"If we go down in flames, we'll be laughing on the way down, believe me,"
Jay Leno
told critics in his most public, extensive comments to date about his upcoming, controversial new comedy series. Leno, two months and 12 pounds removed from his 17-year stint as host of "The Tonight Show," last night seemed unconcerned about whether "The Jay Leno Show" -- which NBC will air weeknights at 10 in place of the network's traditional scripted dramas --- would succeed or fail. When a reporter, recalling how nervous he seemed at a similar press conference at the start of his "Tonight" tenure, asked what made him so confident, he said, frankly, "I'm rich now." But Leno also didn't sound like a man planning for failure. He acknowledged that his show wouldn't beat "CSI: Miami" in originals, but because it will air 46 weeks of original episodes per year, as opposed to 22 for most hit primetime series, they would do fine when the competition is in reruns. "They'll get us on the straights, we'll get 'em on the curves," he said, one of many racing references the car enthusiast made. One of the recurring segments of "The Jay Leno Show" will be an outdoor racetrack next to the new studio, where Leno will conduct a series of "Green Car Challenges," with guests racing each other in souped-up electric cars. In addition, Leno's show won't have a desk (save maybe for Headlines), in order to differentiate it from "The Tonight Show." And in lieu of having young comedians come out to do stand-up, he'll have people like D.L. Hughley and Rachael Harris tape segments in the field and come back to the show them in the studio. He hopes to have one guest per night instead of three, and music acts will only appear twice a week, usually in the middle of the show. "What music gets you is a great studio audience," he explained. "It doesn't necessarily get you a great television audience." Leno will be leading into the late local news for NBC's affiliates, and those affiliates are afraid that a lower-rated Leno show will harm the performance for one of their biggest profit centers. So Leno will move many of his signature comedy pieces like Jaywalking and Headlines to the very end of the show, and will close each show by reminding viewers that the local news will begin immediately. Leno said he never seriously considered going to ABC or Fox to compete with Conan O'Brien once NBC decided to hand "The Tonight Show" to Conan, comparing his long relationship with NBC to a marriage. And he seemed more excited about starting the new show than he was disappointed that he had to give up "Tonight," admitting that he had grown complacent in that job the last few years. I noted that he was in a similar position now to what David Letterman -- who desperately wanted to host "The Tonight Show," but had to start his own show when NBC chose Leno instead -- experienced in the early '90s. "The one thing that kills people in this town is bitterness," Leno offered. "NBC's logic is that when you host 'The Tonight Show," you give it up when you're (still) number one. That way, the show stays strong. I get it; I understand that. It makes perfect sense. But do you feel a little twinge? Sure. That's okay, but you're a grown up. You've had your chance. There's only so much pie you can eat... I enjoyed doing that, when this opportunity came along,, they seemed genuinely excited or interested in it. "This is an interesting challenge," he added. "It's more fun. We're doing things that are interesting that we couldn't do under 'The Tonight Show' banner because it wasn't 'The Tonight Show brand." And given some of the outrage among both viewers and showbiz people about the existence of this show, Leno feels very much like he did when he was taking over for Johnny Carson 17 years ago. "When I started 'The Tonight Show,' it was an interesting challenge," he said. "It was, 'You stink, you suck.' And you put your nose to the grindstone and try to turn it around ."
Alan Sepinwall may be reached at asepinwall@starledger.com, or 1 Star-Ledger Plaza, Newark, N.J. 07102-1200. Include your full name and hometown.