The 1996 made-for-HBO movie holds nothing back in dissecting NBC's first late night debacle. As Leno pushes for a sequel, it's a certain red-headed Irishman that has the most to gain from giving this film another inspection.

It's all over the front pages, the blogs, and social networks. Conan is rumored to be leaving The Tonight Show behind after Jay Leno's canceled prime-time spot moves back to a possible 11:30 slot. Is it just me, or has some kind of network déjà vu just hit the zeitgeistian fan?


The Late Shift was released February 24, 1996


From Leno's monologue January 7th, 2010

Leno's got to be happy he's getting his time slot back, though most of us under the age of sixty just wish he'd disappear forever. As you can see from the clips above, his material isn't exactly fresh, but that doesn't mean there aren't people that long to get their jollies watching 'Jay-walking'.

And while it's Leno that seems fated to live this cyclical life on NBC, it's Conan that stands to gain from the ghosts of late night's past. When Johnny Carson retired the network heads were not ready. When Carson's protege, David Letterman, was not offered the Tonight Show hosting gig immediately, he considered changing networks. Here's what happened:

It's the question every late night host should ask himself at some point, Conan. "What would Johnny do?" He'd walk CoCo. He'd walk.