Confirmed By NBC, Leno to retire in 2014

[Bionicfanboy66]

NBC/Universal has confirmed that Jay Leno will retire from The Tonight Show and the show will relocate back to New York with Jimmy Fallon as host following the 2014 Winter Olympics.

[jwyblejr]

I'm trying to figure out why NBC talked Leno out of his first retirement if this was going to happen.

[Mikey]

Personally, I can't stand both Leno and Fallon so this news does nothing for me.

[Bionicfanboy66]

Letterman was having a field day with this news just a few minutes ago. Can imagine Ferguson will do the same. It's no secret that Leno's peers can't stand him.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I couldn't care less, especially after screwing Conan over the last time.

Chris

[MIB41]

Suffice to say Leno will never have a TENTH of the legacy Johnny Carson had after he left. Carson always carried himself with dignity and class. And more importantly he always treated the people around him in the same fashion.

[noelani72]

Suffice to say Leno will never have a TENTH of the legacy Johnny Carson had after he left. Carson always carried himself with dignity and class. And more importantly he always treated the people around him in the same fashion.

ditto.
After Carson, they might as well just shut the show down...no one can match his style.

[madmarva]

Carson was the master of the form, building on Jack Parr's foundation. It sucked that Leno and his agent angled him out before he truly wanted to go, and really cut Letterman's throat over the job, too. I still remember Letterman having Leno on all the time for his "What's My Beef" bit.

Leno, of course, undermined Conan, too, and it's a measure of justice that both his attempt at a 10 pm est. show and his 11:30 pm est. didn't draw the ratings to keep going for very long.

The only good thing about Leno, imo, is that he kept Letterman's competitive juices flowing to a degree.

Of Kimmel, Fallon and Ferguson, Fallon is the least comfortable in the role of interviewer. His interviews, if I can call them that, are less substantial than the lightweight fare of the others. He's best when relying on his talent and skills honed and put to much better use on Saturday Night Live. If he's going to be asked to do a more traditional show in the earlier slot, he's going to have improve a ton or he's going to crash and burn.

Of the three, Kimmel falls more into the mold of a traditional host, but I enjoy Ferguson's show the best. He's the best writer of the trio and generally brings something fun out of the interview. He can also be engaging when he takes a more serious course. Honestly, he'd probably be better than Kimmel, if he decided to go the more traditional route.

[HardyGirl]

Agreed. That's when the Tonight show meant something.

ditto.
After Carson, they might as well just shut the show down...no one can match his style.

[Bionicfanboy66]

Never really been a Leno fan, but I do give him credit for his work ethnic. Ferguson seems to share that same ethnic. When they're not taping their shows, they're out on the road doing their standup routines.

[Mikey]

Like one commentator said, kids don't watch latenight talk shows anymore.

It all 40 somethings and older

Afew years down the road they'll probably all be gone

[Hector]

Never been a fan of interview shows, whether it's morning fare or late night talk shows

I do love Leno's impressive car collection, one of the best in the world.

[toys2cool]

I like Leno, rumors are he's being pushed out...he doesn't really wanna go

[Duncan]

Leno, of course, undermined Conan, too, and it's a measure of justice that both his attempt at a 10 pm est. show and his 11:30 pm est. didn't draw the ratings to keep going for very long.

Of Kimmel, Fallon and Ferguson, Fallon is the least comfortable in the role of interviewer. His interviews, if I can call them that, are less substantial than the lightweight fare of the others. He's best when relying on his talent and skills honed and put to much better use on Saturday Night Live. If he's going to be asked to do a more traditional show in the earlier slot, he's going to have improve a ton or he's going to crash and burn.

Agree on both counts. I really can't watch Tonight anymore because I just don't like Leno, personally, after what he did to Conan. I hadn't heard about the Carson part. And Fallon - yeah, his interviews can be painful to watch. His sketches & other stuff remind me of the early Letterman stuff, which is great. However, I'm not sure how he'll fare in the Tonight format.

[Random Axe]

I personally don't find anything at all funny about Fallon. Not one single sketch, character or joke he's ever told, written or acted have I been amused with. So I think he's the worst possible choice to replace Leno, who I find funny and talented regardless of his past backroom dealings. You really need someone who can work off the cuff and improv with the guests, so my vote is for Drew Carey. He's a freakin nightmare on Price is Right, so let's get him back in his element. Wayne Brady could be his sidekick, which is about all he's good for.