RRUH RROH

Last night Letterman's Late Show overtook Conan's Tonight Show in the ratings.

On the seventh day of Letterman vs. O'Brien, CBS earned a 3.4 metered-market household rating to NBC's 2.9.

I'm not going to go all Chicken Little and say the sky is falling, but this is certainly not a good omen. I'm a little concerned for the future of late night TV. Another troubling part of all this:

The ratings gap between the hosts has been narrowing nearly ever night since O'Brien took control of the "Tonight" franchise.

Now, to me, this sounds like the old people who loved Leno said "Well, we'll give this lanky fellow a chance". But then maybe he was a bit too rock 'n roll for them, and they slowly dropped off, turning to the comfort of Mr. Letterman. Nothing wrong with Letterman, he's miles better than Leno. But he is the second worst host in late night, and that gap may be closing.

NBC says they're more focused on the young adult demo (those numbers available tomorrow, look for them somewhere else though) but the Tonight Show has been top dog in every category in this time slot for years. Is this a chink in the armor? The beginning of the end? Will it lead to broader, watered-down Conan? Was my usage of "chink" offensive? Find out tomorrow!

Not really, but check back anyway. Who knows.

[ed: fuck you, Leno. - brett]

Source: Hollywood Reporter