Andy Richter Controls the Universe
Andy Richter Controls the Universe is a sitcom which aired from 2002–2003 on the Fox network. The series was Andy Richter's first starring role after leaving NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" in 2000.
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
A pair of conflicts ensued over Leno's 22-year tenure, both revolving around the then-current hosts of "Late Night", the program directly following "Tonight" since its premiere in 1982. Original "Late Night" host David Letterman was considered Carson's top choice as successor and left the network acrimoniously in 1993 after Leno was given the job. Years later, NBC attempted to transit Letterman's "Late Night" successor, Conan O'Brien to in turn succeed Leno as host of "Tonight" in 2009. However, as a result of various contractual obligations and fears of losing performers to other networks, Leno was given a nightly prime-time show shortly after Conan's run began. Leno posted less than stellar ratings, leading to a domino effect on the late local news. O'Brien's "Tonight" also suffered falling ratings leading to a public controversy that resulted in O'Brien leaving the network the following year, and Leno returning to host "The Tonight Show".
Jimmy Fallon, a former cast member from 1998-2004 on "Saturday Night Live" , was appointed as the third host of "Late Night" by executive producer Lorne Michaels in 2009 when O'Brien moved to "Tonight" (only for a little over a year), Fallon incorporated the Internet much more than other talk shows. Between Fallon's own musical sensibilities and the recruitment of his house band, hip-hop collective The Roots, his incarnation of "Late Night" "evolved into the most deeply musical of TV's musical-comedy variety programs", with sketches in which he parodies Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen going viral online. Coincidentally, it was during the 2010 "Tonight" controversy that Fallon's show found its footing. The show, according to Fallon's former "SNL" castmate Tina Fey, established itself as "an uncommonly warm, welcoming show." In 2010, "New York" complimented Fallon's "good humor" and noted his improvement: "In the relative safety of his 12:35 a.m. time slot, Fallon has been cultivating a distinct, and refreshing, strain of humor: the comedy of unabashed celebration." "In our heads, we've been doing "The Tonight Show" […] We're just on at a later hour," Fallon said.