What do you think?
Rate this book
The Late Shift: Letterman, Leno, and the Network Battle for the Night
Recounts CBS's wooing of late night talk show host David Letterman and how Letterman and Jay Leno faced off over who would host the Tonight Show.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published February 28, 1994
About the author
Bill Carter
5 books65 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
William J. Carter joined The New York Times as a national media reporter in 1989. In addition to his work for the newspaper, Mr. Carter has written numerous articles for The New York Times Magazine, including four cover stories.
Mr. Carter has covered the television industry for over 25 years. From 1975 until 1989, he was a television critic for The Baltimore Sun, writing four to six columns, reports and features per week, as well as a weekly television sports column. From 1973 to 1975, Mr. Carter was assistant foreign editor at The Sun, substituting at times as foreign editor, national editor and news editor.
Mr. Carter's articles have also appeared in TV Guide, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Newsday, Advertising Age, The Washington Journalism Review and Electronic Media.
He has been a guest on many television and radio programs including, 'Nightline,' 'Today,' 'Good Morning America,' 'The Larry King Show,' ESPN Sports Century, and The MSNBC News with Brian Williams.
Mr. Carter is the author of the 1994 best-selling book, 'The Late Shift: Letterman, Leno and the Network Battle for the Night.' He is also the co-author of the 1987 book 'Monday Night Mayhem: The Inside Story of ABC's Monday Night Football.' In 2006, Mr. Carter published the book 'Desperate Networks' a behind-the-scenes story of some of the biggest shows on television.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on August 31, 1949, Mr. Carter received a B.A. degree in English from The University of Notre Dame in 1971 (Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude) and an M.A. degree in journalism from The Pennsylvania State University in 1972. He is married and has two children.
(2006)
William J. Carter joined The New York Times as a national media reporter in 1989. In addition to his work for the newspaper, Mr. Carter has written numerous articles for The New York Times Magazine, including four cover stories.
Mr. Carter has covered the television industry for over 25 years. From 1975 until 1989, he was a television critic for The Baltimore Sun, writing four to six columns, reports and features per week, as well as a weekly television sports column. From 1973 to 1975, Mr. Carter was assistant foreign editor at The Sun, substituting at times as foreign editor, national editor and news editor.
Mr. Carter's articles have also appeared in TV Guide, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Newsday, Advertising Age, The Washington Journalism Review and Electronic Media.
He has been a guest on many television and radio programs including, 'Nightline,' 'Today,' 'Good Morning America,' 'The Larry King Show,' ESPN Sports Century, and The MSNBC News with Brian Williams.
Mr. Carter is the author of the 1994 best-selling book, 'The Late Shift: Letterman, Leno and the Network Battle for the Night.' He is also the co-author of the 1987 book 'Monday Night Mayhem: The Inside Story of ABC's Monday Night Football.' In 2006, Mr. Carter published the book 'Desperate Networks' a behind-the-scenes story of some of the biggest shows on television.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on August 31, 1949, Mr. Carter received a B.A. degree in English from The University of Notre Dame in 1971 (Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude) and an M.A. degree in journalism from The Pennsylvania State University in 1972. He is married and has two children.
(2006)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews
September 12, 2017
The Late Shift is the story of David Letterman, Jay Leno and the insanity surrounding The Tonight Show following Johnny Carson’s exit in 1992.
Before I picked this up, I had read the author’s follow-up book, “The War for Late Night” which discussed at length the controversy surrounding Conan O’Brien’s boot from The Tonight Show in 2010. In that book, Carter laid the blame at the bumbling executives at NBC and after reading The Late Shift, it’s clear that NBC learned nothing the first time around.
Way back in 1992, under pressure from Jay Leno’s tyrannical agent Helen Kushnick, NBC appointed him the de facto replacement whenever Carson decided to exit The Tonight Show. The problem? NBC completely snubbed David Letterman, a man who had put in a solid decade working the hour that followed Johnny. Letterman had been a ratings dynamo by pulling in that coveted 18-49 crowd studio execs lust after – why not give him a shot at 11:30?
NBC believed Leno was the safest choice and judging by his performance guest hosting “Tonight” for Carson, he was the logical pick. It’s not like NBC went outside the box either. The consensus among critics was that Leno was the heir to the throne. Although he had rarely, if ever, alluded to the fact that he wanted The Tonight Show, Letterman was not even approached by the suits at 30 Rockefeller Centre about taking over hosting duties following Carson. Letterman would find out through a third party only after Leno had been selected that he would not be moving his show an hour up.
Where do we go from here? Well, Letterman felt that at 42, he had outgrown the late shift. In order to advance his career, Letterman needed to move up to 11:30 and the thought of following Leno never appealed to him. Letterman didn’t want to leave NBC and NBC didn’t want to lose Letterman to a competitor like FOX, ABC or CBS.
As Mick Jagger says, “You can’t always get what you want.”
It still baffles me that Letterman and his agent Michael Ovitz were nearly able to get Leno thrown off The Tonight Show based on a hypothetical scenario in which Letterman would trounce Leno in the ratings game. Sure, there was a lot more to it than that, but Leno was already pulling in solid numbers and the two had never gone head-to-head before. You truly have to be a master manipulator to succeed in Hollywood.
In the end, NBC should have just let Letterman go from the very beginning if they had already wrapped up Leno, but they couldn’t help themselves. In the end, they seemingly made the right call, but they were very lucky. Although Letterman destroyed Jay the first two years they went head-to-head, Leno would eventually recover, pull ahead of Letterman, and never look back.
Like The War for Late Night, The Late Shift was a gripping read. Bill Carter, who had spent years covering television for The New York Times, heavily researched all the behind-the-scenes drama and crafted a thrilling narrative. The book is filled with several colorful characters as well as a truly despicable villain in Helen Kushnick. You could argue that she was just “doing her job”, but the way in which she is said to have spoken to colleagues, management and even Jay himself had taken me aback on multiple occasions. I’m looking forward to catching the HBO doc featuring Kathy Bates in the role of Helen that won her an Emmy.
Before I picked this up, I had read the author’s follow-up book, “The War for Late Night” which discussed at length the controversy surrounding Conan O’Brien’s boot from The Tonight Show in 2010. In that book, Carter laid the blame at the bumbling executives at NBC and after reading The Late Shift, it’s clear that NBC learned nothing the first time around.
Way back in 1992, under pressure from Jay Leno’s tyrannical agent Helen Kushnick, NBC appointed him the de facto replacement whenever Carson decided to exit The Tonight Show. The problem? NBC completely snubbed David Letterman, a man who had put in a solid decade working the hour that followed Johnny. Letterman had been a ratings dynamo by pulling in that coveted 18-49 crowd studio execs lust after – why not give him a shot at 11:30?
NBC believed Leno was the safest choice and judging by his performance guest hosting “Tonight” for Carson, he was the logical pick. It’s not like NBC went outside the box either. The consensus among critics was that Leno was the heir to the throne. Although he had rarely, if ever, alluded to the fact that he wanted The Tonight Show, Letterman was not even approached by the suits at 30 Rockefeller Centre about taking over hosting duties following Carson. Letterman would find out through a third party only after Leno had been selected that he would not be moving his show an hour up.
Where do we go from here? Well, Letterman felt that at 42, he had outgrown the late shift. In order to advance his career, Letterman needed to move up to 11:30 and the thought of following Leno never appealed to him. Letterman didn’t want to leave NBC and NBC didn’t want to lose Letterman to a competitor like FOX, ABC or CBS.
As Mick Jagger says, “You can’t always get what you want.”
It still baffles me that Letterman and his agent Michael Ovitz were nearly able to get Leno thrown off The Tonight Show based on a hypothetical scenario in which Letterman would trounce Leno in the ratings game. Sure, there was a lot more to it than that, but Leno was already pulling in solid numbers and the two had never gone head-to-head before. You truly have to be a master manipulator to succeed in Hollywood.
In the end, NBC should have just let Letterman go from the very beginning if they had already wrapped up Leno, but they couldn’t help themselves. In the end, they seemingly made the right call, but they were very lucky. Although Letterman destroyed Jay the first two years they went head-to-head, Leno would eventually recover, pull ahead of Letterman, and never look back.
Like The War for Late Night, The Late Shift was a gripping read. Bill Carter, who had spent years covering television for The New York Times, heavily researched all the behind-the-scenes drama and crafted a thrilling narrative. The book is filled with several colorful characters as well as a truly despicable villain in Helen Kushnick. You could argue that she was just “doing her job”, but the way in which she is said to have spoken to colleagues, management and even Jay himself had taken me aback on multiple occasions. I’m looking forward to catching the HBO doc featuring Kathy Bates in the role of Helen that won her an Emmy.
July 20, 2014
I mean, reading about whiny rich old dudes is only interesting for so long.
April 18, 2012
I started reading this author's Leno/Conan book first, and then I realized that I would get more out of it if I read the Leno/Letterman book first. It was really interesting to see how much flying by the seat of one's pants television executives do in real life.
That said, the author's attention to detail gets a little excruciating at points. If you are one of those people who can't keep track of elf names in fantasy novels, you are going to get tired of trying to keep track of network executive names in this book. They fly by with great speed.
Carter does a really good job of trying really hard not to be cruel to Jay Leno but at the same time getting across what a weird inhuman robot he is. At some point, however, the litany of "stuff about how Jay is not great" gets extremely repetitive. A little more editing could have resulted in a much tighter and more elegant book.
I think Gen-X (and older) readers who remember Johnny Carson will like this but younger readers are going to be puzzled about why people care so much about late night television.
That said, the author's attention to detail gets a little excruciating at points. If you are one of those people who can't keep track of elf names in fantasy novels, you are going to get tired of trying to keep track of network executive names in this book. They fly by with great speed.
Carter does a really good job of trying really hard not to be cruel to Jay Leno but at the same time getting across what a weird inhuman robot he is. At some point, however, the litany of "stuff about how Jay is not great" gets extremely repetitive. A little more editing could have resulted in a much tighter and more elegant book.
I think Gen-X (and older) readers who remember Johnny Carson will like this but younger readers are going to be puzzled about why people care so much about late night television.
August 22, 2012
After reading "The War for Late Night," I went back re-read Bill Carter's original book on the late night battle, "The Late Shift."
Although the events of the book are now nearly twenty years old and most of the key figures (aside from Jay and Dave) have either died, left TV, or faded away, it's still a compelling narrative about the business of television and the inherent conflict between programming something "good" vs. programming something that looks good on a spreadsheet.
And it's illuminating to see that the more things change, the more they stay the same. In both books, NBC has one time slot, the 11:30 pm "Tonight Show," but two stars who wants to host it. And two into one doesn't equal a whole number.
In "The Late Shift," Johnny Carson, the king of late night television for 30 years, is retiring. NBC signed a secret deal with Jay Leno, the permanent guest host of the Tonight Show, some time earlier promising the job to Leno when Carson retires. But what NBC didn't take into consideration is that they already possessed a late night host who had been proving his chops (and earning NBC lots of money) in the person of David Letterman. Letterman hosted the 12:30 am "The Late Night" show for eight years, was considered the heir to Carson's legacy by none other than Carson, and thought the choice was clear: you give the job to the guy who puts out the best show.
But Letterman was (is!) prickly, neurotic, painfully shy, and loved to bash NBC on the air. Leno was (is!) an inveterate people pleaser who tirelessly schmoozed NBC bosses and, more importantly, NBC affiliates around the clock. Yes, Dave was funnier, hipper, and had lots of support in the press. But Jay was nicer. In show business, it's not so much how you do the job, but whether people want to work with you. And the West Coast NBC executives, who made the programming decisions, wanted to work with Jay. Case closed.
Only not so fast. Jay left open several windows for Dave. First, his manager, Helen Kushnick, was a control freak whose behavior became so unprofessional and adversarial that she had be fired. It's interesting reading Carter's take on Helen. Carter makes her out to be a bitch on wheels whose behavior verges on psychotic. However, Ari Emmanuel, Conan's agent in "The War for Late Night," is very well known for behaving exactly the same way: screaming, yelling, throwing tantrums, issuing threats (he's the inspiration for Ari Gold in the HBO series "Entourage.") Yet Ari comes off as a smart, savvy professional in the later book, while Helen is practically a cartoon monster in this one. Sexism is not dead in Hollywood, and this book reads as Exhibit One in how women are perceived vs. men.
Be that as it may, Helen and her shenanigans leave a foul taste in NBC's mouth. Then Jay's ratings come in. They are decent, but not blockbuster. And they would certainly fall and NBC's very lucrative lock on the late night time period would end if another network could field a strong challenger.
Cue the end of Dave's contract with NBC, which would allow him to look for another home.
What happens next is old news to anyone with a television and a pulse. However, Carter tells the story - which is really just a bunch of agents and lawyers and executives sitting around a table and negotiating - with verve and finesse. It's a fast read, thanks to Carter skillful drawing of the characters. Even though the resolution occurred nearly 20 years ago, I was still anxious to learn the outcome of Bill Wright's various wheelings and dealings with Mike Ovitz (what is Ovitz up to these days?) and his own NBC/GE executives.
In addition, since the events in this book still resonant to this day - as evident in Carter's later book - it's a must read for anyone interested in the business of television
Although the events of the book are now nearly twenty years old and most of the key figures (aside from Jay and Dave) have either died, left TV, or faded away, it's still a compelling narrative about the business of television and the inherent conflict between programming something "good" vs. programming something that looks good on a spreadsheet.
And it's illuminating to see that the more things change, the more they stay the same. In both books, NBC has one time slot, the 11:30 pm "Tonight Show," but two stars who wants to host it. And two into one doesn't equal a whole number.
In "The Late Shift," Johnny Carson, the king of late night television for 30 years, is retiring. NBC signed a secret deal with Jay Leno, the permanent guest host of the Tonight Show, some time earlier promising the job to Leno when Carson retires. But what NBC didn't take into consideration is that they already possessed a late night host who had been proving his chops (and earning NBC lots of money) in the person of David Letterman. Letterman hosted the 12:30 am "The Late Night" show for eight years, was considered the heir to Carson's legacy by none other than Carson, and thought the choice was clear: you give the job to the guy who puts out the best show.
But Letterman was (is!) prickly, neurotic, painfully shy, and loved to bash NBC on the air. Leno was (is!) an inveterate people pleaser who tirelessly schmoozed NBC bosses and, more importantly, NBC affiliates around the clock. Yes, Dave was funnier, hipper, and had lots of support in the press. But Jay was nicer. In show business, it's not so much how you do the job, but whether people want to work with you. And the West Coast NBC executives, who made the programming decisions, wanted to work with Jay. Case closed.
Only not so fast. Jay left open several windows for Dave. First, his manager, Helen Kushnick, was a control freak whose behavior became so unprofessional and adversarial that she had be fired. It's interesting reading Carter's take on Helen. Carter makes her out to be a bitch on wheels whose behavior verges on psychotic. However, Ari Emmanuel, Conan's agent in "The War for Late Night," is very well known for behaving exactly the same way: screaming, yelling, throwing tantrums, issuing threats (he's the inspiration for Ari Gold in the HBO series "Entourage.") Yet Ari comes off as a smart, savvy professional in the later book, while Helen is practically a cartoon monster in this one. Sexism is not dead in Hollywood, and this book reads as Exhibit One in how women are perceived vs. men.
Be that as it may, Helen and her shenanigans leave a foul taste in NBC's mouth. Then Jay's ratings come in. They are decent, but not blockbuster. And they would certainly fall and NBC's very lucrative lock on the late night time period would end if another network could field a strong challenger.
Cue the end of Dave's contract with NBC, which would allow him to look for another home.
What happens next is old news to anyone with a television and a pulse. However, Carter tells the story - which is really just a bunch of agents and lawyers and executives sitting around a table and negotiating - with verve and finesse. It's a fast read, thanks to Carter skillful drawing of the characters. Even though the resolution occurred nearly 20 years ago, I was still anxious to learn the outcome of Bill Wright's various wheelings and dealings with Mike Ovitz (what is Ovitz up to these days?) and his own NBC/GE executives.
In addition, since the events in this book still resonant to this day - as evident in Carter's later book - it's a must read for anyone interested in the business of television
January 27, 2022
I think the clincher is that Leno always tried to be nice to everybody, and would be willing to work harder than anyone else to improve things, and never complained or never was rude to any NBC Executives.
Letterman was rude and abrupt with lots of NBC executives, but he did have honesty and integrity, and a completely unique talent.
NBC just had some people like Agoglio who felt that, for most celebrities, the answer is 'money', and the real thing is Letterman just had zero interest at being on at 12:30am, especially with Carson gone.
NBC merely wished that Leno was at 11:30 and Letterman at 12:30 and they could just have it running as one seamless machine, much like the The Daily Show followed by the Colbert Report.
What i found interesting about the book is that i have a lot of sympathy for 90% of the people involved. Ovitz seemed to have a rather ruthless reputation, but I think he was more of a massive headache for the Studios, but he was a prince to his clients. Though it's an open question of who should be 'designing' package deals and who should 'work with whom'... the Studio, the Director, Casting etc.
Kushnick's biggest sin i think is how she controlled guests for the Tonight Show, and how actors or musicians or comics could be blacklisted if they appeared elsewhere. Once she was gone, Leno and the others had it so that, actors could just schedule dates when it was 'most convenient for them' to do whatever was easiest for them!
It's truly a masterful book, and well i think you realize that Networks care about ratings, sports, what time blocks and shows earn the most most money, and how you avoid disaster, and how you stifle creativity by bean counting like when GE took over NBC.
I think it's a book where you admire Leno and Letterman more after reading it.
And depending on how much you care about the people around them, you get a lot of sympathy for people trying the best job they can, even if some people do murky things in the corridors of power, or where the dollar sign, and contracts rule the Networks...
You do get a bad taste for the 'media machine' though and whoever feeds the bad blood into it.
Letterman was rude and abrupt with lots of NBC executives, but he did have honesty and integrity, and a completely unique talent.
NBC just had some people like Agoglio who felt that, for most celebrities, the answer is 'money', and the real thing is Letterman just had zero interest at being on at 12:30am, especially with Carson gone.
NBC merely wished that Leno was at 11:30 and Letterman at 12:30 and they could just have it running as one seamless machine, much like the The Daily Show followed by the Colbert Report.
What i found interesting about the book is that i have a lot of sympathy for 90% of the people involved. Ovitz seemed to have a rather ruthless reputation, but I think he was more of a massive headache for the Studios, but he was a prince to his clients. Though it's an open question of who should be 'designing' package deals and who should 'work with whom'... the Studio, the Director, Casting etc.
Kushnick's biggest sin i think is how she controlled guests for the Tonight Show, and how actors or musicians or comics could be blacklisted if they appeared elsewhere. Once she was gone, Leno and the others had it so that, actors could just schedule dates when it was 'most convenient for them' to do whatever was easiest for them!
It's truly a masterful book, and well i think you realize that Networks care about ratings, sports, what time blocks and shows earn the most most money, and how you avoid disaster, and how you stifle creativity by bean counting like when GE took over NBC.
I think it's a book where you admire Leno and Letterman more after reading it.
And depending on how much you care about the people around them, you get a lot of sympathy for people trying the best job they can, even if some people do murky things in the corridors of power, or where the dollar sign, and contracts rule the Networks...
You do get a bad taste for the 'media machine' though and whoever feeds the bad blood into it.
June 8, 2011
Shocking, but this is the first time I've ever read this. This was another one of those books where the majority of the stuff within it's pages I had already heard about from different sources over the years: Online forums, Magazines, Entertainment News Shows, etc... So, for me there really was no desire to give this one a read. But then I heard that Bill Carter had a new book out called The War For Late Night, detailing the train wreck that was Jay Leno Vs. Conan O'Brien. Once I had a copy of that book in my hand I decided that I might as well start with The Late Shift and make it a marathon read for myself. And I'm glad I did just that.
Simply put, The Late Shift is hands down the nuttiest, wackiest soap opera ever printed on paper. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. The stuff that went down was so outlandish that it had to be made up. And yet, it's all real. The book itself reads like a roller coaster. There are so many peaks and valleys that you get dizzy after awhile. But you can't really ever put the book down at all, no matter how hard you try.
The peaks in the book get to insane heights, and the highest of them all is of course Helen Kushnick. For those that don't know about her, she was Jay Leno's manager and Producer of the show who ruled with an iron fist. Even though this book is about Jay Leno and David Letterman fighting over who gets the keys to Johnny Carson desk on The Tonight Show, I believe the real star of the book is Helen, without a doubt. And once she is ousted from the show (as well as the book), it does take a big hit that you end up missing her crazy antics. I did anyways.
The rest of the book continues with the roller coaster ride, but doesn't ever quite reach the same heights that you get with Helen at the forefront. This is why it gets a lesser rating from me. But that's not to say that the rest of the book sucks. There are still a handful of scenarios that will engage you all the way to the end: Jay hiding in a closet, David seeking council from Johnny and of course all the info pertaining to the pretenders to the throne: Arsenio Hall, Pat Sajak, Chevy Chase, Dana Carvey, Dennis Miller, etc...Yes, even Conan O'brien is here. Duh.
This is indeed a very fun, entertaining read that will have you flipping pages as fast as people were getting fired. I can easily recommend this to anyone that is a fan of Talk Shows or Soap Operas. I really hope that The War For Late Night doesn't disappoint here. But after The Late Shift, it's got a big task of at least equaling it. I still need to watch the movie version of The Late Shift. I have seen parts of it over the years, but never the entire movie all at once.
Simply put, The Late Shift is hands down the nuttiest, wackiest soap opera ever printed on paper. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. The stuff that went down was so outlandish that it had to be made up. And yet, it's all real. The book itself reads like a roller coaster. There are so many peaks and valleys that you get dizzy after awhile. But you can't really ever put the book down at all, no matter how hard you try.
The peaks in the book get to insane heights, and the highest of them all is of course Helen Kushnick. For those that don't know about her, she was Jay Leno's manager and Producer of the show who ruled with an iron fist. Even though this book is about Jay Leno and David Letterman fighting over who gets the keys to Johnny Carson desk on The Tonight Show, I believe the real star of the book is Helen, without a doubt. And once she is ousted from the show (as well as the book), it does take a big hit that you end up missing her crazy antics. I did anyways.
The rest of the book continues with the roller coaster ride, but doesn't ever quite reach the same heights that you get with Helen at the forefront. This is why it gets a lesser rating from me. But that's not to say that the rest of the book sucks. There are still a handful of scenarios that will engage you all the way to the end: Jay hiding in a closet, David seeking council from Johnny and of course all the info pertaining to the pretenders to the throne: Arsenio Hall, Pat Sajak, Chevy Chase, Dana Carvey, Dennis Miller, etc...Yes, even Conan O'brien is here. Duh.
This is indeed a very fun, entertaining read that will have you flipping pages as fast as people were getting fired. I can easily recommend this to anyone that is a fan of Talk Shows or Soap Operas. I really hope that The War For Late Night doesn't disappoint here. But after The Late Shift, it's got a big task of at least equaling it. I still need to watch the movie version of The Late Shift. I have seen parts of it over the years, but never the entire movie all at once.
January 27, 2022
I think the clincher is that Leno always tried to be nice to everybody, and would be willing to work harder than anyone else to improve things, and never complained or never was rude to any NBC Executives.
Letterman was rude and abrupt with lots of NBC executives, but he did have honesty and integrity, and a completely unique talent.
NBC just had some people like Agoglio who felt that, for most celebrities, the answer is 'money', and the real thing is Letterman just had zero interest at being on at 12:30am, especially with Carson gone.
NBC merely wished that Leno was at 11:30 and Letterman at 12:30 and they could just have it running as one seamless machine, much like the The Daily Show followed by the Colbert Report.
What i found interesting about the book is that i have a lot of sympathy for 90% of the people involved. Ovitz seemed to have a rather ruthless reputation, but I think he was more of a massive headache for the Studios, but he was a prince to his clients. Though it's an open question of who should be 'designing' package deals and who should 'work with whom'... the Studio, the Director, Casting etc.
Kushnick's biggest sin i think is how she controlled guests for the Tonight Show, and how actors or musicians or comics could be blacklisted if they appeared elsewhere. Once she was gone, Leno and the others had it so that, actors could just schedule dates when it was 'most convenient for them' to do whatever was easiest for them!
It's truly a masterful book, and well i think you realize that Networks care about ratings, sports, what time blocks and shows earn the most most money, and how you avoid disaster, and how you stifle creativity by bean counting like when GE took over NBC.
I think it's a book where you admire Leno and Letterman more after reading it.
And depending on how much you care about the people around them, you get a lot of sympathy for people trying the best job they can, even if some people do murky things in the corridors of power, or where the dollar sign, and contracts rule the Networks...
You do get a bad taste for the 'media machine' though and whoever feeds the bad blood into it.
Letterman was rude and abrupt with lots of NBC executives, but he did have honesty and integrity, and a completely unique talent.
NBC just had some people like Agoglio who felt that, for most celebrities, the answer is 'money', and the real thing is Letterman just had zero interest at being on at 12:30am, especially with Carson gone.
NBC merely wished that Leno was at 11:30 and Letterman at 12:30 and they could just have it running as one seamless machine, much like the The Daily Show followed by the Colbert Report.
What i found interesting about the book is that i have a lot of sympathy for 90% of the people involved. Ovitz seemed to have a rather ruthless reputation, but I think he was more of a massive headache for the Studios, but he was a prince to his clients. Though it's an open question of who should be 'designing' package deals and who should 'work with whom'... the Studio, the Director, Casting etc.
Kushnick's biggest sin i think is how she controlled guests for the Tonight Show, and how actors or musicians or comics could be blacklisted if they appeared elsewhere. Once she was gone, Leno and the others had it so that, actors could just schedule dates when it was 'most convenient for them' to do whatever was easiest for them!
It's truly a masterful book, and well i think you realize that Networks care about ratings, sports, what time blocks and shows earn the most most money, and how you avoid disaster, and how you stifle creativity by bean counting like when GE took over NBC.
I think it's a book where you admire Leno and Letterman more after reading it.
And depending on how much you care about the people around them, you get a lot of sympathy for people trying the best job they can, even if some people do murky things in the corridors of power, or where the dollar sign, and contracts rule the Networks...
You do get a bad taste for the 'media machine' though and whoever feeds the bad blood into it.
March 7, 2019
This is one of my absolute favorites and a must-read for any fan of stand up, late night, and the maddening inner-workings of the entertainment industry. Riveting journalism through terrific storytelling, the story of the (first) battle for The Tonight Show plays out in almost Shakespearean fashion and is brought to life not only by the television personalities that inhabit it but also by Mr. Carter's in-depth research. No stone is left unturned and no detail is omitted in crafting this retelling of events that took the broadcasting world by storm in the early-1990s and I'd imagine that even those who followed it when it was happening will learn something new. I am no fan of Jay Leno and am a rabid fan of David Letterman and fully expected, with the little knowledge I had of the history, that that would not change. Also, as a lifelong Conan O'Brien devotee, it's unlikely I'll ever get over the events of Carter's follow-up, "The War for Late Night" (which is followed in the moment vehemently). All that said, one of the most compelling elements of "The Late Shift" is the way Leno comes off to the reader; a nice enough guy who got stuck in the middle of a very unfortunately circumstance who, even though he technically "won", you almost feel sorry for.
Almost.
Almost.
November 8, 2010
Bill Carter covers the inside-baseball aspects of the early 90s transition from Carson to Leno (and almost to Letterman) in a style that's almost suspenseful. I certainly remember the Leno-Letterman war that followed Johnny Carson's retirement, and was, at the time, a die-hard Letterman fan, but I had no idea what all took place in those shaky 2 years between Carson's retirement announcement and Leno's coronation.
The most interesting parts of the book focus on the two stars -- Letterman and Leno -- and how both project on-screen personalities that are extremely different from their actual attitudes. Letterman, here, comes off as an insecure, detail-obsessed, slightly vulnerable, and often mean guy while Leno seems almost robotic and at times even a little damaged, a guy so distant from his own emotions that he doesn't know what it means to be "upset" or "stressed."
Add to these character studies the compelling and in-depth way that Carter tackles the idea of comedy as a business, as a craft, and you have a book that's not only entertaining but informative. It's a rise-and-fall-and-rise-again story that, although I knew the ending going in, still surprised me.
The most interesting parts of the book focus on the two stars -- Letterman and Leno -- and how both project on-screen personalities that are extremely different from their actual attitudes. Letterman, here, comes off as an insecure, detail-obsessed, slightly vulnerable, and often mean guy while Leno seems almost robotic and at times even a little damaged, a guy so distant from his own emotions that he doesn't know what it means to be "upset" or "stressed."
Add to these character studies the compelling and in-depth way that Carter tackles the idea of comedy as a business, as a craft, and you have a book that's not only entertaining but informative. It's a rise-and-fall-and-rise-again story that, although I knew the ending going in, still surprised me.
February 7, 2010
1. I don't watch a lot of late night TV.
2. I remember when Carson retired, and staying up to watch his last show, but I was only 13 or so at the time.
I decided to read this book in light of all the latest late night hullabaloo surrounding Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno. I didn't expect to find myself so deeply interested in all of this, but I am.
Before reading "The Late Shift" I was of the opinion that Conan O'Brien was really getting screwed by NBC, just as David Letterman had been years before. This oponion is only reinforced now.
So many of the things that happened *now* happened before. It's as if Jay Leno and NBC are in some crazy dysfunctional relationship where they can't lead seperate lives, and everyone else's career gets smashed in the fallout.
David Letterman ended up laughing all the way to the bank after landing a deal on CBS, and I imagine that Conan will find a new (and better!) late night home, as well. As for the top brass at NBC and Jay Leno- they deserve each other. I'm sure Johnny Carson is rolling over in his grave.
2. I remember when Carson retired, and staying up to watch his last show, but I was only 13 or so at the time.
I decided to read this book in light of all the latest late night hullabaloo surrounding Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno. I didn't expect to find myself so deeply interested in all of this, but I am.
Before reading "The Late Shift" I was of the opinion that Conan O'Brien was really getting screwed by NBC, just as David Letterman had been years before. This oponion is only reinforced now.
So many of the things that happened *now* happened before. It's as if Jay Leno and NBC are in some crazy dysfunctional relationship where they can't lead seperate lives, and everyone else's career gets smashed in the fallout.
David Letterman ended up laughing all the way to the bank after landing a deal on CBS, and I imagine that Conan will find a new (and better!) late night home, as well. As for the top brass at NBC and Jay Leno- they deserve each other. I'm sure Johnny Carson is rolling over in his grave.
December 13, 2020
The audience for this book is surely dwindling, as I can't imagine that many people still care about the Letterman-Leno battle of the 1990s. I do, of course, and will go to my grave with a giant chip on my shoulder for how NBC treated Dave. For those of you who don't care, I'd say skip this one. There are some interesting character studies -- e.g. the sections about Leno's manager, Helen Kushnick -- but not a whole lot in here for those without some connection to late night television of that era.
August 11, 2009
sadly i'm too young to really remember carson doing the tonight show, or even his leaving. my interest in the late night battles was peaked in my history of tv class last year when my professor showed some letterman at nbc clips, and i was shocked at how funny and sort of out there they were in a post-modern way.
i found this book to be completely fast paced and fascinating (except for a few bits) but it's very behind the scenes, and i suppose you would need to be the type of person to find intense entertainment contracts and negotiating edge of the seat stuff. so not for everyone.
my feelings toward the two are further complicated by nbc's recent decision to give away prime-time to leno. something i can no abide by and really wish to fail. i kept thinking if only they had given the tonight show to letterman. in that respect i think i feel similar to carter, who seems to have no qualms saying nbc screwed the pooch on this one.
January 25, 2020
The too wild to be anything but true story of Jay Leno's ascension to the Tonight Show throne. Late Shift dishes the inside dirt on Leno, Letterman, and Carson. Mostly Leno and his hell for leather manager, Helen Kushniak. When Carson announced his retirement in 1992 NBC already had a plan to replace him with Jay Leno, not bothering to tell David Letterman. This would start a chain of events that would change late night TV forever. The fight would escalate pitting star VS. star and network against network.
.
.
March 31, 2023
The phrase “dream job” has a special place in the English language—right up there with “true love” and “soulmate.” Any job can technically count as a person’s dream job, but there are some jobs that are almost universally considered to be dream jobs—The Tonight Show host being one of them. Throughout the course of The Late Shift: Letterman, Leno & the Network Battle for the Night, readers are continuously reminded (nearly thirty times in total) that hosting The Tonight Show on NBC is David Letterman’s boyhood dream, an important fact to keep in mind as Letterman is passed over for Jay Leno when Johnny Carson retires in 1992. The importance of Letterman’s dream also comes into play as CBS offers Letterman his own show at the time slot he desires, while NBC tries (and ultimately fails) to keep him as an employee: “Letterman, who was being informed of the developments almost hourly, had not been handed a Get Out of Jail Free card; he had no new information to make his agonizing decision easier. It was going to come down to just how strong the dream still was.” Several years ago, I read and thoroughly enjoyed this book’s sequel, The War for Late Night: When Leno Went Early and Television Went Crazy, and reading The Late Shift was a similarly excellent reading experience. Just like in The War for Late Night, Bill Carter writes about the most fascinating aspects of an already compelling story, and definitely does not skimp on the gossip. The scope of this book is not limited to David Letterman and Jay Leno; former hosts of The Tonight Show (Steve Allen, Jack Parr, and Johnny Carson) are also briefly profiled, not to mention other talk show hosts during this era (Joan Rivers, Pat Sajak, and Arsenio Hall). I happen to get a big thrill whenever the fiasco that was The Chevy Chase Show is mentioned anywhere, and Bill Carter’s sharp remarks about the short-lived disaster are fantastic! The author details Letterman’s perfectionist tendencies and displeasure (despite his obvious success) regarding his first episode of Late Show with David Letterman on CBS, then adds with punch, “A week later Chevy Chase would wish for a second chance as well, but no one would think he was being overly self-critical.” As much as I relish the gossip in this book, I think the most transcendent parts of The Late Shift are found later in the story for both David Letterman and Jay Leno that I can only describe as “life after dream” moments. After being known by his staff at NBC for being happy only one hour a day (“The hour: from 5:30 to 6:30 on weekday evenings, when he was on stage taping his show.”), it is very sweet when Letterman begins holding staff meetings at CBS with a new and improved outlook: “At the second meeting Dave told the staff that this was the happiest time of his life.” As for Jay Leno, who is described by multiple people as a man out of touch with his emotions, the uncertain period of keeping his job at NBC during Letterman’s last negotiations definitely makes its mark on his outlook, too: “‘Show business is a bit like guys that say, “You know, that hooker really likes me,”’ Jay said. ‘When you’ve been in it twenty years and you’ve gone through things, you get slapped down a few times. After a while you don’t mind getting hit anymore. It’s just part of the business. But it does take a part out that doesn’t come back. It’s a bit like: You’d do anything for the woman but love her again. There is some of that in there. You lose a piece of heart.’” This book was well written and easy to become absorbed in, and I rate it as five-out-of-five-stars! Not only is this book supremely entertaining, it is also an excellent resource to learn about television history from this era.
August 27, 2021
This book is a relic from a time when late night television was still a major deal: a factor in lives that did not yet have the internet or hundreds or even thousands of other viewing options. Johnny Carson was the host of The Tonight Show. He was once the undisputed King of Late Night in a uniquely American invented television format. When he announced his retirement in 1993, it sent a shockwave through the industry. The race was on to determine who would succeed him. In one corner, was the clear front runner: Jay Leno, a comic’s comic, a company man, a unique talent. Leno was nothing if not solid, on-time, hardworking, broad and obvious and palatable to middle class America. In the other corner was off-beat and mildly cantankerous host of a late-night show that came on well after most normal people are asleep. David Letterman was regarded as a once in a generation talent…if only he could get out of his own way.
The story of the behind-the-scenes machinations reads like the 90’s version of a Shakespeare play. The prize is the big chair at the most-watched late night show, a prize that held two men in its grasp. And the lengths to which each would go (Jay Leno hid in a closet to get the dirt on what his NBC colleagues were saying about him) is at times fascinating.
This is about show business, and people doing business things for the people for whom they work. It is a time capsule and a historical document. I already have the next chapter of this lined up to read. Very enjoyable.
The story of the behind-the-scenes machinations reads like the 90’s version of a Shakespeare play. The prize is the big chair at the most-watched late night show, a prize that held two men in its grasp. And the lengths to which each would go (Jay Leno hid in a closet to get the dirt on what his NBC colleagues were saying about him) is at times fascinating.
This is about show business, and people doing business things for the people for whom they work. It is a time capsule and a historical document. I already have the next chapter of this lined up to read. Very enjoyable.
February 13, 2024
Very informative. Seems to be well researched. I wish at time there was more preamble with Johnny. Or more Carson or even Conan. But I guess Conan was too young by the time this book was written. But honestly more could have even been said about him.
It would have made it great because of what happened years later.
It would have made it great because of what happened years later.
January 14, 2024
This was a fun foray into a culture that I don’t really believe exists in Australia. Pretty entertaining characters all round. It seems like, at least as far as the author is concerned, the bad guy (Letterman) ended up coming out on top.
By the author’s account, Leno appears to be far more considerate and personable. But he obviously did well enough regardless.
By the author’s account, Leno appears to be far more considerate and personable. But he obviously did well enough regardless.
November 24, 2022
The story of the Letterman/Leno rivalry and the battle of the networks is fascinating. Loved the attention to the fine details. A well researched book.
November 21, 2019
Four stars because the book ended with a conclusion even though neither of their careers were even close to over when this book was published lol. Otherwise great read.
January 21, 2024
david letterman's insecurities too real
December 11, 2023
Funny book. Letterman is still better than Leno. And Conan rules
October 13, 2021
Read Part 2 of this a little while back so this read like a prequel and had an extra level that way. Like the second one, this is fascinating if a little less so as I have more distance from it. The revelation here is neither Leno nor Letterman actively tried to screw the other, which I feel like is not how it’s remembered. I recommend reading these in order but otherwise this is a riveting story even if you don’t care about Late Night as I don’t really. Side note: There were a lot of typos, which can’t be original. Is this a weird error when it’s transferred to Kindle?
September 21, 2022
This is well-written and engaging, but it has a very weird ending. First written in 1995, it was re-released and updated in 2019. It begins, therefore, in 2015, as David Letterman retires from the Late Show with David Letterman, and then goes back in time to 1991, as Helen Kushnick and Jay Leno maneuver to get Leno named as Johnny Carson's successor. Carter does his best to be fair to both Leno and Letterman, and, if there's a villain in this book, it's the sole major female character, Helen Kushnick. She sounds like a terror, but it's hard to know if she really was as bad as is portrayed, or was she judged more harshly because she was a powerful woman in a male-dominated industry. It's no coincidence that the other people who figure most prominently in this book are white men.
It's clear that Letterman was often his own worst enemy and Leno was far more loyal (and savvy about showing that loyalty) to NBC and its affiliates. So I can understand why NBC went forward with Leno, even if I do think Letterman had greater talent.
But I seriously question Carter's depiction of Leno as a decent, emotionally-restrained guy who had no idea of the machinations of his manager. This is a guy who admittedly snuck into NBC Burbank headquarters one night and hid in a closet so that he could surreptitiously listen in on a conference call in which the leaders of NBC discussed whether to continue with him as host or replace him with Letterman. He then used direct quotes from the meeting to unnerve some of those leaders (who were also his fiercest defenders), and he created a perception that one of the legitimate meeting participants was leaking sensitive information. That isn't the behavior of a fundamentally decent guy who doesn't have a killer instinct.
This is also the guy who signed a contract to replace Carson before anyone knew that Carson would retire. I don't fault Leno for wanting what he got, but I am deeply skeptical that he was the innocent portrayed by Carter. It's more likely that he knew exactly what Helen Kushnick would do and was fine with her being the one to do the dirty work. He also had no hesitation on turning his back on Kushnick when NBC wanted to fire her. After months of refusing to listen or get involved when anyone came to him with a complaint about Kushnick, he turned on her in a matter of days. He did nothing to protect her position, and he clearly told NBC leadership that he wouldn't raise a stink if she was fired. Then he released a statement saying that he didn't think NBC was treating her fairly. For the woman who worked hard for him, promoted him, and engineered his rise to host of the Tonight Show, this was a two-faced attempt to make it seem that he was standing by her when, in fact, he was abandoning her. All things considered, Leno comes off as someone who looks out primarily for himself and shouldn't be trusted--someone who is perfectly happy to let someone else do the dirty work and take any resulting blame.
The really weird thing about the updated version is the epilogue. The main narrative closes with Letterman having opened on CBS and leading Leno in the ratings. The epilogue skips ahead about a year, when Leno appeared about to close the gap. It details the November sweeps period when Letterman once again opened up a sizable ratings lead and was then asked to host the Oscars. And then it just stops--no discussion of Letterman's Oscar performance or Leno overtaking him in the ratings later that year. Given the introduction's reference to Letterman's 2015 retirement, it's weird and abrupt that the Nov. 1994 sweeps period is discussed in great detail, and then Carter spends some time talking about the stress hosting the Oscars put on the Late Show's staff, and then the epilogue just stops.
It's clear that Letterman was often his own worst enemy and Leno was far more loyal (and savvy about showing that loyalty) to NBC and its affiliates. So I can understand why NBC went forward with Leno, even if I do think Letterman had greater talent.
But I seriously question Carter's depiction of Leno as a decent, emotionally-restrained guy who had no idea of the machinations of his manager. This is a guy who admittedly snuck into NBC Burbank headquarters one night and hid in a closet so that he could surreptitiously listen in on a conference call in which the leaders of NBC discussed whether to continue with him as host or replace him with Letterman. He then used direct quotes from the meeting to unnerve some of those leaders (who were also his fiercest defenders), and he created a perception that one of the legitimate meeting participants was leaking sensitive information. That isn't the behavior of a fundamentally decent guy who doesn't have a killer instinct.
This is also the guy who signed a contract to replace Carson before anyone knew that Carson would retire. I don't fault Leno for wanting what he got, but I am deeply skeptical that he was the innocent portrayed by Carter. It's more likely that he knew exactly what Helen Kushnick would do and was fine with her being the one to do the dirty work. He also had no hesitation on turning his back on Kushnick when NBC wanted to fire her. After months of refusing to listen or get involved when anyone came to him with a complaint about Kushnick, he turned on her in a matter of days. He did nothing to protect her position, and he clearly told NBC leadership that he wouldn't raise a stink if she was fired. Then he released a statement saying that he didn't think NBC was treating her fairly. For the woman who worked hard for him, promoted him, and engineered his rise to host of the Tonight Show, this was a two-faced attempt to make it seem that he was standing by her when, in fact, he was abandoning her. All things considered, Leno comes off as someone who looks out primarily for himself and shouldn't be trusted--someone who is perfectly happy to let someone else do the dirty work and take any resulting blame.
The really weird thing about the updated version is the epilogue. The main narrative closes with Letterman having opened on CBS and leading Leno in the ratings. The epilogue skips ahead about a year, when Leno appeared about to close the gap. It details the November sweeps period when Letterman once again opened up a sizable ratings lead and was then asked to host the Oscars. And then it just stops--no discussion of Letterman's Oscar performance or Leno overtaking him in the ratings later that year. Given the introduction's reference to Letterman's 2015 retirement, it's weird and abrupt that the Nov. 1994 sweeps period is discussed in great detail, and then Carter spends some time talking about the stress hosting the Oscars put on the Late Show's staff, and then the epilogue just stops.
July 9, 2017
THE LATE SHIFT: LETTERMAN, LENO, AND THE NETWORK BATTLE FOR THE NIGHT, by Bill Carter is a "must read" for anyone interested in the history of late night television, it's stars, and 1980s/90s American television in general.
Carter details how it all started with Johnny Carson's announcement on Thursday, May 23, 1991, at an NBC annual affiliates convention that, after nearly thirty years of hosting "The Tonight Show", Carson would be retiring and stepping down, and how, just a few days prior to that, NBC had just resigned Jay Leno to a contract renewal as Carson's regular back up host with a stipulation in the contract that should Carson ever step down, Leno would be the next regular host of "The Tonight Show".
This started a chain reaction of events that would become one of NBC's biggest ongoing headaches of all time. David Letterman, then host of NBC's 12:30 am week night show, "Late Night With David Letterman", had been a bit in his time slot, especially with the all important "younger viewers" demographic group, for ten years, and he had always dreamed of taking Carson's spot as host of "The Tonight Show".
At the advice of the producers of his show, Letterman hired a powerful, new agent and announced that he wanted out of his contract if NBC followed through on giving the "Tonight Show" to Leno, despite Letterman never having asked to have anything in writing prior to Carson's stepping down to claim the hosting job for himself.
CBS, eager to have a popular show in late night for the first time, was just one of many interested suitors for Letterman. And NBC wanted to keep Letterman in their late night line up.
Carter follows the many twists and turns that occurred from the time Carson announced his retirement, to Letterman's move to CBS in 1993 to host "The Late Show With David Letterman" directly opposite Leno and NBC's "Tonight Show" (and, up to the time the book was released, regularly beating "Tonight" in the ratings).
Readers are introduced to the many network executives who quickly took sides in the Leno-Letterman controversy, the head of NBC who had to make the ultimate choice, the agents who represented Letterman and Leno, and the other stars who succeeded (Arsenio Hall) and failed (Joan Rivers, Pat Sajak, Chevy Chase) in the late night arena.
I have never read a book that went to *this* extent in detailing the *business* end of television show business. Not only is THE LATE SHIFT an education into how network television deals are done even to this day, it also offers a look into the psyches of both David Letterman and Jay Leno, and the very difficult decision of whether to 1) stay with Leno (who already had the job and, though not the overall talent that Letterman was, had proven himself to be very loyal, cooperative, and hardworking), or 2) to publicly unseat Leno and give the "Tonight Show" to Letterman (overall a more talented talk show host than Leno who was very popular with younger viewers but who had often been openly uncooperative with and derisive of NBC in the past, and who many questioned if had the ability to appeal to a wider audience at the 11:30 pm timeslot).
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject matter that it covers.
Carter details how it all started with Johnny Carson's announcement on Thursday, May 23, 1991, at an NBC annual affiliates convention that, after nearly thirty years of hosting "The Tonight Show", Carson would be retiring and stepping down, and how, just a few days prior to that, NBC had just resigned Jay Leno to a contract renewal as Carson's regular back up host with a stipulation in the contract that should Carson ever step down, Leno would be the next regular host of "The Tonight Show".
This started a chain reaction of events that would become one of NBC's biggest ongoing headaches of all time. David Letterman, then host of NBC's 12:30 am week night show, "Late Night With David Letterman", had been a bit in his time slot, especially with the all important "younger viewers" demographic group, for ten years, and he had always dreamed of taking Carson's spot as host of "The Tonight Show".
At the advice of the producers of his show, Letterman hired a powerful, new agent and announced that he wanted out of his contract if NBC followed through on giving the "Tonight Show" to Leno, despite Letterman never having asked to have anything in writing prior to Carson's stepping down to claim the hosting job for himself.
CBS, eager to have a popular show in late night for the first time, was just one of many interested suitors for Letterman. And NBC wanted to keep Letterman in their late night line up.
Carter follows the many twists and turns that occurred from the time Carson announced his retirement, to Letterman's move to CBS in 1993 to host "The Late Show With David Letterman" directly opposite Leno and NBC's "Tonight Show" (and, up to the time the book was released, regularly beating "Tonight" in the ratings).
Readers are introduced to the many network executives who quickly took sides in the Leno-Letterman controversy, the head of NBC who had to make the ultimate choice, the agents who represented Letterman and Leno, and the other stars who succeeded (Arsenio Hall) and failed (Joan Rivers, Pat Sajak, Chevy Chase) in the late night arena.
I have never read a book that went to *this* extent in detailing the *business* end of television show business. Not only is THE LATE SHIFT an education into how network television deals are done even to this day, it also offers a look into the psyches of both David Letterman and Jay Leno, and the very difficult decision of whether to 1) stay with Leno (who already had the job and, though not the overall talent that Letterman was, had proven himself to be very loyal, cooperative, and hardworking), or 2) to publicly unseat Leno and give the "Tonight Show" to Letterman (overall a more talented talk show host than Leno who was very popular with younger viewers but who had often been openly uncooperative with and derisive of NBC in the past, and who many questioned if had the ability to appeal to a wider audience at the 11:30 pm timeslot).
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject matter that it covers.
July 31, 2011
I read another book from Carter back in like 2007 and I loved it and have been meaning to pick this book up forever. With the new late night wars going on, I finally remembered and I guess others had the same idea as me, because I had to wait a few weeks for this book. Mygod, was it worth the wait! So dated and so timely at the same time. Okay, so like Letterman used to have Conan's slot on NBC, shit happened and he went to CBS, where before him, they didn't have any late night shows, for the most part. There is a quick 3 lines in a larger paragraph about NBC wanting to give Letterman a 10pm show 5 nights a week, so he won't leave. SOUND FAMILIAR?!??! I almost chocked when I read that thow-away line. When Letterman started, he kicked Leno's arse, and oddly, I know when the ratings switched, but unfortunately, this book ended before that happened. This book kind of wrapped up as soon as Letterman's show started. It was also more about how NBC fucked Letterman more then what CBS did to save him. Even though this all took place during my lifetime, I don't remember it at all. It was all very 1970's, 80's and super early 90's and I guess I didn't start paying attention until like the mid-90's. Just so so interesting.
August 22, 2010
The Late Shift by Bill Carter tells the story, in a very clear and even-handed fashion, of the “Battle for Late Night” of the early 1990s. David Letterman and Jay Leno were two televisions stars, both up for the coveted position Tonight Show host. This book details how network executives and agents, producers and stars schemed, connived, argued and fought over the fate of this this lucrative position.
It is utterly fascinating, and Bill Carter tells it well. He bends over backwards to be fair to all involved. He uses hundreds of direct quotes from the people involved and explains each person’s position in a fair and persuasive manner. Flaws are not whitewashed and no one is demonized.
I do wonder, though, whether or not the Late Shift will hold up over time. Once Leno, Letterman, and perhaps even network TV are distant memories, will this still be interesting? Will the intense passion of this debate still draw fascination or will it simply be a curious footnote? Maybe it doesn’t matter. Late Night TV is ultimately trivial, but backroom deals and politicizing are universal things. Perhaps future readers will enjoy this book for its Machiavellian maneuvers. I sure did.
It is utterly fascinating, and Bill Carter tells it well. He bends over backwards to be fair to all involved. He uses hundreds of direct quotes from the people involved and explains each person’s position in a fair and persuasive manner. Flaws are not whitewashed and no one is demonized.
I do wonder, though, whether or not the Late Shift will hold up over time. Once Leno, Letterman, and perhaps even network TV are distant memories, will this still be interesting? Will the intense passion of this debate still draw fascination or will it simply be a curious footnote? Maybe it doesn’t matter. Late Night TV is ultimately trivial, but backroom deals and politicizing are universal things. Perhaps future readers will enjoy this book for its Machiavellian maneuvers. I sure did.
April 25, 2018
This book gives a great insight into one of my favorite subject: American Late Night. I used to enjoy David Letterman's work immensely. I also love me some Craig Ferguson and Conan O'Brien. While I'm not a big fan of Jay Leno *ahem*, this book gave me a bit of a look into the man's career and motives, and made me more sympathetic to him as a person.
Turns out there was a lot I didn't know about the so-called late night wars, I never watched Carson before, but in my mind he was this legendary figure, I just never realized the power the man had over late night, it was scary whenever somebody incurred the wrath of Johnny.
In this book, you will find a look into how Jay and Dave started, and the ups and downs of their early late night turf wars, as well as some stupid network tricks, shady executives and some great writing on Bill Carter's part. Never a dull moment in this book.
I gotta say that I relate to Dave more as a person, we share some of the same characteristics and flaws, he's still my all time top late night host.
I'm definitely going to pick up the follow-up to this book, for more late night shenanigans.
Turns out there was a lot I didn't know about the so-called late night wars, I never watched Carson before, but in my mind he was this legendary figure, I just never realized the power the man had over late night, it was scary whenever somebody incurred the wrath of Johnny.
In this book, you will find a look into how Jay and Dave started, and the ups and downs of their early late night turf wars, as well as some stupid network tricks, shady executives and some great writing on Bill Carter's part. Never a dull moment in this book.
I gotta say that I relate to Dave more as a person, we share some of the same characteristics and flaws, he's still my all time top late night host.
I'm definitely going to pick up the follow-up to this book, for more late night shenanigans.
July 22, 2021
Great read. A little tedious at times but interesting nevertheless. I think I would have liked it more if it was written say 5 years later so the author could offer more perspective on the fallout from Lettermans departure from NBC. I'd give this a 4.5
November 9, 2011
A thorough insight to the behind-the-scenes maneuvering that created, extinguished, then rekindled and prolonged the hand-off of America's greatest television program, The Tonight Show. The book outlines the careers of both David Letterman and Jay Leno; introduces their respective "camps;" and details the battles they faced as they pursued the late night crown. Bill Carter does a great job of gathering and sharing insider info from both sides of the battle, as well as the corporate perspective. Though not necessarily the purpose of the book, it demonstrates the real life impact that business decisions have on the lives of people who are often treated as disposable products.
April 8, 2010
I don't know how accurate it is, but you really feel like you are right there in the middle of the story. Amazing inside account, I really hope there is a sequel in the works that covers the recent tonight show debacle.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews