LOS ANGELES — It appears as if NBC is prepared to pull the plug on the Jay Leno primetime experiment.
The network is reportedly in discussions for a major overhaul that would end Leno's 10 p.m. program and send him back to late-night television, but only for a half-hour. Leno would air at 11:35 p.m. and be followed by the man who replaced him, Conan O'Brien, who would retain the Tonight Show title and still have an hour-long show.
Jimmy Fallon, a favorite of NBC, would see his Late Night program moved to 1 a.m. if the network moves forward with the plan, which was first reported by the New York Times.
NBC has repeatedly said that Leno's primetime show is meeting expectations, but the network has faced pressure from local affiliates whose 11 p.m. newscast ratings have slipped. After a strong start, Leno's ratings have plummeted in an hour that has fared better with traditional scripted programming.
The network has also faced heat since CBS' Late Show with David Letterman regularly beats O'Brien in an hour that Leno dominated for 17 years. NBC acted quickly to show support for its embattled host after word about the proposed shift first broke late Thursday.
"Jay Leno is one of the most compelling entertainers in the world today," the network said. "As we have said all along, Jay's show has performed exactly as we anticipated on the network. It has, however, presented some issues for our affiliates. Both Jay and the show are committed to working closely with them to find ways to improve the performance."
NBC also issued a statement backing O'Brien, saying it was committed to keeping him on the network.
"He is a valued part of our late-night lineup, as he has been for more than 16 years and is one of the most respected entertainers on television," NBC said.
Leno's shift to primetime in September was a move that drew extreme criticism for taking five hours away from weekly scripted programming.
"Nothing against Jay, but there are a lot of people in the industry who hope this fails spectacularly," said Shawn Ryan, creator of the award-winning FX series The Shield, in an interview with Time magazine last fall.
In November, Leno said he relished the "underdog" role with so many people knocking his primetime shift. However, he also admitted that he would have preferred to have stayed in his old late-night confines.
"Would I have preferred to stay at 11:30? Yeah, sure. I would have preferred that," he told Broadcasting & Cable. "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 continued. 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."
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© NBC / Mitchell Haaseth
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