2009 Late Night Programs: What to Watch?

It's 11:00pm, and you can't sleep. You turn on the tv and have a choice to make. Among the many late night shows, here's my opinion on who to put at the top of your priority list, and who to skip.

1. The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (NBC)
-Although his presence on The Tonight Show may be new, Conan is a veteran when it comes to late night television. He hasn't been around as long as Dave or Jay, but in his 16 year reign at Late Night he has been able to take traditional late night comedy and make it something of his own. Conan is easily the wildest and most unpredictable of the late night bunch, and his target demographic is among the 18-29 year-olds. However, his recent turnover to The Tonight Show has prompted him to try and appeal to an older audience. If there is any prominent trademark and strength to O'Brien, it's that he knows how to improvise. On one of his shows with Late Night, he was forced to fill about fifteen minutes of time when a guest did not show...and he triumphed. Expect ever so slight changes to his brand of comedy via The Tonight Show, but for the most part, Conan's the same old Irish goofball we have known and loved for 16 years (13 FUNNY ones).

2. Jay Leno (NBC)
Off the air until this fall, Leno has been known recently as the king of late night, and he is likely to still hold his throne when he returns. Known as late night's nice guy with the high-pitched voice, Jay has made a lot of friends over his long career, and is well respected by many of his returning guests. He's been able to take the old fashioned Johnny Carson style of late night and modernize it, just like Letterman, except his heckling tends to be a little nicer. Trademark bits such as "Jaywalking" have given the man due credit to his comic genius. Although he's not on the air right now, look for his return to prime time this fall, and make sure you get the Tivo set. My guess is this comedian's time change won't have any negative effect on this comic virtuoso.

3. Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)
A little meaner than the rest of the late night gang, Letterman is a name everyone knows. In a sense, he started the modern age of late night. He's been around longer than any of the other hosts, and he has had a clear presence ever since his first airdate. Letterman was the first host to begin molding the late night program into what it is today, and just about every current host owes him a bit of credit. As stated before, Letterman tends to heckle some of his guests quite a bit, such as Paris Hilton and Crispin Glover, but his blows often produce uproarious laughter, and he rarely attacks the undeserving. He may be a it mean-spirited sometimes, but his comedic timing is solid, and his TV personality is a staple in American culture.

4. The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS)
Crazy Craig. Craig Ferguson is more in line with the zaniness of Conan rather than the calm, passive approach of Leno or Letterman. He's wild, loud, and speaks his mind. If anything, Craig is sometimes so fast paced and off-kilter that the audience can't keep up with him. Nonetheless, he has a definitive personality, and his ratings have done fairly well since his takeover of The Late Late Show. One thing very notable about Craig is his ability to implement very serious thoughts into his comedy. For instance, here, he has a downright hilarious monologue, while at the same time challenging his viewers to get out there and vote, and chastising the rest of the media for exploiting the seriousness of politics and voting. Craig may not be your ordinary late night host, but his brand of zaniness often hits the funnybone juuusssst right.

BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR:
The newest addition to the pack, Jimmy Fallon, who took over for Conan on NBC's Late Night, has been a bit of a disappointment. Even giving him some leeway for first month nervous bugs, he just hasn't delivered. In addition to the disappointment of Fallon, Carson Daly of NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly has pretty much failed to impress since his arrival, but in a different way. Fallon's problem stems from his inability to not look like a kid during an elementary play. He's been nervous every episode, and conducts his interviews poorly, often getting lost in the questions or reverting to talking about himself. His improvisation is virtually nonexistent, leaving plenty of awkward silences where there shouldn't be any. Daly's issues stem primarily from the show's writing. The humor is less than impressive, and Daly has little empathy with the audience.

ON THE BUBBLE:
ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live fluctuates in its ability to entertain. Kimmel is a polite enough host, but he's very deadpan, which works for the humor sometimes, but he often feels a tad lifeless. However, Kimmel has consistently gotten a bit better each year he's been on the air.
FOX's Talkshow with Spike Feresten was an engaging and entertaining experience, but it never really got great ratings, and was perhaps a bit too weird for viewers. In my book, Spike got points for his originality and some very entertaining sketches, but I can understand how his shtick doesn't quite appeal to a wide audience. His guests have also been very hit and miss.

In conclusion, it's hard to go wrong with Jay, Conan, Dave, and Craig. Fallon has some time to grow into his own, but it's going to take work, and in my opinion, NBC should just give up on Daly. Chances are, if you're not a college student or insomniac, you're just watching these shows to drift off, and anything is likely to entertain.