The Case for NBC's Lead-Ins to The Jay Leno Show

As ratings for The Jay Leno Show continue to tumble like ugly, airport-colored marbles in Ker-Plunk, NBC poses a single solution: Blame things! According to USA Today's quote from NBC TV chief Jeff Gaspin, the show's worsening ratings can be attributed to NBC's other programming, and not its precious, denim-shirted stand-up comic. "The issue is not Jay. It's our lead-in to Jay. Jay Leno is still the right strategy if our 8-to-10 (lineup) is stronger."

Forget that Jay Leno's Tonight Show was preceded every night for 16 years by local news, where, I guess, Chicago shootings and Los Angeles wildfires tucked in viewers for a night of Linda Tripp jokes. There's a case to be made for each night's Jay Leno Show lead-in, even (perhaps especially) the ones that are starting off with less-than-must-see episodes.

Monday: Trauma

It's not the best show I've ever seen, but Trauma's frazzled team of disaster survivors could feasibly develop into an interesting character study, more so than several other shows in primetime. While that destiny remains to be seen, dogging the show so early on is utter hypocrisy from Gaspin, who is clearly giving the also-fledgling Jay Leno Show a disproportionate amount of patience.

Tuesday: The Biggest Loser

Leno's strongest night of ratings usually follows The Biggest Loser, but that doesn't mean it quite retains the numbers of its lead-in. Biggest Loser regularly gains viewers from beginning to end of its two-hour block, but The Jay Leno Show regularly fumbles the weight-loss competition's #1 ratings and ends up at a #2. Even when enjoying a small victory, Jay Leno still gets in the way of NBC's building momentum on Tuesday night.

Wednesday: Law & Order: SVU

With as built-in a fan base as any show on TV, Law & Order: SVU regularly won its time slot during its tenure on Tuesday night. As USA Today reports, it's getting "hammered" in its new slot against ABC's Modern Family and CBS's Criminal Minds. Fox's well-rated Glee may take a chunk of its earnings too. The problem here seems to be that SVU suddenly seems misplaced when placed against (at least relatively) newer shows, though it clearly was a dependable show in its former slot. At any rate, that show is no worse (or better) than it used to be, and the viewers who seek routine adventures in unsmiling litigation should be the crowd that prefers its comedy just as predictable and vanilla.

Thursday: Community/30 Rock

30 Rock has yet to debut, but its current slot-filler Community is ostensibly aimed towards the same wise-cracking, mildly cynical, vaguely mental_floss-subscribing comic crowd. Though Community has to make some changes, it is theoretically the best type of lead-in to The Jay Leno Show, a light-hearted everyman affair with some snide underpinnings. You might say Leno deserves a higher-quality precedent, but, again, hasn't he gone two decades without requiring a younger, more interesting comic be funny before him?

Friday: Dateline NBC/Southland

Dateline NBC is a news program. Just like the lead-in at the ole Tonight Show. Better yet, it's a pretty well-rated show considering the funeral dirge that is Friday night ratings. If Leno's numbers still suffer when Southland moves into the lead-in spot, then will we finally glean the greatest insight into why Jay Leno's jerry-built new effort is not well-viewed. Ahem: Southland is an engrossing, interesting show, and The Jay Leno Show just isn't. Sigh. There.