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Back at it: Leno
and Letterman, again

Their decades-long late-night rivalry resumes

By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Mar 1, 2010

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Finally, after weeks of anticipation, the new late-night wars are underway.

Tonight at 11:35 p.m., Jay Leno returns to host NBC's "The Tonight Show," a program he left just nine months ago for an ill-fated primetime gamble that nearly resulted in an affiliate revolt after ratings in the 10 p.m. timeslot plunged.

As everyone knows by now, NBC wanted to move Leno back to 11:35 and push Conan O'Brien's "Tonight" to 12:05 a.m., a move O'Brien rejected. He negotiated an exit deal with the network that allowed for Leno's late-night return.

And what a juicy story it will continue to be, as one of the most bitter TV rivalries of the 1990s, Leno versus CBS's David Letterman, is revived.

The rivalry had become little more than an afterthought in recent years. Leno dominated the past decade so firmly that Letterman could go for years without winning a week against his rival.

But upon Leno's exit, Letterman's numbers bumped up, and even a sex scandal last fall didn't knock him down. Coming when it did, it probably helped him.

Earlier this month, Letterman had his best week among total viewers since September, drawing nearly 5 million, or about what Leno's "Tonight" averaged during the 2008-'09 season, and a 1.2 Nielsen rating among adults 18-49, up slightly from Leno's 1.1 average.

While the whole NBC late-night fiasco was playing out in January, Letterman eviscerated Leno, who famously won the "Tonight" hosting job over his old pal in 1992. Yet the two appeared together in a Super Bowl commercial in early February.

Media people think Leno will regain his former No. 1 ranking, but they don't think it will happen right away. And it could not happen at all.

For now, the two late-night veterans are playing the battle of the bookings.

For Leno's first night back, he has American skier Lindsey Vonn, who won a gold medal at the just-ended Winter Games, and A-list actor Jamie Foxx, and on night two he'll welcome former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, with whom Letterman famously feuded last summer.

Letterman's guests next week will include Bill Murray, GOP 2012 presidential hopeful Mitt Romney and Jerry Seinfeld, who was notably Leno's first guest on his primetime show last year.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
MONDAY, MARCH 1
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 p.m.	ESPN	“College Basketball” (S)	Big East battle between Georgetown and West Virginia.
8 p.m.	ABC	“The Bachelor” (R)	Season finale. Jake chooses between Tenley and Vienna.
9 p.m.	CBS	“Two and a Half Men” (C)	Charlie leaves for Las Vegas and then comes back with a new wife.
9 p.m.	Fox	“24” (D)	President Taylor and Omar Hassan have a meeting.
9 p.m.	ABC Family	“Make It or Break It” (D)	Kaylie ponders whether to take part in the Chinese Invitational.
10 p.m.	CBS	“CSI: Miami” (D)	Jesse and Horatio travel to Los Angeles in an attempt to clear Jesse’s name.
10 p.m.	FX	“Damages” (D)	Patty makes a bargain in the Tobin case.
TUESDAY, MARCH 2
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	ABC	“Good Morning America” (N)	“Bachelor” Jake Pavelka and this season’s winner guest, assuming they are still together. You never know in "Bachelor" world.
8 p.m.	CBS	“NCIS” (D)	Gena Rowlands guests as one of Gibbs’ former mother-in-laws.
8 p.m.	Fox	“American Idol” (R)	The top 10 female contestants show what they’ve got.
8 p.m.	NBC	“The Biggest Loser” (R)	The reality series returns after an Olympic layoff.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Lost” (D)	Sayid is forced into a very difficult decision.
10 p.m.	CBS	“NCIS: Los Angeles” (D)	A naval officer’s death is ruled a suicide, but the crew has other thoughts.
10 p.m.	NBC	“Parenthood” (D)	Series premiere. A single mom takes her kids and moves back in with her parents.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	NBC	“Today” (N)	Country group Lady Antebellum performs.
8 p.m.	Fox	“American Idol” (R)	Tonight it’s the top 10 guys who take the stage.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Modern Family” (C)	Cameron and Mitchell have brunch with Lily’s doctor.
9 p.m.	CBS	“Criminal Minds” (D)	A new kidnapping case is very similar to another that’s eight years old.
9 p.m.	ESPN	“College Basketball” (S)	Game between Duke and Maryland could decide the regular-season ACC title.
10 p.m.	ABC	“Oprah Winfrey Oscar Special” (A)	Oprah hosts and Oscar nominees interview each other.
10 p.m.	FX	“Nip/Tuck” (D)	Series finale. Sean and Christian look back at their extremely graphic relationship.
THURSDAY, MARCH 4
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	ABC	“Good Morning America” (N)	Tom Hanks and “ America’s Most Wanted” host John Walsh both guest.
8 p.m.	Fox	“American Idol” (R)	Two more guys and two more gals will be cut, bringing the field down to 16.
8 p.m.	TNT	“NBA Basketball” (S)	Kobe and the Lakers travel to Miami to take on the Heat.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Grey’s Anatomy” (D)	A famous surgeon checks into the ER and requests an unusual procedure.
9 p.m.	NBC	“The Office” (C)	Pam heads to the hospital to give birth to her and Jim’s baby.
10 p.m.	CBS	“The Mentalist” (D)	A chef is killed at a cooking competition in Napa Valley.
FRIDAY, MARCH 5
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	CBS	“Ghost Whisperer” (D)	A ghost tells Melinda about a dump that’s housing unexploded bombs.
8 p.m.	Disney Channel	“Suite Life on Deck” (C)	Zack, Cody and London all dream that they’re in fairy tales.
8 p.m.	Nickelodeon	“iCarly” (C)	A billionaire wants to help Carly and Co. put on the first live internet show from space.
9 p.m.	CBS	“Medium” (D)	Allison takes self defense classes after she’s mugged.
9 p.m.	HBO	“The Ricky Gervais Show” (C)	Among the topics discussed are personal mottos and superpowers.
10 p.m.	CBS	“Numb3rs” (D)	Charlie and Amita’s wedding plans could be on hold after they’re offered a new job. Bit of foreshadowing there, as this show is not expected to be renewed.
SATURDAY, MARCH 6
Time	Network	Program	Description
3 p.m.	NBC	‘PGA Golf” (S)	Third round of the Honda Classic from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
8 p.m.	Fox	“Cops” (R)	Cops in San Diego catch a mother-son pair who stole a cake.
8 p.m.	National Geographic Channel	“Dangerous Encounters” (N)	A look at potentially dangerous animals that live in the American West.
9 p.m.	ESPN	“College Basketball” (S)	North Carolina and Duke renew their rivalry in men’s basketball.
9 p.m.	Hallmark Channel	“Uncorked” (M)	A workaholic suddenly has time on her hands while in California’s wine region.
11:30 p.m.	NBC	“Saturday Night Live” (S)	Zach Galifianakis guests and Vampire Weekend performs.
SUNDAY, MARCH 7
Time	Network	Program	Description
Noon	CBS	“College Basketball” (S)	A good SEC matchup between Florida and Kentucky.
Noon	Fox	“NASCAR Racing” (S)	A Sprint Cup race in Atlanta.
6 p.m.	E!	“Live From the Red Carpet” (A)	Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic interview celebs before the Academy Awards.
8:30 p.m.	ABC	“Academy Awards” (A)	Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin team up to host the 82nd annual event.
9 p.m.	HBO	“Big Love” (D)	Season finale. Tension builds as election day approaches.
10 p.m.	CBS	“Cold Case” (D)	The 1986 case of a murdered dock worker/pro wrestler is reopened.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.