Late Shifting
Am I the only person who isn’t particularly offended by the news Jimmy Fallon will be taking over Late Night next summer? This isn’t to say I’ll be watching, but as a strategic move in chess game of late night programming, it makes perfect sense. Let us not forget the genre is clearly in its waning years. Really, network television, like newspapers, aren’t a particularly sound investment right now. That being said, the transition from where we are now to where we will eventually be isn’t going to be immediate, and frankly, we probably won’t see it happening. One day we’ll just wake up, go to work, stumble over to the water cooler and say to whomever is standing there, “Hey, did you watch Letterman last night?” To which they will undoubtedly respond, “What’s a letterman?” And then you will realize that they don’t even have televisions at the nursing home and that you haven’t gone to work in 23 years. More after the jump…
Young men make up the bread and butter of the economics of the late night universe, and all business decisions seem to be made in efforts to court them. What is most curious about the Jimmy Fallon decision is their assumption that Fallon is some sort of hero to the dudes. Common sense would indicate that this couldn’t be further from the truth. Was he successful on SNL because of his characters and comedic sensibility? Hardly. He was popular because he was cute. This leads to the question: could a Fallon-helmed Late Night actually attract a female audience, and wouldn’t such a development actually be more significant than simply winning over — as Maebe Funke said — “[that] idiot demographic.”
In the end I’m sure he’ll do fine. Hell, Carson Daily is still on the air — clearly the key to succeeding in Late Night is wearing down your audience to the point of acceptance. Still, I wonder if any of this really matters? Honestly, I don’t know. I’m inclined to say the whole talk-show medium is on its way out, especially with Stewart and Colbert continuing to go strong in alternative formats. Then again, I can’t imagine a world where there isn’t late night talk. Perhaps the ratings will continue to erode but then plateau. Maybe it is a program-type that will always have an audience, so long as the person behind the desk isn’t absolutely repulsive. I think the difference is the notion of a “Late Night King” might be a bit outdated, but don’t tell that to Jay.
Tags: Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Late Night, NBC, The Late Shift
