This has been a magical 2 weeks for late night – and for me – with one monster hit after another. Conan, The Tonight Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live all had some moments this week that made the whole world (and yes by the whole world I might mean US adults 18-19) stop, watch and be completely torn apart with laughter. If this was the music industry, they had platinum selling singles this week that literally everyone was talking about. Nowadays, it seems a little normal that a late night talk show might dominate Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and water cooler conversation all at the same damn time. But, this is still fairly new.
The concept of the late-night talk show is super old and the actual format (old white guy, interview, variety/skit elements, desk) has actually not changed that much. Despite this rigid construct, late night has done an AMAZING job in remaining relevant in a space that has become way less white, way less desk and way less interested in watching live on television. Some of the highest ranking YouTube vids come from late night, but these are NOT the highest rated shows on television. Their value, and hopefully their ad sales teams and their advertisers realize, is not in these ratings numbers, but the magic they create in the digital space.
Check the rundown on the best moments below….
Before we get into it, an important aside. These moments all come from show franchises (Clueless Gamer, Lipsync Battle, Mean Tweets). None of which started off as the most important element of the show, but these segments were allowed to grow, mature and gain social momentum. (You can, and should totally, intuit this as a proposed shift in television programming strategy. More to come on this later.)
Conan
Full disclosure, I worked at TBS, Conan was one of my shows and I have a special place in my heart for this show. That being said, Conan is no stranger to hitting digital gold. His whole digital/social movement, quite honestly, kept his voice and perspective alive when he didn’t have a show. He and his team do a masterful job of getting the best moments of the show out there for our social enjoyment. However, this right here…is absolute greatness. It’s not tied to a larger programming stunt – like Jimmy Fallon – but it is meant to engage in the dialogue around the Super Bowl and Marshawn Lynch’s strategy of quietness.
Clueless Gamer: Mortal Combat X
Original Air Date: Thursday, 1/29
This clip brought in 9M YouTube views but the ratings story – not so strong. Their ratings for Adults 18-49 – the most coveted demo – was .4 and their total viewers was 877,000 people.
The Tonight Show Hosted By Jimmy Fallon
Fallon has some serious momentum this week. It’s a stunt week, so we should expecting the best-of-the-best. Starting Sunday, The Tonight Show hosted a special Super Bowl episode. Then, the rest of the week, Fallon set up shop in LA at Universal Studios (a long ways from their home in Rockefeller Center). The two clips below are my favorite moments of the week and they both include celebrity guest stars.
Lip Sync Battle
Original Air Date: Sunday, 2/1
I was brought to laughing-induced tears over Will Ferrell’s Beyoncé and Princess Anna impersonations. And that, is why it racked up 24M views. On the ratings side (although with 24M views why do we even need to discuss ratings) it pulled in 9.8M viewers. At 12:13, after the Super Bowl. Ok, I’m also willing to give credit to dynamic lead-ins – Blacklist & the Super Bowl)
Jimmy Fallon Went to Bayside High
Original Air Date: Wednesday, 2/4
This gem, in its 90s nostalgia-dripping glory, brought in 19M views. And, this particular episode delivered some of the best 18-49 ratings of the show’s history. These ratings were on par with his early episodes as The Tonight Show host. Up a whopping 40% from it’s quarter-to-date average.
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Kimmel, not to be outdone, revived one of his more popular franchises “Mean Tweets.” Instead of actors, he filled the segment with musicians – Grammy-nominated musicians – just in time for the Grammy Awards this weekend.
Mean Tweets Music Edition #2
Original Air Date: Monday, 2/2
And just like that, he pulled 13M views and the Adults 18-49 ratings were .7 (FYI – These are fast affiliate ratings or industry speak for let’s wait a few more days and get more exact numbers, I’m using this directionally)
Don’t get me wrong – I love this. I’m super excited late night has grown into this new convergent world – part TV, part Digital. But, I’m still wondering if this old-but-slightly-remixed construct has space for a few browner or more womanly figures to have a dominating role.
