NBC in 2004. He asked if he would consider leaving The Tonight Show in 5 more years because they didn't want to lose Conan to another network. Jay said sure, he probably will be ready in 5 years. You can't predict what your life is going to be like in one year, how the hell are you supposed to predict what it's going to be like in 5 years? They should have never done the deal at that time. The future of The Tonight Show shouldn't have been decided until a month in advance of when Conan would be planned take over. Yeah, sure, they had to promise Conan the show in 2004 so he wouldn't leave, but they probably could have approached it in a way that would allow the agreement to be nulled if the Leno's show still met a certain standard. Yes, he agreed to leave in 2009, but the reason I say he was "forced out" was because it was dependent on a deal finalized 5 years prior to his departure!

The CoCo-nuts are always coming back to calling Leno a douchebag for ruining Conan. If you were kicked out of your top rated spot and you were offered it back, would you not want it? He said he would take it back if they offered. NBC offered after Conan said he was leaving. Leno took it. Leno's acceptance had no influence on Conan because it came AFTER Conan said he would leave if his show was pushed back. Had Conan not left, the offer would have been void.

NBC giving Jay a new show hurt everyone. Some might claim that his lower ratings were because he sucks, but if that was true he wouldn't have held the top spot in late night before he moved. Although his show format was a little different, it was mostly the same. The logical reason for the lower ratings, and the one that explains Conan's lower ratings as well, is that each show had its own individual audience. The Leno fans tried to catch his show at 10, leaving Conan's show at 11:35. Conan's fans stayed to watch him, but he lost a good deal of his viewers to Leno's earlier time slot. Leno also had it hard in his 10 PM time slot because there's other shows on competing with him. I'd much rather watch something like CSI at 10 than Leno. If Conan and Leno swapped times, the ratings would probably remain unchanged.

NBC was absolutely not in breach. In a legal contract, everything is black and white. There is nothing implied in a contract. Unless stated explicitly that The Tonight Show was bound to its 11:35 PM time, it is not ever assumed that The Tonight Show must be at 11:35 because it has been for so long. That's all that matters. All this circumstantial bullshit that dumbass dyke blogger is spewing at that link you posted is nonsense, and even Conan is full of shit. If NBC was so stubborn, it would be no contest in court because there is NOTHING to support Conan in the contract. The reason NBC paid off Conan is all in good faith. NBC knew they fucked up huge and screwed Conan over. They knew they were wrong for putting Conan through hell and back again and didn't want to go legal with a lawsuit Conan would walk out completely empty-handed on. It was just a way for NBC to save face, because a headline of NBC screwing over Conan and then winning a lawsuit against him would have hurt them more in reputation and financially.

**Heathen** · January 23rd, 2010 05:33 PM

The Late Night is supposed to be funny?

Who knew???

**Aerowyn** · January 23rd, 2010 05:38 PM

Related video:

**ejburke** · January 23rd, 2010 06:28 PM

Originally Posted by jcap

Leno was approached by NBC in 2004. He asked if he would consider leaving The Tonight Show in 5 more years because they didn't want to lose Conan to another network. Jay said sure, he probably will be ready in 5 years. You can't predict what your life is going to be like in one year, how the hell are you supposed to predict what it's going to be like in 5 years? They should have never done the deal at that time.

"Sure," "probably will be ready"? Do you honestly think a workaholic like Leno would take his retirement plans that nonchalantly? He agreed to this, and he's either an idiot that never considered that he might not want to retire in 2009 or he's disingenuous and selfish. Take your pick.

Originally Posted by jcap

He said he would take it back if they offered. NBC offered after Conan said he was leaving. Leno took it. Leno's acceptance had no influence on Conan because it came AFTER Conan said he would leave if his show was pushed back. Had Conan not left, the offer would have been void.

What? Are? You? Smoking? Leno agreed to move his show to 11:35 and bump Conan. That's the catalyst for EVERYTHING. So what if it wasn't going to be called the Tonight Show and it would have been a half hour? It may as well have been.

It was straight up douchery. He could have bowed out gracefully. He could have gone to another network. He chose to go back on his word and undermine the younger talent with actual futures. And now he is rightfully reviled for it.

Originally Posted by jcap

NBC was absolutely not in breach. In a legal contract, everything is black and white. There is nothing implied in a contract. Unless stated explicitly that The Tonight Show was bound to its 11:35 PM time, it is not ever assumed that The Tonight Show must be at 11:35 because it has been for so long. That's all that matters. All this circumstantial bullshit that dumbass dyke blogger is spewing at that link you posted is nonsense, and even Conan is full of shit. If NBC was so stubborn, it would be no contest in court because there is NOTHING to support Conan in the contract. The reason NBC paid off Conan is all in good faith. NBC knew they fucked up huge and screwed Conan over. They knew they were wrong for putting Conan through hell and back again and didn't want to go legal with a lawsuit Conan would walk out completely empty-handed on. It was just a way for NBC to save face, because a headline of NBC screwing over Conan and then winning a lawsuit against him would have hurt them more in reputation and financially.

"Good faith", are you kidding? A week ago, NBC execs were badmouthing Conan and threatening to keep him off the air for 3-1/2 years. Were they suddenly visited by the Ghosts of Late Night past, present, and future?

Conan's side claims that an addendum to the contract forbids a permanent move out of the time slot. None of us have the contract, so we can only speculate. But I think it's obvious that both sides had leverage and a settlement was preferable to a court battle.

**Aerowyn** · January 23rd, 2010 06:39 PM

I don't see why this thread is like a dramabomb. God.

I didn't know Modacity was SRS BUSINESS about Conan O'Brien.

**teh lag** · January 23rd, 2010 06:49 PM

yeah i find it pretty funny that people are mad about late-night tv

**Corndogman** · January 23rd, 2010 07:50 PM

Regardless, stop shitting up the thread, it wasn't made so we could argue over the situation. Conan is a great person, and a very funny man, imo (and most peoples I'm sure) and didn't deserve to get screwed like that.