TVSquad

I couldn't agree more. I just don't get how anyone could prefer Leno over Letterman. Maybe people are falling asleep in with the TV and Nielsen box still turned on.

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I think people like Leno's sick sex jokes so they continue to watch.

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Scripted shows may do better in repeats, but networks, increasingly, aren't bothering to show repeats (especially for hour-long shows). So that leaves syndication, sales to cable networks, etc. Where those off-network shows are up against other reality shows & game shows, and on the cable networks, their own scripted and reality shows.

If reality shows are getting about the same ratings as the scripted shows they replaced, and are so much cheaper to produce, and repeat airings don't really matter, anyway, why spend all the money on scripted material?

That's what worries me. 2008 may be the year that the whole television industry changes, with the strike being the catalyst. In the end, September-to-May seasons may vanish, 22-episode seasons may vanish, independently-produced series may vanish, and scripted TV may become as rare as literary novels are in the book publishing industry.

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I really don't see loyal Leno people jumping ship and watching Letterman. This Leno VS. Letterman thing was decided years ago. If you've always watched The Tonight Show, you'll probobly continue to watch it, even without its writers. If you've always preffered Letterman's show, you'll continue to watch that. Maybe if The Tonight Show was still in repeats, while Letterman was new Letterman would win. Frankly I don't care who gets better ratings. I've been watching Letterman for years, so if the roles were reversed and Leno had his writers and Letterman didn't, I'd still watch Letterman. I imagine Tonight Show fans feel the same way.

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What it does prove is that people watch the shows because of the host not who they have on. Leno & CBS. I'm a little disappointed that Ferguson isn't taking advantage of the opportunity to get bigger name guests on his show. With only his and Letterman's show supposedly getting SAG people why is Ferguson still stuck with grade C (or lower) celebrities?

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Umm, have you seen Letterman since it's been back on? Are you sure that's the show that still has professional writers??

Don't get me wrong, I'd almost prefer watching a blank screen over Leno. But Dave's latest shows have been fairly ho-hum. It's no surprise he's not exactly burning up the Nielsen charts. The only ratings bump he may get will be primarily from people who are trying to actively support the writers' efforts. And I honestly don't think there are that many folks out there who care much about their cause. ...TV Squadders excluded, of course.

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Wife Swap and Supernanny are doing better than Pushing Daises!! Crips is that depressing. I would go within 50 feet of those two reality shows. If that is what the public is going to want to watch over scrpted shows, I'm going to end up only watching sports on my HDTV.
Sad!

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I've never gotten Leno's appeal and can't believe more people are watching him than Letterman. Writers or not, Leno's "humor" just isn't funny.

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So leno, without writers, without any A list celebrities... is still beating Letterman? That's just sad now. It's a good thing NBC is forcing Leno to retire, I mean it's obvious that people don't like him.

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No matter how many times a day the authors at TVsquad tell us Leno sucks, i still prefer him over Letterman. I tuned into a little bit of the late show the first night back and no thanks.

Stewart, Leno & Colbert are good enough for me.

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People don't care about good writing? Surprise, surprise. Show me a well-written show (e.g. Veronica Mars) and I'll show you a show that is quickly cancelled.

I wonder if there's a business model to the TV on DVD thing without having to spend years on TV first? Maybe spend one or two years on TV, build an audience, and then move to DVD and let the real fans follow.

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"Are the NBC shows so entrenched in American culture that it wouldn't matter if Shakespeare were writing Letterman's monologue?"

I think that TV watching is what is so firmly entrenched in American culture. I think we have gotten to the point where people literally don't know what to do in their own homes if the TV is not on. Some may watch a DVD instead of on-air programming. But most just flip through their favorite channels and settle for the best alternative, even if they aren't particularly interested in that program.

When you really think about "middle" America, do you imagine people sitting in their homes with the TV off? I don't. When we were growing up, if anyone was home, the TV was on - even if no one was watching it.

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