No doubt you’ve heard a little ( or a lot) about the Conan vs. Leno debacle but in case you haven’t here’s the skinny.  NBC promised Conan the Tonight show several years ago.  Seven months ago that became a reality as Jay Leno moved to a new show, with a similar format, on prime time. Conan took over the Tonight Show and frankly was doing a jam-up job.  Leno’s show, however, was a flop and NBC recently announced its cancellation.  Now, Conan show had lost ratings so understandably NBC desired to turn back the clock and restore their late night superiority.  Unfortunately, in life, when we make decisions we don’t have the option of jumping in the time machine.  We must make do and press on.  The decision makers at NBC did no feel the same way and attempted to push Leno’s show back and Conan’s with it.  Of course Conan was not on board with this decision.

Calamity ensued and the war began.  Now let me say that I am not a fan of Jay Leno.  We both have a love for cars and I respect the man but I’ve never found him funny.  My wife will attest that the only time we would watch the Tonight Show with Jay Leno is while waiting for Conan. In contrast my father has been a long time watcher of Leno and never watched Conan O’Brien. What I find interesting is that my father did start watching Conan once he took over the slot and now he won’t shut up about him.  He can’t get enough.

It’s been a mix of fun and awkward watching Conan’s guests come on the show and only want to talk about Conan and the raw hand he’s been dealt.  It’s also been fun listening to Conan joke about the predicament.  I think most of us thought NBC would wake up and give in to Conan but that’s not what happened.

Today NBC announced that they would let Conan walk away and pay him to do so to the tune of 33 million dollars, with an additionally 12 million for his staff.  Insanity?  I say yes.  Leno has dominated the time slot for a long time but it’s easy to see who has the public’s support in this matter.  There have been rallies, empathetic guests and a barrage of blog and media coverage.  Meanwhile Jay Leno has been receiving a backlash from his guests and the public.  It’s commonly accepted that Conan and his rising popularity is/was the future of late night for NBC and frankly their cash cow.  In my mind NBC has effectively traded it’s future for the past.  Will I start watching Leno now?  Certainly not, and I’ll bet a ton of other people won’t either. So to Conan O’Brien I say, “See ya on Fox!”