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‘Tonight’ Show Expected to Return to New York, With Fallon ‘Tonight,’ With New Host, Set To Reclaim Its New York Roots
(about 2 hours later)
A plan is in the works to bring NBC’s “Tonight” show back to New York. NBC has settled on two new stars for “The Tonight Show”: Jimmy Fallon and New York City.
Mayor John V. Lindsay of New York with Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show" in 1966. The network has made a commitment to Mr. Fallon, the current host of its “Late Night” program, for him to succeed Jay Leno as the next host of “Tonight,” according to several senior television executives involved in the decision. As part of the agreement, the show would move from Burbank, Calif., back to New York, where it started in 1954 with Steve Allen as host.
The changing of the guard on “Tonight” is one of the biggest personnel decisions in television, and has always been fraught with intrigue and backroom maneuvering. Three years ago, an effort to replace Mr. Leno with Conan O’Brien ended in recriminations and an ultimate reversal; Mr. Leno was reinstated as host after only seven months. NBC endured weeks of negative press coverage. In the early 1990s, Mr. Leno and David Letterman engaged in a heated and often acrimonious competition to replace Mr. Carson. NBC has not completed a deal with Mr. Fallon yet, but his assent is considered mostly a formality, since the move would represent a significant step up for him. And the network has not settled on an exact timetable for the switch, though it is expected to take place by fall 2014 at the latest, said the executives, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because discussions were still continuing.
But NBC became concerned when ABC moved its own late-night star, Jimmy Kimmel, to go head-to-head with Mr. Leno and Mr. Letterman. Mr. Kimmel had been building his reputation as a host, generating well-received new ideas for the late-night format. He is also a generation younger than Mr. Leno and Mr. Letterman. One senior executive who has been involved in the discussions said on Wednesday that “there is no way on earth that this is not going to happen.”
Many executives in the television business speculated that NBC could not afford to wait too long to promote Mr. Fallon, or it might risk having Mr. Kimmel lock up the younger-adult viewers that are the economic lifeblood of late-night television. The move to Mr. Fallon would be a significant cultural, and geographic, shift. Mr. Leno delivers a more traditional Las Vegas-style comedy act that is viewed as a link to previous hosts, including his immediate predecessor, Johnny Carson. Mr. Fallon, 38, offers a more contemporary and varied brand of entertainment, with a heavy reliance on the Internet. His best material gains additional life on sites like YouTube, and he actively courts interaction with his viewers by having them submit comedy ideas through Twitter.
A New York “Tonight” show will join a metropolitan landscape already filled with late-night comedy shows, including “Late Show With David Letterman” on CBS and shows featuring Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central. One lingering question is what NBC will do with its “Late Night” franchise, which has always been a New York-based show. NBC has been desperate to avoid a repeat of the circuslike atmosphere that accompanied previous transitions on “Tonight,” the executives said. The changing of the guard is one of the biggest personnel decisions in television, and has always been fraught with intrigue and back-room maneuvering.
Mr. O’Brien hosted that program before Mr. Fallon and it was speculated before his ascension to the “Tonight” show that he might try to keep working in New York, where he had thrived. But at the time NBC insisted “Tonight” had become a Hollywood-centric show and needed to stay in California. Three years ago, NBC’s effort to replace Mr. Leno with Conan O’Brien ended in recriminations and a definitive reversal; Mr. Leno was reinstated as host after only seven months, and NBC endured weeks of negative news coverage. In the early 1990s, Mr. Leno and David Letterman engaged in an often acrimonious competition to replace Mr. Carson.
But a transition totally free of tumult may be difficult to accomplish. Already there has been sniping between Mr. Leno and NBC’s top entertainment executive, Robert Greenblatt, over some stinging jokes Mr. Leno made in his monologue about the failure of NBC’s prime-time schedule.
Mr. Greenblatt, who is responsible for that schedule, directed some pointed criticism at Mr. Leno in an e-mail to him. Mr. Leno stood his ground in a response, asserting that jokes spoofing the network are part of the job for a late-night host.
Mr. Leno, who will turn 63 next month, has continued to take shots at NBC’s management. On Monday, he joked about how the snakes that St. Patrick drove from Ireland came to the United States and became NBC executives.
The network has sought to temper the feud while it works out its plans for the show’s future — which center on Mr. Fallon.
Mr. Leno’s “Tonight” show still regularly leads in the late-night ratings. But by turning to Mr. Fallon, NBC hopes to counter what it regards as its biggest late-night competitor of the future, Jimmy Kimmel, who in January moved his show on ABC from midnight to 11:35 p.m.
Many TV executives speculated that NBC could not afford to wait too long to promote Mr. Fallon, or it might risk having Mr. Kimmel, 45, lock up the young-adult viewers who are the economic lifeblood of late-night television.
NBC has quietly begun work on a new studio in its headquarters building at 30 Rockefeller Plaza as the home for the new “Tonight Show,” two executives said. The studio is part of a general reconstruction of the building being undertaken by Comcast, which this week completed a full takeover of NBCUniversal.
An NBC spokeswoman declined to comment on the move, other than to say the network was building a new state-of-the-art studio for Mr. Fallon.
There are many reasons that Mr. Fallon would prefer to remain in New York, where he has starred on “Late Night” for four years. He is a native of New York State (from Saugerties, just south of Albany) and his longtime association with the producer Lorne Michaels could be kept intact if he stayed in New York. Mr. Fallon made his reputation at 30 Rockefeller as a star on Mr. Michaels’s centerpiece show, “Saturday Night Live.”
Perhaps most important, Mr. Fallon could ensure the continued participation of his house band, the Roots, who have been an integral part of the show and whose members are close to Mr. Fallon.
A move to New York would also return “Tonight” to its roots, after an absence of more than four decades. Beginning in 1954, it was broadcast every evening from Manhattan, first from the Hudson Theater with Mr. Allen as host, followed by Jack Paar and Johnny Carson, both of whom worked at 30 Rockefeller. But in 1972, Mr. Carson, looking for easier access to Hollywood guests, as well as a different lifestyle, moved the show permanently to Burbank.
Mr. Fallon now occupies the studio where Mr. Carson was working in the 1960s and early 1970s. His “Late Night” show is broadcast at 12:35 a.m. Eastern time, after Mr. Leno on “Tonight.”
A New York “Tonight Show” will join a metropolitan landscape already filled with late-night comedy programs, including “Late Show With David Letterman” on CBS and shows featuring Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central. One lingering question is what NBC will do with its “Late Night” franchise, which has always been based in New York.
Mr. O’Brien hosted that program before Mr. Fallon, and it had been speculated before his ascension to “Tonight” that he might try to keep working in New York, where he had thrived. But at the time, NBC insisted “Tonight” had become a Hollywood-centric show and needed to stay in California.
Mr. Fallon quickly impressed NBC’s new management under Comcast, and his succession has been widely expected for at least a year. The only question has been when.Mr. Fallon quickly impressed NBC’s new management under Comcast, and his succession has been widely expected for at least a year. The only question has been when.
The potential timetable for the change — sometime within the next 18 months — has been tied to Mr. Leno’s current contract, which ends in the fall of 2014, as well as the need to sign Mr. Fallon to a new deal. The potential timetable for the change — sometime in the next 18 months — has been tied to Mr. Leno’s current contract, which ends in fall 2014, as well as the need to sign Mr. Fallon to a new deal.
But one executive said NBC did not want Mr. Fallon to appear on the open market, where another network could try to woo him away — perhaps CBS, as a replacement for Mr. Letterman when he retired. Another complicating factor has been Mr. Leno’s success in the ratings.
Given the past turbulence involved in changing hosts, NBC wants to make the transition to Mr. Fallon as smooth as possible. But the issue became both complicated and fractious in recent months. In recent weeks, he has continued to finish first — always in the category of total viewers and usually among viewers ages 18 to 49, the most sought-after group for late-night advertisers.
The relationship between Mr. Leno and NBC became strained recently when the host told some jokes on his show about NBC’s poor performance in prime time, initiating a hostile e-mail exchange with Robert Greenblatt, the chairman of NBC Entertainment.
On Wednesday NBC said the conflict with Mr. Leno was being smoothed over.
Another complicating factor has been Mr. Leno’s continued success in the ratings.
When he was replaced by Mr. O’Brien, Mr. Leno was a dominant No. 1 in the late-night competition, and was unhappy to be asked to try to initiate a prime-time hour. When that show failed, and Mr. Leno was reinstated on “Tonight,” he eventually was able to regain his leadership in the ratings.
Indeed, Mr. Leno, as he often has in his career, has proved unexpectedly resilient in the ratings. In recent weeks, he has continued to finish first — always in the category of total viewers and usually among viewers between the ages of 18 and 49, the most sought-after age group for late-night advertisers.
As one of the executives involved in the planning of the shift to Mr. Fallon put it: “And then Jay manages to stay ahead of Kimmel. How often has that guy been underestimated?”As one of the executives involved in the planning of the shift to Mr. Fallon put it: “And then Jay manages to stay ahead of Kimmel. How often has that guy been underestimated?”