Jerry Seinfeld, Oprah Winfrey and an apologetic Kanye West were all on hand to help kick off 'The Jay Leno Show,' Jay Leno's new prime-time comedy hour, airing five nights a week on NBC.So how did he do? Based on early reviews, not so good. While the show's first episode drew in an astounding 17.7 million viewers, most critics felt the show was simply a rehash of Leno's previous gig, 'The Tonight Show,' where he served as host for 17 years.
Still, it's not all bad news for Leno: The show ranked number one in adults 18-49 and 25-54, in addition to ranking first in overall viewers. 'The Jay Leno Show' also earned the network its highest 18-49 rating in the 10PM slot since last November's 'Saturday Night Live Presidential Bash' and highest overall audience since the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in August.
Whether viewers will disagree with critics remains to be seen. In the meantime, here are some of the headlines from around the web:
"Based on the premiere, the menu of the new show is awfully familiar." [Hollywood Reporter]
"NBC might be gambling on this cheaper model, but in terms of content, Leno clearly isn't." [Variety]
"From the opening monologue and the overly scripted banter with guest Jerry Seinfeld (and, via satellite, Oprah Winfrey) to the goofy-headlines segment at the end of the hour, "The Jay Leno Show" was numbingly familiar ... Even Leno, while delivering his opening jokes, seemed relatively unenthused about the premiere." [Boston Globe]
"Without Kanye West, and his conveniently timed controversy from the MTV Video Music Awards, NBC's Jay Leno Show premiere Monday would have been even more of a cut-rate, snooze-inducing, rehashed bore. If Leno's desire is to help fans get to sleep earlier, desire satisfied." [USA Today]
"They said 'The Jay Leno Show' wouldn't feel like going to bed really early, that it would feel new. But it's like going to bed really early. It feels old. For a lot of people, 'The Jay Leno Show,' which premiered Monday in its game-changing 10 o'clock weeknight format, it might feel perfectly comfy." [Washington Post]
"Sixteen minutes into the new 'The Jay Leno Show,' it was difficult not to panic. This is the future of television? This wasn't even a good rendition of television past." [LA Times]
"The jokes felt familiar, the monologue, too. Someone, however, might want to alert Universal lot security: The couch was missing. Otherwise, what was so different between his last gig and this one, besides the hour?" [Newsday]
"The studio may have been shiny and new on this first night, but that won't last. And if this is as good as it gets, neither will the show." [Dallas Morning News]
"More interesting at this point is how 'The Jay Leno Show' works as a programming strategy, and the first night with Kanye shows an aspect of the show's strategy that could be brilliant or doomed." [TIME]
Reader Comments (41)
ellen at 2:04PM on Sep 15th 2009
I didn't like the "cheating" segment or the musical performance, but there were parts of the show that had me howling with laughter. So, tell me: what is the great sin if Jay's new show resembles his old show? I liked his old show! It's nice to know that Jay is still here and that parts of his new show are familiar. "Headlines" is fun! The monologue is fun! Why does Jay have to entirely reinvent the wheel in order for his show to be deemed successful? He was a success at 11:30; why does moving the show to 10:00 have to mean that the criteria for success have changed? Frankly, it's good to enjoy Jay while I'm still awake, and his being on at 10:00 means that I can watch Dave Letterman at 11:30 without wondering what I'm missing on Jay's show.
Sandra at 9:28PM on Oct 4th 2009
Bless you Ellen!! I was having trouble trying to "post" a comment, but you said it ALL for me!
lenore at 8:49AM on Oct 5th 2009
i like Jay, at least hes not screwing around with his help lol
you go Jay Leno
mindy ross at 2:38PM on Sep 15th 2009
I for one am ECTASTIC Jay is back!
encinodad at 3:21PM on Sep 15th 2009
What did you expect? Jay Leno to become Jon Stewart? Johhny Carson? Leno was Leno for 17-years on the Tonight Show. It was old. The new gigs seeemed nice and bright, but Leno was Leno. Leno wasn't fresh on the Tonight Show for 17-years. For months everyone knew he was bringing the same old routines, so why are you complaining? If NBC wanted fresh, they would have hired someone other than Leno. NBC wanted the Leno Tonight Show at 10 PM. I for one would love to see Leno re-play a Carson clip from the Tonight Show everynight, then we'd have comedy... GREAT comedy. Leno wasn't Carson, Connan isn't Leno, and Letterman still belongs in Late Late night. But that's just one reporter's opinion. How can anything be FRESH and NEW with Leno doing Leno?
Sandy at 3:40PM on Sep 15th 2009
Sorry, I disagree. I though that the whole show was dull, not up primetime standards. I watched for about 15 minutes and turned to a CSI Miami re-reun. The 10 PM audience is different than late night and expect different material.
paula bristol at 10:29PM on Sep 16th 2009
Overall, I was very disappointed. The first 'act' was an unknown unfunny person; rest was old gags and the skit was just sick!
Ed Shiple at 3:54PM on Sep 15th 2009
Jay was not comfortable with the new setup. Bring back the desk and the couch. The monolog was OK and Headlines was good as well, in other words we loved him for 17 years in the old format so, I suggest (strongly) he resumes doing what he's good at and dump gigs like the the apology from Kenye West which was a disaster.
He didn't need Oprah either.
Carole at 6:31AM on Nov 6th 2009
Ed said what I think as well. We liked Jay doing comedy with his skits and Jay-walkers, etc. Bring back the desk, and the style of comedy that made his show worth watching. Talking with boring guests gets, well boring...
TheRealHowardS at 4:15PM on Sep 15th 2009
It was (except for the hardball question to Kanye West) the same old, same old Jay Leno. But that's exactly what I was looking for. I will now be falling asleep one hour and thirty-five minutes earlier than I am now.