"People ask me “Oh, What are you gonna do after the last show?” are you gonna go on vacation and this kinda stuff… Actually I’m going to be going to a secluded spot where no one can find me… NBC Primetime." --- Jay Leno, former host, Tonight Show

NBC made late night talk show history this week as legend Jay Leno handed the Tonight Show over to Conan O’Brien after a 17-year run.

As Leno prepares for a new show in the prime-time market, we’re looking at perspectives on what the move could mean for the television industry.

What we found was much more than two late night talk show hosts trading shifts…

Hello, I’m Charlotte Bellis and you’re watching Newsy.com.

The New York Times brings a historical perspective on the change, saying that Leno’s switch to primetime…

“…may be among the most pivotal changes since the network evening newscasts were expanded to 30 minutes, from 15, in 1963.”

And that the 5 day a week show could end up…

“…pushing more programming to cable and rewriting the financial underpinnings of entertainment production.”

ABC’s The View agrees, saying that the less expensive model of Leno’s show harkens back to the revolution of reality television…

The Daily Beast points out that the success of this transformation and possibly the success of NBC depends on Leno pulling it off…

“He knows that he will be under intense scrutiny as the person who could save NBC—or not. ‘They’ve put a tremendous, tremendous amount on his back’.”

While others look to the future, England’s The First Post examines what this means in the short term for television…


“American television is about to undergo its biggest shake-up in decades…the traditional network audience is fast disappearing …The entire model on which network TV has been based is breaking down.”

So what do you think, is this the future of television or just a desperate gamble? Did you watch the final episode of Jay Leno – did you say up late or watch it on Hulu?