R.I.P. Jerry’s Seinfeld’s Influence

Al Berman, Allison Gollust, Angela Bromstad, Ari Emanuel, Barry Diller, Ben Silverman, Brian Roberts, CBS, Chuck Martin, Comcast, Conan O'Brien, Cory Shields, Dawn Ostroff, Deadline Hollywood, Dick Ebersol, Dick Wolf, Ellen Rakieten, GE shareholder, henriette Mantel, Jamie Farr, Jay Leno, Jay Leno ratings, Jeff Cesario, Jeff Gaspin, Jeff Weiner, Jeff Zucker, Jeffrey Immelt, Jennifer O'Connell, Jerry Seinfeld, Jill Kennedy, Jimmy Fallon, John Eck, John Ferriter, John s. Dorsey, John Wallace, Khan Manka, Lindsey Vonn, Lynn Calpeter, Manka Bros., Marc Chini, Marc Graboff, Mark Hoffman, Michael Bass, Michael Pilot, NBC Olympic Coverage, Nick Emmerson, Nikki Finke, OnMedea, Paul Telegdy, Paula Madison, Peter Smith, Phyllis Diller, Richard Cotton, Ron Meyer, Salil Mehta, Sharon Waxman, Steve Capus, Terry Semel, The CW, The Marriage Ref, thewrap.com, Todd Broder, Tom PapaIt’s the end of an era.  When “Seinfeld” went off the air in 1998 (!!) there was no bigger star in television who wielded more influence than Jerry Seinfeld.  Senior creative executives from every major studio were falling all over themselves to get the next Seinfeld project.

But… Jerry decided to take his $100 million (give or take a few million) and went off to enjoy his life.  He did the occasional stand-up event at Caesar’s Palace; the occasional guest spot on a TV series or talk show to give his friends a spike in their ratings; voiced a cartoon bee, etc.

Up until last week, everyone just assumed that Jerry Seinfeld was still as big as he ever was.

Al Berman, Allison Gollust, Angela Bromstad, Ari Emanuel, Barry Diller, Ben Silverman, Brian Roberts, CBS, Chuck Martin, Comcast, Conan O'Brien, Cory Shields, Dawn Ostroff, Deadline Hollywood, Dick Ebersol, Dick Wolf, Ellen Rakieten, GE shareholder, henriette Mantel, Jamie Farr, Jay Leno, Jay Leno ratings, Jeff Cesario, Jeff Gaspin, Jeff Weiner, Jeff Zucker, Jeffrey Immelt, Jennifer O'Connell, Jerry Seinfeld, Jill Kennedy, Jimmy Fallon, John Eck, John Ferriter, John s. Dorsey, John Wallace, Khan Manka, Lindsey Vonn, Lynn Calpeter, Manka Bros., Marc Chini, Marc Graboff, Mark Hoffman, Michael Bass, Michael Pilot, NBC Olympic Coverage, Nick Emmerson, Nikki Finke, OnMedea, Paul Telegdy, Paula Madison, Peter Smith, Phyllis Diller, Richard Cotton, Ron Meyer, Salil Mehta, Sharon Waxman, Steve Capus, Terry Semel, The CW, The Marriage Ref, thewrap.com, Todd Broder, Tom PapaThen something strange happened this week:  Jerry Seinfeld became irrelevant.

After spending millions of dollars for promotional time during the Vancouver Olympics for Jerry Seinfeld’s “The Marriage Ref”, NBC was expecting a really big number.

They even cut the Closing Ceremonies short (to most of the country’s shock and anger) just to show the premiere of “The Marriage Ref”.  And, to be fair, they got a strong number (though, I suspect, with that lead in, NBC could have put on a rerun of “Silver Spoons” and it also would have gotten a big number).

Al Berman, Allison Gollust, Angela Bromstad, Ari Emanuel, Barry Diller, Ben Silverman, Brian Roberts, CBS, Chuck Martin, Comcast, Conan O'Brien, Cory Shields, Dawn Ostroff, Deadline Hollywood, Dick Ebersol, Dick Wolf, Ellen Rakieten, GE shareholder, henriette Mantel, Jamie Farr, Jay Leno, Jay Leno ratings, Jeff Cesario, Jeff Gaspin, Jeff Weiner, Jeff Zucker, Jeffrey Immelt, Jennifer O'Connell, Jerry Seinfeld, Jill Kennedy, Jimmy Fallon, John Eck, John Ferriter, John s. Dorsey, John Wallace, Khan Manka, Lindsey Vonn, Lynn Calpeter, Manka Bros., Marc Chini, Marc Graboff, Mark Hoffman, Michael Bass, Michael Pilot, NBC Olympic Coverage, Nick Emmerson, Nikki Finke, OnMedea, Paul Telegdy, Paula Madison, Peter Smith, Phyllis Diller, Richard Cotton, Ron Meyer, Salil Mehta, Sharon Waxman, Steve Capus, Terry Semel, The CW, The Marriage Ref, thewrap.com, Todd Broder, Tom PapaWith that in mind, last night “The Marriage Ref” settled into its Thursday night 10pm time slot and promptly lost half of its audience.  Don’t get me wrong, these aren’t terrible numbers like Melrose Place or The Beautiful Life on The CW or Severed Fingers on MBS, but not the numbers you want and expect if you have JERRY SEINFELD as your selling point.  You can get those kinds of numbers with Guy Fieri.

And if the ratings continue to fall, it’s will be increasingly hard for Jerry to recruit big name celebrities to be on the panel (and once you get down to the Phyllis Diller, Jamie Farr level – your show may be in trouble).

There was a time when Jerry Seinfeld could do anything he wanted.  But now, like, say, Lucille Ball in 1986, fewer studios will be returning his calls and signing over a blank check.

But, let me just say this… he absolutely killed on David Letterman the other night.  He’s still one of the great stand ups in history and proved that with one of the tightest six minutes you’ll ever see.  He’s just no longer the most important person in the room.

That spot is reserved for Ben Silverman.

[JEFF ZUCKER UPDATE: He still has a job – though no one seems to know why.

Accel Partners, Ben Silverman, Bob Iger, Chris Hughes, David Kirkpatrick, Dustin Moskovitz, Eduardo Saverin, Gerald Levin, Greylock Partners, HBO, Jeff Bewkes, Jeff Zucker, Jill Kennedy, Joanna Shields, Jon Miller, Khan Manka, Li Ka-shing, Manka Bros., Mark Cuban, Mark Zuckerberg, Matt Cohler, MySpace, Nicolas Carlson, OnMedea, Owen Van Natta, Paul Buchheit, Peter Thiel, Rupert Murdoch, Sheryl Sandberg, Sumner Redstone, Toy Story 3Jill Kennedy – OnMedea

Leno The King

ABC, Angela Bromstad, Are You Stupid?, Ari Emanuel, Barry Diller, Ben Silverman, Beverly Hills Hotel, Brian Roberts, CBS, Comcast, Conan O'Brien, CSI: NY, Dawn Ostroff, Deadline Hollywood, Dick Wolf, Eastwick, ER, GE shareholder, Gossip Girl, Jay Leno, Jay Leno has Failed, Jay Leno ratings, Jeff Gaspin, Jeff Weiner, Jeff Zucker, Jeffrey Immelt, Jill Kennedy, Jimmy Fallon, John Ferriter, Julianna Margulies, Kate Gosselin, Khan Manka, Law & Order, Lindsey Vonn, Manka Bros., Marc Graboff, NBC Olympic Coverage, Nikki Finke, Octomom, OnMedea, Paul Telegdy, Peter Roth, Producers Caucus Panel, Sarah Palin, Sharon Waxman, Shaun White, Stop all the clocks..., Sven Kramer, TCA Winter Press Tour, Terry Semel, The CW, thewrap.com, USA vs. Canada, W.H. Auden, Warner Bros., William Morris EndeavorWell, that didn’t take long.  There will be lots of “I’m With Coco” and David Letterman supporters that will say “It was expected…”, “Everyone was just curious about the switch…”, “Jay has all those Olympians on the show…”

Whatever.

I write this not as a Jay Leno fan (far from it) – but as a practical person who looks at the numbers.  As I said when there was a debate over whether NBC should keep Conan or Jay… of all the late night hosts on all the networks, Jay Leno is simply the one that more people want to watch.  I’m not talking about “quality” or “educated” people here.  I’m talking about more PEOPLE.

In his first night back in the 11:35pm time slot, Jay Leno destroyed the competition. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno got a 5.7/14 share; David Letterman (3.0/8 share); Nightline/Jimmy Kimmell Live (1.8/6 share).  Tonight, Jay has Sarah Palin and Shaun White on the show.  Who do you think will win?

I think Conan may want to avoid the direct competition and forget about Fox.  I’m sure Fox executives are thinking the same thing today.

[Note to Jeff Zucker:  These results are not because of your brilliance, they are in spite of your ignorance.  The Olympics will lose over $200 million for your network and you won’t make that up with “The Marriage Ref” or “Parenthood” ratings.  You will be fired.]

Accel Partners, Ben Silverman, Bob Iger, Chris Hughes, David Kirkpatrick, Dustin Moskovitz, Eduardo Saverin, Gerald Levin, Greylock Partners, HBO, Jeff Bewkes, Jeff Zucker, Jill Kennedy, Joanna Shields, Jon Miller, Khan Manka, Li Ka-shing, Manka Bros., Mark Cuban, Mark Zuckerberg, Matt Cohler, MySpace, Nicolas Carlson, OnMedea, Owen Van Natta, Paul Buchheit, Peter Thiel, Rupert Murdoch, Sheryl Sandberg, Sumner Redstone, Toy Story 3Jill Kennedy – OnMedea

Jay Leno and Sarah Palin

ABC, Angela Bromstad, Are You Stupid?, Ari Emanuel, Barry Diller, Ben Silverman, Beverly Hills Hotel, Brian Roberts, CBS, Comcast, Conan O'Brien, CSI: NY, Dawn Ostroff, Deadline Hollywood, Dick Wolf, Eastwick, ER, GE shareholder, Gossip Girl, Jay Leno, Jay Leno has Failed, Jay Leno ratings, Jeff Gaspin, Jeff Weiner, Jeff Zucker, Jeffrey Immelt, Jill Kennedy, Jimmy Fallon, John Ferriter, Julianna Margulies, Kate Gosselin, Khan Manka, Law & Order, Lindsey Vonn, Manka Bros., Marc Graboff, NBC Olympic Coverage, Nikki Finke, Octomom, OnMedea, Paul Telegdy, Peter Roth, Producers Caucus Panel, Sarah Palin, Sharon Waxman, Shaun White, Stop all the clocks..., Sven Kramer, TCA Winter Press Tour, Terry Semel, The CW, thewrap.com, USA vs. Canada, W.H. Auden, Warner Bros., William Morris EndeavorABC, Angela Bromstad, Are You Stupid?, Ari Emanuel, Barry Diller, Ben Silverman, Beverly Hills Hotel, Brian Roberts, CBS, Comcast, Conan O'Brien, CSI: NY, Dawn Ostroff, Deadline Hollywood, Dick Wolf, Eastwick, ER, GE shareholder, Gossip Girl, Jay Leno, Jay Leno has Failed, Jay Leno ratings, Jeff Gaspin, Jeff Weiner, Jeff Zucker, Jeffrey Immelt, Jill Kennedy, Jimmy Fallon, John Ferriter, Julianna Margulies, Kate Gosselin, Khan Manka, Law & Order, Lindsey Vonn, Manka Bros., Marc Graboff, NBC Olympic Coverage, Nikki Finke, Octomom, OnMedea, Paul Telegdy, Peter Roth, Producers Caucus Panel, Sarah Palin, Sharon Waxman, Shaun White, Stop all the clocks..., Sven Kramer, TCA Winter Press Tour, Terry Semel, The CW, thewrap.com, USA vs. Canada, W.H. Auden, Warner Bros., William Morris EndeavorLove him or hate him, there is a reason Jay Leno has been #1 and will soon be #1 again in the late night wars.

He will book anyone necessary to get ratings – as evidenced by the top guest on his second night back – Ms. Sarah Palin.

Add to the mix Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn, Apolo Ohno, Brad Paisley, the cast of Jersey Shore and I think it’s game over for Dave as soon as Jay returns.  The Letterman vs. Leno battle will last all but one week.

ABC, Angela Bromstad, Are You Stupid?, Ari Emanuel, Barry Diller, Ben Silverman, Beverly Hills Hotel, Brian Roberts, CBS, Comcast, Conan O'Brien, CSI: NY, Dawn Ostroff, Deadline Hollywood, Dick Wolf, Eastwick, ER, GE shareholder, Gossip Girl, Jay Leno, Jay Leno has Failed, Jay Leno ratings, Jeff Gaspin, Jeff Weiner, Jeff Zucker, Jeffrey Immelt, Jill Kennedy, Jimmy Fallon, John Ferriter, Julianna Margulies, Kate Gosselin, Khan Manka, Law & Order, Lindsey Vonn, Manka Bros., Marc Graboff, NBC Olympic Coverage, Nikki Finke, Octomom, OnMedea, Paul Telegdy, Peter Roth, Producers Caucus Panel, Sarah Palin, Sharon Waxman, Shaun White, Stop all the clocks..., Sven Kramer, TCA Winter Press Tour, Terry Semel, The CW, thewrap.com, USA vs. Canada, W.H. Auden, Warner Bros., William Morris EndeavorABC, Angela Bromstad, Are You Stupid?, Ari Emanuel, Barry Diller, Ben Silverman, Beverly Hills Hotel, Brian Roberts, CBS, Comcast, Conan O'Brien, CSI: NY, Dawn Ostroff, Deadline Hollywood, Dick Wolf, Eastwick, ER, GE shareholder, Gossip Girl, Jay Leno, Jay Leno has Failed, Jay Leno ratings, Jeff Gaspin, Jeff Weiner, Jeff Zucker, Jeffrey Immelt, Jill Kennedy, Jimmy Fallon, John Ferriter, Julianna Margulies, Kate Gosselin, Khan Manka, Law & Order, Lindsey Vonn, Manka Bros., Marc Graboff, NBC Olympic Coverage, Nikki Finke, Octomom, OnMedea, Paul Telegdy, Peter Roth, Producers Caucus Panel, Sarah Palin, Sharon Waxman, Shaun White, Stop all the clocks..., Sven Kramer, TCA Winter Press Tour, Terry Semel, The CW, thewrap.com, USA vs. Canada, W.H. Auden, Warner Bros., William Morris EndeavorIt’s even possible that by week two most people will have forgotten there ever was a ‘Tonight Show controversy’ which will mean less and less “I’m with Coco” fanatics inviting you to join Facebook clubs.

So what have we learned from this whole debacle?  As long as there are publicists and stars who need publicity, the past is meaningless.  Hollywood is a “what-have-you-done-for-me-lately” town.

And what will Jay do for these media hungry whores stars?  Deliver ratings that Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel or David Letterman can’t (unless Dave could book Sarah Palin again).

And ratings are all that matters.

Accel Partners, Ben Silverman, Bob Iger, Chris Hughes, David Kirkpatrick, Dustin Moskovitz, Eduardo Saverin, Gerald Levin, Greylock Partners, HBO, Jeff Bewkes, Jeff Zucker, Jill Kennedy, Joanna Shields, Jon Miller, Khan Manka, Li Ka-shing, Manka Bros., Mark Cuban, Mark Zuckerberg, Matt Cohler, MySpace, Nicolas Carlson, OnMedea, Owen Van Natta, Paul Buchheit, Peter Thiel, Rupert Murdoch, Sheryl Sandberg, Sumner Redstone, Toy Story 3Jill Kennedy – OnMedea