Boycott Leno

Two blog posts in a week? Yeah work is that boring.

It's been an ongoing saga for 2 weeks now, but Leno (and NBC) v Conan is finally over. As predicted the scumbag Jay Leno won out, kicking NBC's most underrated (by them, not by anyone who uses the internet) talent.

Why did NBC do what they did? There has been such a massive public backlash on every internet site, from Twitter, to Facebook, to even the inspiration for this blog the Sports Guy, Bill Simmons, podcasting with the San Francisco Chronicle's Tim Goodman (one of the best two TV critics in the nation) about how Conan got the raw deal and how terrible Leno is. The real key is that the demographics Leno is strong in don't use the internet. They are people who don't like the little things to change. They liked the fat chin, flat humor, and all about ME interviews of Leno because its what had happened for 17 years. They didn't like this active, smart, witty, gangly red quaffed host. He was too much for them. And in their defense I think Conan was a little over-awed with his new gig and held back a little. But in his defense when he took over Late Night he had a painfully slow start.

Now, believe it or not Conan is better off. He will get a new show, and the millions of people will flock to it simply because he comes out of this mess looking better than ever. He cut loose his last weeks and reminded us why we love him. He took the classy road by generously thanking NBC for the chance to host, but he didn't want to destroy the legacy of the show by moving it's time slot; he put the show before him. Hopefully Fox will sign him to an 11 o'clock gig where he will return the favor to Leno by snagging all the best guests for the earlier time slot.

What do NBC and Leno get out of this. Well, they look horrible. NBC execs pretty much claimed 2 failures in this. They look loyal, but to a guy who is ruthless, selfish, and egotistical. This is not the first time Leno has stabbed someone in the back, ask David Letterman. How do you think he go the Tonight Show? Also, in 1979 when comedians went on strike against the Comedy Store in L.A. many believe Leno was feeding info to the management, like the little weasel he is. NBC had set it up from Jump Street for Conan to fail, and everyone knew it. They sandbagged him by giving Leno the prime time show, where he would get the best guests first. But they knew a prime time talkshow would never work because the serial dramas in the 10 o'clock hour are some of the best loved shows (CSI x3, The Mentalist, NCIS, and its where Law and Order and ER used to run). Leno could have done the classy thing and respectfully declined the show and kept doing his weekly Las Vegas stand up for big bucks. He could have become the Wayne Newton of comedy. But no, his need to be in the spotlight and have everyone looking at him prevented that.

So I say we show NBC that one of the reasons Leno failed at 10 was because he just isn't funny. We show NBC that we love Conan and they cut him loose way too early. DON'T EVER WATCH THE TONIGHT SHOW AGAIN. Kill the franchise out of respect for Team CoCo!