Jay Leno to stay with NBC; New 10 PM show

[DeToxRox]

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NBC Expected to Give 10 P.M. Show to Leno
By BILL CARTER

NBC is expected to announce Tuesday that it has signed its late-night star Jay Leno to a new contract that will keep him at the network in a new format that will give him the 10 p.m. time period each weeknight for a show similar to the one he has done on NBC’s “Tonight Show” show since 1993.

Five years ago NBC announced that it would give the job of host of that franchise late-night show to Conan O’Brien in May 2010. Since then the network has maneuvered to try to keep Mr. Leno, who continues to be the late-night ratings leader, at the network in some capacity, fearing that he could leave and start a new late-night show on a competitor.

Mr. Leno was known to have suitors, including ABC, the Fox network and the Sony television studio. The new show is expected to be set in Mr. Leno’s longtime studio in Burbank, Calif. Mr. O’Brien will move the “Tonight” show to a new studio on the NBC Universal lot in Universal City, Calif.

No broadcast network has ever before offered the same show in prime time five nights a week. Such so-called “stripped shows” have been a staple of daytime broadcasting.

The offer of a new weeknight show for Mr. Leno at 10 p.m., an idea that NBC executives said Monday came from the NBC chief executive, Jeff Zucker, not only allows NBC to retain Mr. Leno’s services, but also means the network may be able to greatly reduce costs of developing and producing other prime-time shows.

Only Monday Mr. Zucker appeared at a UBS lunch in New York and suggested that in the future networks might have to cut back on the hours of prime time they program. The daily program with Mr. Leno would effectively cut back the number of hours NBC needed to fill each week from 22 to 17.

Mr. Leno had no comment. NBC executives also declined to comment.

But the network is expected to announce the new deal with Mr. Leno at a news conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

[Jas_lov]

This is bound to flop. Nobody is going to watch his horrendous show when Conan's will be twice as good. Terrible idea.

[Logan]

There are a lot of people who like Leno's more corny joke style and can't stand Conan's general goofiness. Personally, I enjoy both. Leno still gets great ratings and this will get viewers.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by Jas_lov

This is bound to flop. Nobody is going to watch his horrendous show when Conan's will be twice as good. Terrible idea.

Conan and Leno target differenet audiences, I think. Conan will have to mature when he gets his new show. Not that he'll change his personality, but I think that the material might change or mature. I actually think it could be a good concept with Leno at 10. Capture a new audience that won't stay up until 11:30 PM. However, it depends on what the new format is exactly.

[Greyroofoo]

I've always liked Leno and Conan as well, glad NBC is keeping them both.

[QuikSand]

I'm sure some of our more media-savvy types around here will know this... what is the typical "market leading" audience (in number of viewers) at the 11:30pm slot that Leno apparently wins, compared to the number of viewers it takes for a respectable showing by a so-called major network at 10pm? My guess is that Leno will not just have to keep his current audience, but probably double or triple its numbers for this to work. Of course, I suppose if you can make the show so cheaply that you don't mind selling your ads for half-rate, then it's a "win" of sorts. Rearrange some of those deck chairs while you're at it, matey.

[Capital]

I personally like Leno more than Conan they should give him the 10:00 slot.

[Capital]

Come to think of it, does NBC have any 10:00 shows...well I still do like the L&O shows...

[Celeval]

ER is their biggie, although that's going to be done by the time this shows up, no?

FWIW, I've never been able to stand Conan.

[Jas_lov]

ER is done after this season. SVU is probably their other big show at that time slot but they can always move it. The regular law and order has been a joke since Jerry Orbach died, god rest his soul, and they should can it already.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

I'm sure some of our more media-savvy types around here will know this... what is the typical "market leading" audience (in number of viewers) at the 11:30pm slot that Leno apparently wins, compared to the number of viewers it takes for a respectable showing by a so-called major network at 10pm? My guess is that Leno will not just have to keep his current audience, but probably double or triple its numbers for this to work.

Here's a quick snapshot from back in October, the numbers are reasonably consistent barring repeats or big events (for example McCain on Leno after the election drew about a 4.9 rating).

For the last week in September Leno pulled a 1.3 rtg P18-49, total audience (2+) of 4.7 million, off about 9%-10% for this year vs last year.

By comparison last week (first to worst rtg, 18-49, NBC bolded)
Monday 10p was 3.0 - 2.3 - 1.6 - 1.4
Tuesday 10p was 3.6 - 2.5 - 1.6 - 1.2
Wed 10p was 3.6 - 2.9 - 1.7 - 1.2
Thur 10p was 4.2 - 3.2 - 2.7 - 1.2
Fri 10p was 2.3 - 1.8 - 1.2 - 1.1

Given the larger available audience at 10p, I'd guess he'll probably end up with something around a 2.0 to a 3.0 depending upon the lineup and the competition on different nights, not quite doubling his number on average but coming close without doing anything different. Given the cost savings versus a scripted show plus a comfort factor with Leno for advertisers, I wouldn't imagine they'd lose anything in the deal & might even come out ahead (as long as they don't lose revenue from the changes in late night). Local affiliates might actually see a decent gain from the switch if it works out okay number wise too, as Leno will be easier to sell than some of the random crap that NBC has been flinging at the wall, although I suspect they'll have a tougher time maintaining late night revenue than the network.

[jeff061]

Originally Posted by Jas_lov

This is bound to flop. Nobody is going to watch his horrendous show when Conan's will be twice as good. Terrible idea.

Staring at the corner of your living room is more entertaining as well, but that hasn't slowed him down.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Jas_lov

This is bound to flop. Nobody is going to watch his horrendous show when Conan's will be twice as good. Terrible idea.

Umm ... you do realize than less than half as many people currently watch Conan as watch Leno, right? And that Craig Ferguson basically has as many viewers as Conan at this point? Hell, Carson Daly is closer to catching Conan than Conan is to catching Leno.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Jas_lov

This is bound to flop. Nobody is going to watch his horrendous show when Conan's will be twice as good. Terrible idea.

I always love the "I don't like X, thus no one likes X" response that these sorts of things always get.

Originally Posted by Galaxy

Conan and Leno target differenet audiences, I think. Conan will have to mature when he gets his new show. Not that he'll change his personality, but I think that the material might change or mature. I actually think it could be a good concept with Leno at 10. Capture a new audience that won't stay up until 11:30 PM. However, it depends on what the new format is exactly.

I agree with this, tho. I've talked with my wife a few times about this- Conan loves to play the "1 joke too far" game where he always has to have that last one that goes over the edge (Celebrity survey where the last joke is invariably something horrible about Paris Hilton, that one last Triumph joke that puts him over the top, etc). And I just don't think he will be able to do that during the newer show.

However...

SI

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

I'm sure some of our more media-savvy types around here will know this... what is the typical "market leading" audience (in number of viewers) at the 11:30pm slot that Leno apparently wins, compared to the number of viewers it takes for a respectable showing by a so-called major network at 10pm? My guess is that Leno will not just have to keep his current audience, but probably double or triple its numbers for this to work. Of course, I suppose if you can make the show so cheaply that you don't mind selling your ads for half-rate, then it's a "win" of sorts. Rearrange some of those deck chairs while you're at it, matey.

...I think this will fail and Quik hit the nail right on the head. Then again, JiMGA knows this stuff better than any of us so I'll defer somewhat to him and at least consider it.

However, you remove a few more hours of prime time and that's 5 less hours you have to get that hit prime time show you can build around. Like in sports, it seems that tv is all about grabbing a couple of franchise "players" and building around them and you're lessening the number of slots you can "throw crap at the wall and see what sticks".

Not only that, but there's always the risk that the "late night" format or even the new format of the show just doesn't work in the 10pm hour as it's not what people expect.

SI

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

And I just don't think he will be able to do that during the newer show.

If he does, he won't have a newer show long.

And I at least halfway suspect that's why NBC made a drastic move to keep Leno around, waiting for Conan to flop and move Leno back into the slot 2-3 years down the road.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

However, you remove a few more hours of prime time and that's 5 less hours you have to get that hit prime time show you can build around. Like in sports, it seems that tv is all about grabbing a couple of franchise "players" and building around them and you're lessening the number of slots you can "throw crap at the wall and see what sticks".

Problem is, NBC hasn't been able to find & sustain a franchise player for 9pm lately so their odds of finding one for 10p don't seem all that hot anyway.

Not only that, but there's always the risk that the "late night" format or even the new format of the show just doesn't work in the 10pm hour as it's not what people expect.

Now this is a very real possibility.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Problem is, NBC hasn't been able to find & sustain a franchise player for 9pm lately so their odds of finding one for 10p don't seem all that hot anyway.

Well, arguably their largest franchise of the last couple of years (Heroes) grew out of 10e/9c slot, iirc.

SI

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Well, arguably their largest franchise of the last couple of years (Heroes) grew out of 10e/9c slot, iirc.

And it's precisely the reason I included the word "sustain" in my phrasing. For whatever reason, it's gone into the tank & could turn out to be a show that Leno will outdeliver.

[ISiddiqui]

I agree with the different audience comments. I know some people that just love Leno's jokes and can't stand O'Brien or Letterman. Though I don't know if it'll work at 10 PM.

[Cringer]

This is fine by me, it means I can cross NBC off of my watch list from 9-10 without any problems. FOX news wins at 9 (10 EST) for me in the head to head. And why are Conan and Leno ratings being compared? I understand comparing Conan to Leno after Conan takes over that time slot, but now is kind of pointless, different time slots. I don't know......

Also, Conan gets the name "The Tonight Show" but to me they are announcing "The Tonight Show" is moving to 10 PM. Same host, same format, same studio.....same show. Conan just gets to move up an hour while Leno is still the main guy for the most part.

[Butter]

I think this will work the opposite of what some of you think. I think some people will stay up for Leno, and not bother to stay up for "The Tonight Show" any more once Conan takes over.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Interesting tidbit I didn't know
Though Leno’s will be the first strip show on a Big Four network in decades, the idea behind it is not new. NBC offered a similar deal to Johnny Carson and, years later, David Letterman, though both comedians refused.

[Logan]

Seems pretty clear that Leno isn't interested in retiring. Carson was much further along, and Letterman had to be pissed at the network by then.

[cuervo72]

Hello Leno, goodbye scripted shows? - Los Angeles Times

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Hello Leno, goodbye scripted shows? - Los Angeles Times

If the number of scripted shows goes down, my viewing habits will change drastically. I watch very little reality TV, zero prime time gameshows, and I hate talkshows like Leno and Letterman. I'll happily move over to the cable stations for scripted TV or increase my movie watching habits.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Article on the generally positive initial response from media buyers to the Leno move by NBC

In talking up the new Leno show, NBC Entertainment co-chairmen Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff, with Leno seated nearby, talked of NBC as a “comedy brand." That's how cable executives position their networks, TNT as the drama network, TBS as the comedy network, USA as the Characters Welcome network.

To brand NBC that way just five years ago would have been broadcast blasphemy. Broadcast was by definition everything for everyone, comedy, drama, game shows, kid shows, news--whatever viewers thought they needed.

That as much as anything most strikes media buyers about the deal, far more than the deal itself.

“The media marketplace is not defined by cable or network. We’re coming to that,” observes Larry Novenstern, executive vice president and joint managing director of Optimedia’s integrated broadcast and digital buying unit. And he thinks it's a smart move. “They are competing with everything out there with content. If you look at it from that perspective, this seems like a pretty decent decision.”

The move also marks an important shift for NBC, effectively removing it from the decades-long competition to be No. 1 on broadcast, a title it held onto until only a few years ago.

That new direction is more about making NBC work as a financial proposition as a part of a larger corporation structure, General Electric, and a sister network to a panoply of cable networks. ... Either way, NBC has little to lose. It will save a bundle of money while easing the pressure to come up with a slew of hit programs each year. And at the same time it will offer viewers and advertisers year-round programming, with fresh episodes all but a couple of weeks of the year. That in turn should deliver consistent audiences to NBC affiliates for their 11 p.m. news.

Further, by featuring short segments, the new Leno show will also lend itself to viewing on the internet, firming up NBC's position as the No. 1 broadcast network online.

“This is the future of television,” says Adgate. “There are a lot of screens and a lot of branded entertainment.”

There are some downsides, however. For one, it reduces the number of shows for advertisers to choose between, and if NBC's 10 p.m. ratings should take a tumble, that would reduce the amount of NBC's primetime inventory accordingly, and that could mean higher prices for advertisers.

But the benefits mostly outweigh the problems.

Leno is a well-known host who for years has ranked No. 1 in late night without the type of offensive content many advertisers shy away from. The show will almost never be in repeats.

“This will be an opportunity for us, as long as we’re open to change,” says Novenstern. “It’s just another signal that this is one marketplace and it should be evaluated as such.”

[CamEdwards]

As someone who doesn't watch primetime tv live (I dvr my few favorites), is there anything on at 10 p.m. right now that could be considered "wholesome" like Leno? If not, I wonder how long it's been since we've had a "wholesome" show on at that time slot in one of the Big 3 networks.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by CamEdwards

As someone who doesn't watch primetime tv live (I dvr my few favorites), is there anything on at 10 p.m. right now that could be considered "wholesome" like Leno? If not, I wonder how long it's been since we've had a "wholesome" show on at that time slot in one of the Big 3 networks.

Closest original would probably be "Myths & Legends" on TV Land (even that gets iffy on content). Roughly half the other shows in the time slot are variations of police procedurals and the rest are edgy dramas.

[DaddyTorgo]

awesome development here in Boston!

the local nbc affiliate is claiming it doesn't have to show leno and it's going to show local news instead because it thinks the leno show won't hold viewers. big bruhaha coming!

Jay Leno bumped in Boston: A serious break in NBC's dam? | Showbiz News and Scoop | Studio and Network Dish | EW.com

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

awesome development here in Boston!

the local nbc affiliate is claiming it doesn't have to show leno and it's going to show local news instead because it thinks the leno show won't hold viewers. big bruhaha coming!

Jay Leno bumped in Boston: A serious break in NBC's dam? | Showbiz News and Scoop | Studio and Network Dish | EW.com

Unless there is unusual language in their contract it won't be much of a brouhaha in the end. NBC will pull their affiliation and the station will be trying to launch a new newscast as a MyNetwork or RTN affiliate, and they'll be in the toilet shortly thereafter.

In this case, since they have an O&O in the market already, the network has more options than the affiliate. As far as I can think of there really isn't a highly successful news operation in any top 100 market (or more) that isn't linked to one of the Big Four networks, as nothing else can provide the lead-in you need to compete.

I'll grant you that at this point NBC ain't much of an affliation to have but it's a considerable sight better than the available alternatives.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Unless there is unusual language in their contract it won't be much of a brouhaha in the end. NBC will pull their affiliation and the station will be trying to launch a new newscast as a MyNetwork or RTN affiliate, and they'll be in the toilet shortly thereafter.

In this case, since they have an O&O in the market already, the network has more options than the affiliate. As far as I can think of there really isn't a highly successful news operation in any top 100 market (or more) that isn't linked to one of the Big Four networks, as nothing else can provide the lead-in you need to compete.

I'll grant you that at this point NBC ain't much of an affliation to have but it's a considerable sight better than the available alternatives.

I don't think NBC can afford to pull their affiliation. They don't really have any other realistic option.

Don't know what an O&O is though.

This is the same owner who took on NBC down in Miami, so I'm not that surprised to see him taking them on up here. Seems to be his MO. Least it makes things interesting, and nice to see someone telling NBC their idea is crap.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

I don't think NBC can afford to pull their affiliation. They don't really have any other realistic option. Don't know what an O&O is though.

An O&O is shorthand for Owned & Operated, meaning that NBC owns a local broadcast station in the market themselves. The article referred to it, it's currently a Telemundo affiliate (or Univision, or something spanish language).
There's no need for them to negotiate with anybody there, just move the NBC affliation to that channel instead.

While the article mention that it's current coverage area isn't as good as the existing affiliate, cable makes that as a pretty moot point and even if their station isn't getting carriage now it will as soon as they become the NBC affiliate.

Which leaves the current station high & damned near dry, not to mention starting over from a sales base of virtually nothing (and the timing for that is lousy at best).

nice to see someone telling NBC their idea is crap.

Except that in this case, assuming NBC doesn't blink (and they'd be nuts to do so) his idea turns out to be even more crap than NBC's.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

I don't think NBC can afford to pull their affiliation. They don't really have any other realistic option.

Don't know what an O&O is though.

This is the same owner who took on NBC down in Miami, so I'm not that surprised to see him taking them on up here. Seems to be his MO. Least it makes things interesting, and nice to see someone telling NBC their idea is crap.

I thought he owned the Fox affilate in Miami.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

I thought he owned the Fox affilate in Miami.

Yep, it's a Fox affiliate now. Was an NBC affiliate until the owner pulled this same stunt with NBC back in the late 80's (with their noon programming according to Wiki, which I frankly didn't realize the network even had since our local affiliate in Atlanta has always done local news at noon).

The end result of that squabble? NBC bought a local station & made it the affiliate there after an ugly squabble over the contracts. Pretty much what I'm predicting (minus the squabble) will happen in Boston. Except this time there isn't an open network affiliation to bail the guy out as there was in Miami at the time.
WSVN - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[kcchief19]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

The end result of that squabble? NBC bought a local station & made it the affiliate there after an ugly squabble over the contracts. Pretty much what I'm predicting (minus the squabble) will happen in Boston. Except this time there isn't an open network affiliation to bail the guy out as there was in Miami at the time.

It's a huge gamble for NBC either way. They can't afford to let their affiliates to think they can dump Leno but they can't really afford to have a weak affiliate in a city like Boston either. Flipping their O/O means they're losing a Telemundo affiliate too and pretty giving the market to Univision.

Affiliate switches rarely if ever work. Our NBC affiliate here in KC flipped in the mid-90s with the Fox/New World deal. WDAF was a very strong NBC affiliate. Even during NBC's heyday in the '90s the new affiliate was No. 4 in the market and 15 years later they're still at the bottom.

I think it's odd that it's the Boston affiliate going head to head since Leno grew up in Boston. If the NBC station there thinks Leno will suck, what chance does he have?

[Wolfpack]

Affiliate switches may not work often, but it did work out here in the Triangle back in the mid-80s when the local CBS and ABC affiliates flip-flopped because the parent of the then-CBS affiliate was I think bought out by ABC. Of course at the time, the two stations were far and away the strongest in the area (and Fox was years down the road) so it was more a matter of people having to change their channels since everything else was identical. Historically, the local NBC affiliate has always been the laggard and that's persisted through one affiliate switch. Even when NBC was a dominant network, the local newscast was getting slaughtered by the other two in the ratings. There have been other affiliate switches, but only one really worked out in that the local CBS affiliate started up a new channel, got it affiliated with the WB for a bit, then switched to Fox, which boosted its profile considerably (and gave the CBS affiliate owner a lot of strength locally) and pretty much crippled the former Fox affliate.

[cuervo72]

There was a switch in Philly a few years back too, where 3 went from NBC to CBS and 10 went from CBS to NBC. I had pretty much moved to MD by then, so thinking about it still seems off.

edit: reading about this is fascinating, having been removed from it so long.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WCAU_(T...rom_CBS_to_NBC

Then following the link to WPSG (1950s subscription tv??), to PRISM, then to PRISM's legacy:

PRISM's legacy is noteworthy because Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia continues to distribute its signal to Cable TV providers via PRISM's terrestrial infrastructure using only microwave and fiber optics. Comcast SportsNet does not uplink to any satellite. A controversial FCC guideline (known as the "terrestrial exception") implemented to encourage investment in local programming states that a television channel does not have to make its shows available to satellite companies if it does not use satellites to transmit its programs. This guideline has allowed Comcast to block DirecTV and Dish Network from carrying Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, but it has offered the sports network to Verizon's FiOS service. [2] Consequently, market penetration by Direct broadcast satellite providers in the Philadelphia area is much lower than in other cities.

[Alan T]

I believe the only affiliate switch that I ever remember from a town that I lived in was back when FOX sprung major money for the NFL and the local Atlanta CBS affiliate became a FOX affiliate (I think that is what I remember happening, it was back in the 80s). Luckily for me I had cable back from 1982 on, so it did not impact me too much, but I know for plenty, the CBS signal was impossible to get for quite some time after the switch.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Alan T

I believe the only affiliate switch that I ever remember from a town that I lived in was back when FOX sprung major money for the NFL and the local Atlanta CBS affiliate became a FOX affiliate (I think that is what I remember happening, it was back in the 80s). Luckily for me I had cable back from 1982 on, so it did not impact me too much, but I know for plenty, the CBS signal was impossible to get for quite some time after the switch.

Heh, Atlanta has a bit of a history of weirdness with affiliations. If you look at all of the stations Wiki pages you can eventually piece it together but here's a quick summary.

1980 - WSB-2 has long dominated the market despite being stuck with bottom rated NBC. WXIA-11 struggles to finish 2nd regularly, battling CBS affiliate WAGA-5 to be the runner-up despite being the ABC affiliate when they were riding high.

SB ain't happy with their network programming because it sucks even thought it pulls ratings (and figures they could do even better numbers with better shows) and 11 ain't happy with getting beat by the otherwise lowly NBC programming and seeing their own shows underperform the rest of the market, so they come up with a plan.

On Sept 1, the morning starts out with everything as usual, after the noon news, WSB picks up the ABC soaps while WXIA picks up the NBC soaps and an affiliate swap is done. And viewers were confused for at least weeks if not months, 13 year old me as confused as anybody. To this day I sometimes have to stop and think, "okay, which one is which".

Then there's the Sept '94 switch for WAGA/5 to Fox after corporate owner New World reached a broad agreement with the new network. That was a big shakeup since their 45 years with CBS made them the eye network's longest tenured affiliate south of Washington, DC. The problem for CBS came when they had trouble finding a local station that wanted them. Then WGCX/46 (now WGCL) was owned by Tribune which was partnering with Time Warner to launch the WB in January '05 and 46 was the logical affiliate for them as basically an O&O. WATL/36 was a fairly successful independent and didn't want the CBS affiliation either, figuring to pick up UPN when it launched. CBS was so desperate that they purchased weak signal, no image WVEU/69 as a backup plan. After considerable wrangling, CBS finally struck a deal with 46, 36 ended up with the WB, and 69 was sold to Viacom and got the UPN.

The outcome of all this stuff now 15 years later?
WSB/2/ABC - still kills everybody

WAGA/5/Fox - still fighting to be #2

WGCL/46/CBS - in the past year or so has finally gotten into the #2 fight

WXIA/11/NBC - slow steady decline, not much more relevant than NBC now

WATL/36/MyNet - now a sister to WXIA two owners later,nearly meaningless

WUPA/69/CW - now owned by Viacom, was an above average UPN affiliate and "won" the battle to get the merged CW affiliation, remains as meaningless as ever

[JonInMiddleGA]

I think someone's reality check must have cleared.

My Way News - New Leno show to air on Boston NBC affiliate
BOSTON (AP) - Boston's NBC affiliate has decided to air Jay Leno's new show, after all.

WHDH-TV owner Ed Ansin issued a brief statement Monday saying that "upon further consideration," the station had decided to telecast Leno's 10 p.m. talk show beginning in September.

WHDH had previously said it would run a local newscast in that time slot instead, prompting a threat from NBC to strip the station of its network affiliation.

Ansin said he enjoys Leno's humor and hopes the show is a big success. Leno is a native of Andover, Mass.

NBC TV Network President John Eck said in a statement Monday the network was "very pleased" with WHDH's decision, calling Leno "one of the most bankable stars in the business."

[JonInMiddleGA]

One of many places to find this I suppose, but here's a link to this morning's press release from NBC.
Breaking News - NBC ANNOUNCES AMBITIOUS LINEUP OF PROGRAMMING DOMINATED BY NEW SCRIPTED SERIES FOR 2009-2010 PRIMETIME SEASON THAT EXTENDS THE NETWORK'S QUALITY BRAND | TheFutonCritic.com

Hitting the highlights:

Returning Series Pickups Include "Heroes," "Southland," "Parks and Recreation" and Six New Episodes of "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday"

New Series Include Four Dramas: "Trauma," "Parenthood," "Mercy" and the Event Series "Day One" as Well as Two Comedies: "Community" and "100 Questions"

"The Jay Leno Show" will be broadcast Monday-Fridays, 10-11 p.m. ET beginning in the fall. Previously announced series pickups include "The Office," "30 Rock," "The Biggest Loser," "The Celebrity Apprentice," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "Friday Night Lights," and new alternative series "The Marriage Ref," "Breakthrough With Tony Robbins" and "Who Do You Think You Are?"

Additional series pickups will be announced May 19, when NBC announces its 2009-2010 schedule.

(shows with uncertain futures, but believed to be in consideration as mid-season pickups according to the weekend rumor mill include "Chuck" and "Law & Order", and possibly at least a limited order for "My Name Is Earl")

[ISiddiqui]

Seeing all those new shows, I doubt "Chuck" gets anything other than midseason replacement... at best.

Though, of the new dramas, "Parenthood" actually looks quite good.

[DaddyTorgo]

*writes off nbc as a possibility between 10-11pm M-F*

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

*writes off nbc as a possibility between 10-11pm M-F*

No kidding. I guess NBC joins FOX as having no real national programming at 10pm. Are they going to call this the Stale Comedy Hour, or what?

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

No kidding. I guess NBC joins FOX as having no real national programming at 10pm. Are they going to call this the Stale Comedy Hour, or what?

Really, I can't imagine myself ever tuning in to watch that. I'd watch scripted drama on some other network or else watch something that I dvr'd before I'd sit through that.

And I can't imagine there are people who will sit through Leno + Local News + Late Night. But I bet they exist. Really, isn't one lame "comedian show" enough per night?

[Ksyrup]

Honestly, I think this show might do well with older people who think he's funny and who would rather go to sleep halfway through the nightly news. Now they don't have to stay up as late. It's like adding an Early Bird special to the old folks' favorite restaurant. I bet this is an attempt to keep his older demographic audience and transition The Tonight Show to a younger audience. Just my guess.

[DeToxRox]

I think what this does is help a station like FX, which has shows airing at 10 like Rescue Me, Sons of Anarchy, Damages, etc. I wouldn't be shocked if they, along with USA who has a decent hour long show lineup, and other cable stations start producing more scripted dramas because the market is there.

[DaddyTorgo]

I'd love that Detox - frankly I think their scripted dramas are better anyways (Well okay maybe not that one about the US Marshall lady...that one is annoying, but the others for sure!)

[ISiddiqui]

Well cable has already been taking chances on scripted dramas. Less advertising pressure there, so they can develop shows.