Jay Leno Show: After Two Months: What's Next?
Does Jay's New Primetime Gig Have What It Takes To Succeed?
Nov 3, 2009
In a previous article, The Jay Leno Show was reviewed after being on the air for two months. The show has promise, but a continued decline in ratings raises concerns. Here, the review is continued.
The Main Guest
Next, the main guest for the evening, usually an actor, appears. It is still difficult accepting Jay without his desk for these segments. He is obviously trying to distance himself from his former late night competition by not having the desk, but the new show is naturally based on Jay’s persona, and every time a guest asks about the desk, Jay offers the “NBC is cutting costs” line.
Although CBS and ABC have not permitted their actors to appear on the show with a few exceptions, the guest segments are generally good.
Earn Your Plug!
A problem tends to emerge after the commercial break. In order to show a clip of their particular project, the guest has to “earn their plug.” For example, in the November 2nd episode Mariah Carey showed a short video of her latest single with Jay superimposed in the video for laughs.
Most of these “earn your plugs” are pointless. Some are funny, but those tend to work only when the main guest is a comedian. One exceptional plug was Chelsea Handler’s October 28th appearance, as she traded barbs with Jay, drawing major applause from the audience.
Green Car Challenge
The “Green Car Challenge” happens up to twice a week, following the main guest’s appearance. In short, a celebrity drives a car around a track, with obstacles including a cardboard cut-out of Al Gore and streamers shot toward the car. It is great for the Ford company, but not for the viewer. These challenges seriously need to be scaled back or dropped.
The Musical Guest
No more than two musical acts perform in a week, and the show tries to create memorable, unique moments by pairing two performers together. The placement of the musical guest, always a high point for this reviewer during The Tonight Show, is perplexing.
The musical spot, traditionally reserved for the final few minutes, now happens just after the thirty-minute mark. With recent reports suggesting local late night news casts are attracting fewer numbers, having more musical guests placed at the end of the show might alleviate this problem.
10 @ 10:00
For nights without a musical guest, the show often incorporates “10 @ 10:00,” a segment where Jay asks ten questions to a celebrity via satellite. This segment is only as good as the guest being interviewed, along with their ability to sound like they haven’t been coached in their answers. Senator John McCain, along with several other politicians including House Rep. Barney Frank, were especially enjoyable with their quips.
The questions are very softball, with late night comics, particularly David Letterman, routinely lampooning this segment. Unless it is dropped or improved considerably, “10 @ 10:00” will continue to damage the show’s critical standing.
Tonight Show Staples
Jay now puts his Headlines, Jaywalking, JayWalk All-Stars Game Show, Stuff Found on eBay, and other Tonight Show regular spots at the show’s conclusion. For Headlines, he does use the desk. Most of these spots are funny, as they should be, yet again, this may very well be part of the reason local affiliates are not having a stronger lead-in.
The Jay Leno Show is a continuation of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and there is nothing wrong with that. As Jay has said on numerous occasions, if something works, why fix it. He is truly gifted, and this reviewer has watched him for the past ten years.
However, in order for the new show to have long-term success, Jay and his writers need to re-evaluate their present format. Jay is a car nut, and to put it in car talk, it is time to take The Jay Leno Show to the mechanic.
 |
