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I didn’t get teary eyed last night when Leno signed off The Tonight Show for the last time. I was asleep, recording the show just in case I might want to watch something later.
Leno signed off, I know now, by saying that “it’s time” to pass the show onto someone else. Garg. I should say so. It was a little more than time, a little more than passed time. It was overdue.
I never liked Leno much at all and when he and Letterman were at their prime and going head to head for late night ratings, there was no choice in my mind who was better. The only thing that appealed to me, actually two things, were the stupid headlines he would read on Monday nights and the occasional “Pumpcast News” bits that someone else did. Who was that?
Leno himself to my eyes is a thoroughly not likable fellow. He is like some guy who comes up to you in a bar at an airport and instantly wants to be your best friend. No one wants instant best friends. Please, leave me alone and I will decide myself, in a year or two, whether you are my friend at all.
To the comedy world, Leno is cheap, meaning he goes for cheap, mass humor all the time in a cloying sort of way. Cloying must be his middle name. Hey, I know we are supposed to speak nice about the dead, but I am glad to see him go.
As for the “generational change” aspect, it is time for Letterman to go, too. It is not just “younger guys” getting their turn, it is about different points of view. Leno wore out his welcome on The Tonight Show twice. That’s enough. Letterman will want to stick around for a a year or two just to celebrate his survival, but he needs to get ready to sign off and let someone else try to keep people awake.
One part of why people covet these shows so highly is that it gives them so much space (that is also the frightening). Within bounds, the host and his team get to define what the show should be. If you want to waste four minutes in a sketch that doesn’t work, have at it. At least you tried. The late night shows are a genuine showcase for talent (or lack of it) and have in the past helped to define eras in America.
Leno’s lack of class, to my eyes, came through brightly as he tried to use Johnny Carson’s words as his sign off, but then got choked up so the words barely came out. Come on. Do your crying when the cameras are turned off, the house lights are down and you have to face tomorrow without your own national television show. I don’t think I am going to miss Leno. In fact, I am going to feel better about myself by not being tempted to tune in and cringe.
Doug Terry, 2.7.14
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