LOS ANGELES — Jay Leno isn't about to toss in the towel as his new primetime show continues to struggle in the ratings.
"I like this challenge of 10 o'clock," the 59-year-old host tells Broadcasting & Cable. "I find it interesting. Sometimes going against insurmountable odds and making a little progress is maybe more satisfying than going into a situation where you're going to win no matter what."
Leno's show averaged a 1.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic in the fifth week of the season and critics have been quick to label NBC's experiment as a failure.
"You don't take it personally because there's really no fun in an upbeat story," he says of the negative press. "The fun is, they did this and let's watch it fall. I enjoy being the underdog."
Given the choice, Leno admits he would have preferred to stay in his old late-night confines, but he's playing the hand he was dealt.
"Would I have preferred to stay at 11:30? Yeah, sure. I would have preferred that," he says. "I think it's too soon to say whether I regret anything or not."
"My thing is, I did The Tonight Show for 17 years, that's what I did. It's like the America's Cup; you won it, they can't take it away from you," he continues. So now you try this and you see what happens. Do I enjoy the battle? Yes, I get a certain amount of satisfaction from pounding my head against the wall."
© NBC / Mitchell Haaseth
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