The Incredible Shrinking Late-Night Lineup

Johnny Carson wouldn’t recognize today’s “Tonight Show.”

NBC’s late-night institution relies on viral-friendly bits and TikTok stars along with traditional A-listers. The show also tells jokes aimed at only half the country, much like the rest of the late-night landscape.

And, now, host Jimmy Fallon will be taking Friday nights off.

“The Tonight Show” announced it’s ditching its five-day format, shrinking to match its competitors’ four-day schedule.

‘Tonight Show’ Scraps New Friday Episodes https://t.co/9G4EB8T3wM via @newsmax

— Chris 🇺🇸 (@Chris_1791) September 7, 2024

The move isn’t unexpected. Late-night contraction is the new normal. We’ve seen long-time hosts flee the format, including Trevor Noah, Samantha Bee, Desus & Mero and James Corden.

“The Late Late Show” is gone entirely, and NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers” ditched its band in recent weeks to cut costs. The host of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” recently suggested late-night television might go the way of the VHS tape in a decade.

Far-Left media blame the shifting media landscape, the rise of social media competition and the move away from “linear TV.”

And they have a point. To a point.

It’s undeniable that late-night talkers have chased nearly half the country away. And they’re not coming back.

Why would they?

“Not good riddance but riddance,” Jimmy Kimmel famously said of right-leaning fans.

Late-night comedians picked a side during the 2016 Trump-Clinton slugfest and never looked back. Hosts like David Letterman never hid their progressive views, but late-night monologues respected the Carson model.

Poke fun at both sides of the aisle without extreme malice. It’s not complicated.

Trump’s arrival on the political scene changed that. When the real estate mogul shocked the world on Election Day 2016 that shift became permanent.

Now, hosts like Stephen Colbert and Kimmel regularly appear at DNC fundraisers, cementing their status as progressive hacks. It took President Joe Biden’s catastrophic June 27 debate performance for Colbert to finally mock him in any significant way.

Their collective jokes aren’t just partisan. They’re often mean-spirited. That’s always part of a comedian’s arsenal, but late-night hosts can ill afford to alienate viewers in 2024.

You don’t need a marketing degree to see that.

Alienating half the country isn’t necessarily a death knell for content creators.

Niche programming can still thrive in the pop culture landscape. We have access to more content than ever, and verticals aimed at small but passionate groups keep the lights on.

How? Belt tightening helps. So do modest expectations.

The late-night platforms work differently. The shows require large crews, writing teams and budgets commensurate with broadcast TV fare. The money spigot from all of the above slowed considerably over the past few years.

In 2018, seven late night programs — NBC’s “Tonight” and “Late Night,” CBS’ “Late Show” and “Late Late Show,” ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Comedy Central’s “Daily Show” and NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” — drew more than $698 million in advertising in 2018, according to Vivvix, a tracker of ad spending. By 2022, that total came to $412.7 million — a drop of approximately 41% over five years.

Something had to give, like bands and Friday performances. What’s next?

It doesn’t help that rebel comics are beating Colbert and co. to the satirical punch. Repeatedly.

The Babylon Bee dares to mock subjects late-night satirists won’t touch. Podcasters like Tim Dillon, Andrew Schulz and Tyler Fisher poke fun at sacred cows with little fear of reprisal.

And they’re becoming stars in the process.

Prayers Are Answered As Comedian Tim Dillon Books Career-Changing Netflix Dealhttps://t.co/KZsziuPeOc

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 25, 2024

Late-night shows have become increasingly predictable. Even center-Left viewers may crave a more balanced joke diet.

Meanwhile, late-night upstart “Gutfeld!” keeps increasing his slice of the ratings pie, albeit at 10 p.m. ET. The conservative show crushed the competition during the recent DNC convention, shifting its usual time slot to go head-to-head with Colbert and co.

“Gutfeld!” also came in first place during the RNC gala in Milwaukee.

Fox News isn’t reducing its star’s workload. He might get a band all his own before long.

Late-night TV may be a casualty of our digital age no matter what jokes are told. The format’s extinction might have been delayed if they took a page out of Carson’s bipartisan playbook.