Is NBC Giving Conan the Shaft?

As far as late show hosts go, Conan has always been my favorite. I can't stand Leno, I respect Letterman but he has a peculiar sense of humor I never really got into, and the constantly rotating lineup of Late Late Show hosts never jumped out at me.

So when I heard that Conan was going to be moving on up to The Tonight Show, I was excited. He deserved it, and I would be able to watch him as I hadn't tuned in regularly for quite awhile, having a kid has kept me from staying up that late.

In the last month or so, however, I am becoming steadily more frustrated. Turns out, Leno didn't retire at all. He still hosts almost the exact same show, he just does it at 10 o'clock and without a desk. He has swooped in and stolen all the glory from Conan.

Last night, President Obama was on Letterman. As we watched, I thought about what shows Obama might be a guest on. Certainly, Conan wouldn't be top on his list. The 2 big shows are still Leno and Letterman. Sure, O'Brien has inherited The Tonight Show, but NBC has moved onto the next big thing.

The only ways I would have respected the painfully unfunny Jay Leno for having not actually retired like he had claimed to be, would be if he had gone to another network or done a daytime talk show. Moving up an hour and a half, and getting rid of a piece of furniture is hardly worth the claims of TV history that NBC has claimed it to be.

I beg of everyone who is reading this, DO NOT WATCH JAY LENO! If his show is a success, it may spell doom for all scripted (and more expensive) shows on the 10pm time slot. But more importantly, it will prevent Conan O'Brien, the funniest late night interviewer to have ever graced the television, from ever getting the respect he deserves. Jay Leno is a hack, and he needs to get off the air and let the actual funny people have a chance.