Two Sentences, Two Revelations
Among the many people who write about late night television in America, the New York Times’ Bill Carter is widely regarded as one of the best. He’s well-connected. He does his research. His observations about the reasons behind past events are sharp and insightful. And more often than not, his predictions about the future tend to come true. So Carter’s article in Friday’s Times should make at least a few people take notice, including fans of Craig Ferguson. We urge you to read the entire article to understand the context in which Carter writes… it is primarily an article about how the days of the traditional late night talk show are probably numbered.
[pullquote]Yet if Mr. Letterman does decide to extend his time on the show, it will certainly affect Mr. Ferguson, who has a clause in his contract guaranteeing him the 11:35 slot when Mr. Letterman leaves. One possible outcome that some CBS executives have cited — though they say they don’t fully believe it — is that Mr. Ferguson might quit his 12:30 show if Mr. Letterman remains. –Bill Carter, New York Times [/pullquote]What caught our eye, however, were two sentences about halfway through the article. For as long as Craig has been in the 12:37am time slot at CBS, he has publicly insisted that he’s happy there and has no particular designs on moving to 11:35pm in the future. In several interviews, he has (as have many fans and observers) worried aloud that the earlier time slot could stifle the creativity he currently brings to his show. After seeing what happened to Conan O’Brien at NBC, these are not insignificant concerns. So we were at least a little bit surprised to read Carter’s note that Craig has a clause in his contract guaranteeing him a move to 11:35pm when David Letterman departs. And then Carter mentions another possibility; that Craig could decide to leave before Letterman does.
While we hope he decides to stay, the idea of Craig leaving is certainly within the realm of possibility. He seems to be energized of late by the live banter with Geoff Peterson (thanks to the talented Josh Robert Thompson), but he has talked in the past about being bored with some of the day-to-day nature of doing the show. Whether is merely schtick or reality, Letterman gives every appearance of having been bored with his show for several years. Craig keeps his creativity brewing with his daily monologue and by continuing to do live stand up comedy, writing screenplays and shepherding projects with his production company. Letterman has his auto racing interests as well as a television production company. But if Letterman decides to renew, will Craig continue to wait? Contracts for both hosts expire in less than a year… August of 2012.
We have no special insight into these matters but would offer some educated guesses: David Letterman is probably getting tired. He has lasted 30 years on network television, equaling the run of his idol, Johnny Carson. He has witnessed the recent retirements of Larry King, Oprah Winfrey and the pending retirement of Regis Philbin. And at age 64 (66 by 2014), he has plenty of money and could walk away at any time. But despite all of that, we would take Carter’s assertion one step further: CBS President Les Moonves not only wouldn’t push Letterman out, we think he’ll ask Letterman to re-up through 2014… wait two years and maybe even ask for another deal through 2016.
And if Dave stays for two to four more years, it’s probably a safe bet that Craig will, too. If he negotiated a clause in his contract guaranteeing him the 11:35pm show, it seems pretty clear that despite his protestations in some interviews, he really does want the job. We depart from Carter in only one respect: Rather than abandoning them, the networks are likely to keep the talk shows in some form for a long time to come. Bands may come and go, desks or microphones may get moved, salaries may be lowered and social media may become more integrated. But there is still no better way for the networks, record companies, publishers and movie studios (with whom the networks are ever more entwined) to promote their stars, television shows, albums, books and films to a wide audience. People want to see celebrities talk about their work and hear anecdotes from their lives, either on television at night or watching online clips the next day. Because of the internet and DVR’s, the real audience for late night shows is probably double what the traditional ratings suggest, making it fertile ground for advertisers. And even though the big late night show are expensive to produce, they still bring in many millions of dollars… more than most other shows the networks have to offer. Getting disenchanted with the genre is one thing. Walking away from the money is quite another. And as for Craig, his creative mind may not be taxed by celebrity interviews but he puts on a more creative and entertaining show than almost anyone else on television today and if he stays the course, that talent and a willing network can put money in his pocket for many years to come.
Speaking of Creativity
Craig does know how to have fun. Friday evening, he enjoyed his son’s bemusement:
My 10 yr old son just found out about the NASCAR driver named Dick Trickle. I may have to get oxygen. The kid is losing it.
Chris Young on Dating
Country singer Chris Young tells theboot.com that he’s looking for dates that are “spur of the moment” types. The crooner who has twice been named Country Weekly Magazine’s “hottest bachelor” will be on the Late Late Show Monday night.
Praise for Bill Bailey
No less a voice than comedian Eddie Izzard has good things to say about Bill Bailey, and posted a link to Bailey’s tour schedule:
Mr @BillBailey is a very funny man and is doing a short run of shows in the US and Canada. Do check it out: http://www.billbailey.co.uk/tour
Sealing the Deal
Did you enjoy Craig, Geoff and guest Tim Meadows joking about “sealing the deal” through most of Thursday night’s show? You can thank the RSA”s @HMSFox for the tweet that got them going:
@CraigyFerg Dear Craig: When I meet a guy I like, I can never ‘seal the deal’ and get a phone number. Any advice? Tammy, Naperville IL
Yes, Craig reads real tweets from real viewers every night. You can tweet @CraigyFerg yourself and maybe yours will be read on the air!
Tonight’s Guests
Friday on the Late Late Show, Craig talks with actor Alfred Molina and actress Brie Larson.
