A month or two ago, TV reporter Aaron Barnhart and I sat in a delicatessen not far from CBS and discussed the fate of NBC late night in its forthcoming reconfiguration. At the time, Aaron was starting to predict not-good things for the Peacock Network in that daypart…and his reservations have blossomed into this firmer foreboding. I think he just may be right.
At the same time, I'm surprised there aren't other players in this game. If I were running a cable network or a big syndication company, I'd think this was the ideal time to jump into late night with something altogether different. As Aaron notes, America's interest in Jay, Dave, Conan and the rest is in decline. Maybe the new configuration of Jay, Conan and Jimmy Fallon will turn things around. Maybe. Or maybe it'll just make viewers feel oversaturated with the same kinds of shows, whereupon they'd flock to something more spontaneous. The talk shows of today have cribbed everything possible from Steve Allen except the notion that it can be fun when the host doesn't know everything that's about to happen and is prepared for anything.
Anyway, go read Aaron for why the new NBC layout may have problems.