David Letterman to retire in 2015

[Rusty Muck 4176]

#3 is interesting: Bob Saget. Yes, Bob "America's Funniest Home Videos" Saget. (And How I Met Your Mother's Bob Saget, too, might as well.) He seems safe, vanilla, Lenoish.

 

And then you go and watch his stand-up act, where literally every other word is "fuck".

 

Yeah. He'd have to clean up his act significantly but if he lets a little bit of that anti-Danny Tanner edge out...

 

Saget quit America's Funniest Home Videos because he got tired of playing the squeaky-clean type (Full House had already ended by 1995) and of AFV's repetitive format. His last two seasons on the show were pretty bad as Vin de Bona forced Saget to honor his AFV contract, resulting in Saget going through the motions and frequently breaking character on the show.

 

Apparently no one currently at TV Guide remembers that.

 

If they are considering Bob Saget, then heck, Lewis Black should be considered, as he's done quite a bit of kiddie cartoon voice-over work. I like Lewis Black, and don't mind Bob Saget, but neither would work at 11:30 on OTA network television. Different story if they were to host late-night shows on basic cable, but this is CBS we're talking about.

[Rusty Muck 4176]

Here's one thing about Tina Fey that I don't think anyone is getting.

 

She's worked with Lorne Micheals for years as SNL's head writer, on "30 Rock" (Lorne was the EP), and in several movies dating back to "Mean Girls." She also co-anchored Weekend Update with Fallon. And she strikes me as someone who is loyal to the people and the network that gave her the big break, not unlike Leno or Seinfeld. Heck, she de facto returned to SNL in 2008, two years after leaving to launch "30 Rock", with her larger-than-life Sarah Palin impression!

 

So why would she go to CBS to host a show that would go directly opposite "Tonight" and Fallon and Lorne (and presumably would still be taped in NYC if CraigyFerg doesn't take over)? That would make Joan Rivers' infamous Fox defection - one that alienated her from Johnny Carson for all eternity - seem like a sound business decision.

 

I cannot consider Tina based on that alone.

[NEOMatrix 1295]

 

Saget quit America's Funniest Home Videos because he got tired of playing the squeaky-clean type (Full House had already ended by 1995) and of AFV's repetitive format. His last two seasons on the show were pretty bad as Vin de Bona forced Saget to honor his AFV contract, resulting in Saget going through the motions and frequently breaking character on the show.

 

Apparently no one currently at TV Guide remembers that.

 

If they are considering Bob Saget, then heck, Lewis Black should be considered, as he's done quite a bit of kiddie cartoon voice-over work. I like Lewis Black, and don't mind Bob Saget, but neither would work at 11:30 on OTA network television. Different story if they were to host late-night shows on basic cable, but this is CBS we're talking about.

I don't know, CBS has went pretty lowbrow in primetime in the last couple of years.

[bostonmediaguy 123]

Does Dave have any say? I believe he still owns "The Late Show" and "The Late Late Show." Does that cease upon his retirement?

[TexasTVNews 1367]

Chelsea Handler is in negotiations with CBS for a late night talk show.

http://www.thewrap.com/cbs-david-letterman-chelsea-handler-late-show?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=contactology

[Rusty Muck 4176]

Does Dave have any say? I believe he still owns "The Late Show" and "The Late Late Show." Does that cease upon his retirement?

I assume that he still will have control over Worldwide Pants, which owns the intellectual property to "Late" and "Late Late."

 

Chelsea Handler is in negotiations with CBS for a late night talk show.

http://www.thewrap.com/cbs-david-letterman-chelsea-handler-late-show?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=contactology

Based on the article, if CraigyFerg doesn't want "The Late Show," the job is Chelsea's to lose. (I don't get why the article states that CBS may not even offer the job to CraigyFerg... apparently the writer is completely unaware of the Prince of Wales Contract Clause.)

 

Chelsea would be better suited for 12:35/11:35. Just my personal opinion.

[24994J 5279]

 

Chelsea Handler is in negotiations with CBS for a late night talk show.

http://www.thewrap.com/cbs-david-letterman-chelsea-handler-late-show?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=contactology

 

CBS contacted Handler to discuss the potential of hosting a syndicated show in the wake of her announcing this week that she's leaving E! when her contract expires at the end of the year. But Handler has told CBS that she isn't interested in that option.

 

As a result, CBS then expressed interest in considering Handler for Craig Ferguson's 12:30 a.m. slot.

 

She will be meeting with CBS Corp.'s chairman and CEO Les Moonves in the next few weeks to continue the discussions of joining CBS's late night lineup, the individual said. But, Letterman's retirement announcement on Thursday has changed the landscape for her. Handler now has her eye on Letterman's “Late Show” spot instead. Either time slot would make her the first-ever woman to host a late night broadcast show since Joan Rivers’ short-lived late night show on Fox, which ended in 1987.

Pardon my French, but has Les Moonves lost his fucking mind???

[News 9 Viewer 100]

 

You mean Chris Spencer (who was Vibe's first host before Sinbad)?

 

And in the early '90s, Jane Whitney had a topical talk show which aired on late nights in most markets.

 

But let's think outside the box: What about...

 

Adam Carolla

Colin Quinn

Norm MacDonald (who once spoofed Letterman on SNL)

Chris Hardwick

Wayne Brady (to go along with his day job on Let's Make A Deal)

George Lopez (in his return to late night)

Brooke Burke-Charvet

Carrie Keagan?

 

Hardwick is a better fit for what he's doing in late night now, hosting @midnight, a game show on which stand up comics make fun of what's happening on the internet, on Comedy Central. Plus Comedy Central is just starting to really put some effort into promoting that show.

[Jess 1110]

Here's the pertinent paragraph about 11:35 according to Ebersol:

 

 

Johnny urged that whatever else SNL did, the guest host should come out early and have something funny to say. And he emphasized that playing at eleven thirty you had to always be aware that in the center of the country the show would come on at ten thirty. More viewers would be awake and available, and so “you better be able to play in Chicago and St. Louis or you won’t have a chance.”

 

Carter, Bill (2010-11-04). The War for Late Night: When Leno Went Early and Television Went Crazy (Kindle Locations 2554-2557). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.

Read into that what you will. I think people at NBC got a little too concerned with how Conan would play in Chicago. (Remember, his last few weeks - when he abandoned all pretense of toning it down - was when he caught fire.) Audiences are way more permissive today than when "NBC's Saturday Night" went on the air in 1975, I'll agree. And with Kimmel and Fallon, yes, the goal here is to try to get younger.

 

With Ferguson, the concern to me isn't raunchiness - I mean, come on, they managed to transfer him to 11am for a day! - but the way he does his show. Pretty much every late-night host has followed the Carson footprint. House band, monologue of jokes, announcer/sidekick, etc. And it's not just Leno and Letterman - Conan, Fallon, and now Myers have followed that formula regardless of what time they go on the air.

 

Ferguson's show is just about as anti-Carson as you can get. There's no house band, announcer, etc. And the monologue is less a bunch of jokes and more of a stream-of-consciousness, off-the-cuff rambling. Even the camera position is tighter, more intimate. It allows for some really funny stuff as well as some really heartfelt, meaningful stuff. There are several speeches I return to because they are so brave and powerful. Ferguson's "No Britney Jokes" monologue is one of them.

 

So what do you do - do you bring Ferguson's Late Late Show to 11:35, keep the format, and see if the more offbeat approach works? Or do you add or start adding those more familiar elements? How would he work with a house band and a not-robot-skeleton-army announcer? Either CBS goes with a way different and far riskier approach for 11:35, or Ferguson has to adapt to a more traditional show. I think the strength is that he has Peter Lassally as EP, and Lassally worked with Carson and Dave. Lassally also was the one who encouraged Craig to be himself and let the monologues become looser. Lassally and Ferguson would have an easier time adjusting to the new slot than Jeff Ross and Conan O'Brien did. Part of that, admittedly, is that Craig Ferguson won't be getting The Tonight Show, and the cache and baggage that goes with that.

 

Who knows, though. They could have some real success with an unknown. Conan's most recent credit prior to Late Night was one of the head writers of an animated TV show. (Even though The Simpsons is the greatest television series to ever be produced, and the season he worked on might be the greatest season of all - the sacred Season 4.) Arsenio was previously voicing a character based on Ernie Hudson - The Real Ghostbusters. Jon Stewart was hosting something called "You Wrote It You Watched It" on MTV.

 

 

 

Here's one thing about Tina Fey that I don't think anyone is getting.

 

She's worked with Lorne Micheals for years as SNL's head writer, on "30 Rock" (Lorne was the EP), and in several movies dating back to "Mean Girls." She also co-anchored Weekend Update with Fallon. And she strikes me as someone who is loyal to the people and the network that gave her the big break, not unlike Leno or Seinfeld. Heck, she de facto returned to SNL in 2008, two years after leaving to launch "30 Rock", with her larger-than-life Sarah Palin impression!

 

So why would she go to CBS to host a show that would go directly opposite "Tonight" and Fallon and Lorne (and presumably would still be taped in NYC if CraigyFerg doesn't take over)? That would make Joan Rivers' infamous Fox defection - one that alienated her from Johnny Carson for all eternity - seem like a sound business decision.

 

I cannot consider Tina based on that alone.

 

You make a fantastic point. With certain people, if you make it on NBC, you're NBC for life. Tina does strike me as one of them. Plus, she has a movie career - there are a lot more reasons to not take the post than to take the post.

 

Already the New York tabloids are gossiping about who's been approached. Tina Fey was mentioned. So was Ellen. As I stated before, I think Ellen could transition to a very funny late night show very, very easily.

 

I disagree with your assumption about where they'll tape the successor to Late Show. With Tonight now in NYC, that leaves a gaping hole open out west, where you can accommodate movie stars rather easily. In other words, I will be shocked if the show isn't from CBS Television City in Hollywood.

 

I agree with Weeters: Whatever CBS ends up airing at 11:35/10:35 central will be very, very different from Dave.

[Rusty Muck 4176]

Pardon my French' date=' but has Les Moonves lost his fucking mind???[/b']

Two words: Julie Chen.

[Jess 1110]

 

Pardon my French, but has Les Moonves lost his fucking mind???

 

He makes sure his wife has gainful employment on his television network.

 

He lost his mind a lonnnnnnnng time ago.

 

EDIT: Goddammit Myron beat me to it.

 

---

 

Anyway, ratingswise... the ones they cite don't look good, but Ferguson's show has to skew differently than Fallon or Meyers.

 

---

 

Also, rant: it's impossible for me to take seriously a site that can't load its CSS styles at all. And it's from a ThemeForest template.

[24994J 5279]

I should of included *Julie Chen Notwithstanding.

 

I'm still mad that we could have had a return of 'Pyramid' with Andy Richter.

[nomadcowatbk 144]

What happens to the Ed Sullivan theater if the replacement show is out west?

[nomadcowatbk 144]

If CBS makes Conan an offer, will TBS match or beat it? Conan's problem was Leno at 10PM dragged down the 11pm news of local stations

[24994J 5279]

 

If CBS makes Conan an offer, will TBS match or beat it? Conan's problem was Leno at 10PM dragged down the 11pm news of local stations

 

They won the proverbial lottery when they picked him up. He's pretty much the face of the network now.

 

They'd be nuts to not do everything in their power to keep him.

[Rusty Muck 4176]

What happens to the Ed Sullivan theater if the replacement show is out west?

CBS will more than likely use it to host a syndicated talk/variety show.

 

It's not as if the studio will be shuttered forever, but it may not host a network show of the significance of "Late Show" again. Having both "Tonight" and "Late Night" in NYC can't be helping Dave with booking guests; and as HulkieD mentioned, there is a gaping hole on the West Coast with booking guests following "Tonight's" relocation.

 

CBS Television City may host both "Late Show" and "Late Late" when all is said and done.

[nomadcowatbk 144]

 

They won the proverbial lottery when they picked him up. He's pretty much the face of the network now.

 

They'd be nuts to not do everything in their power to keep him.

 

can TBS afford to keep him or can CBS afford to lure him away?

[24994J 5279]

 

can TBS afford to keep him or can CBS afford to lure him away?

 

That's the thing. But, I did see that O'Brien's contract isn't up til November of 2015, which could certainly complicate things.

[TexasTVNews 1367]

 

I should of included *Julie Chen Notwithstanding.

 

I'm still mad that we could have had a return of 'Pyramid' with Andy Richter.

 

And even though its been 5 years since the tiffany network did the '09 pilot, I'm still mad at CBS for passing up $1,000,000 Pyramid for LMAD and The Talk (I Hate the Talk, especially Julie).

[A3N 996]

Les Moonves is no dummy. He certainly has a pretty good grasp on where he wants to take the CBS network. He is looking to change the late night landscape in a way that will be far different than we are accustomed to- whether that be Chelsea Handler or Craig Ferguson. Neither can be considered the prototypical late night talk show host, and certainly they will break the traditional mold of late night tv. As far as Julie Chen is concerned, she was unbearable and had no business at the Early Show (and certainly I was no fan of hers), however, she has really done well with The Talk. She is more loose and shows some personality on the show, and to me she seems like less of a b*tch now than her days at The Early Show. Not too mention that The Talk is doing very well for CBS.

[tyrannical bastard 3476]

...and if it wasn't for Ted Harbert, we would probably never even heard of Chelsea Handler to begin with!

[Nelson R. 560]

And even though its been 5 years since the tiffany network did the '09 pilot, I'm still mad at CBS for passing up $1,000,000 Pyramid for LMAD and The Talk (I Hate the Talk, especially Julie).

At least made Let's Make a Deal and Pyramid only 30 minutes each.

[A3N 996]

There's a reason why CBS never brought back Pyramid. It probably ranged from interest in the show to cost to produce. LMAD is very cheap- look at the set, the prizes and the fact that the show is not shot/produced in HD. A show like The Talk brings in the female demo that is consistent with CBS' afternoon programming of soaps/talk shows. Like it or not, The Talk is cheaper to produce than a soap and some game shows, plus it helps to promote other CBS shows as well.

[TheOneManHerd 553]

 

There's a reason why CBS never brought back Pyramid. It probably ranged from interest in the show to cost to produce. LMAD is very cheap- look at the set, the prizes and the fact that the show is not shot/produced in HD. A show like The Talk brings in the female demo that is consistent with CBS' afternoon programming of soaps/talk shows. Like it or not, The Talk is cheaper to produce than a soap and some game shows, plus it helps to promote other CBS shows as well.

 

...and there you go. The number one concern of any network, save for HBO, is to churn out programming for as little money as possible. Even if something's a surefire blockbuster; if it costs a lot, it won't get made. Viewership and the advertising dollar has become diluted with so many media channels just on-air, let alone online.

[Jess 1110]

 

There's a reason why CBS never brought back Pyramid. It probably ranged from interest in the show to cost to produce. LMAD is very cheap- look at the set, the prizes and the fact that the show is not shot/produced in HD. A show like The Talk brings in the female demo that is consistent with CBS' afternoon programming of soaps/talk shows. Like it or not, The Talk is cheaper to produce than a soap and some game shows, plus it helps to promote other CBS shows as well.

 

I don't think cost to produce was a factor - didn't stop it from running so long in an era where $10/$25k prizes were incredibly significant. Plus, the Winner's Circle is pretty much the most thrilling final round to a game show ever, regardless of top prize. The Pyramid is #2 on my list of top game shows ever made. (#1 is Jeopardy.)

 

Mind you, the remake did get made on GSN - as The Pyramid. Top prizes for the Winner's Circle depended on how many 7-out-of-7s you got, so it could be $10k up to $25k. I think the fact that a very good, very accurate remake of the show couldn't manage to live half as long as the technobombination of Donnymid despite airing on GSN says something.

 

Plus, another reason why LMAD got picked up and Pyramid didn't? Product placement.

 

Look at TPiR - it's nothing but product placement. Every One Bid round, every New Car, every Dinette Set, and the loving descriptions that accompany them are the very embodiment of product placement. Same with LMAD. Even Wheel of Fortune gets in on the action - note how half the prizes on the wheel have logos on them now. And there are even the occasonal sponsored categories in Jeopardy!