Today, late-night speak reveals are virtually indistinguishable from the glutton of content material that spreads on social media, however throughout its heyday, it was a cultural touchstone. People did not simply eat remoted clips of a number’s monologue or interview with a star, they completed their nights watching them reside. The host of The Tonight Show on NBC, essentially the most watched and acclaimed late-night present in historical past, carried the affect of a President, at the least that is what it felt like when it was time to resolve who would exchange the King of Late Night, Johnny Carson, within the early Nineteen Nineties. The palace intrigue of the late-night conflict at NBC between Jay Leno and David Letterman ascending to Carson’s throne served as the premise for the 1996 HBO TV film, The Late Shift, much less of a story movie and extra of aprint-to-screen retelling of a wild period of community tv.

The Late Shift

A dramatization of the rivalry between David Letterman and Jay Leno over which ones would succeed Johnny Carson because the host of “The Tonight Show”.

Run Time

95 minutes

Director

Betty Thomas

Release Date

February 24, 1996

Actors

Kathy Bates, John Michael Higgins, Daniel Roebuck, Bob Balaban, Ed Begley, Jr. Treat Williams

‘Saturday Night’ and ‘The Late Shift’ Both Capture the Behind-the-Scenes Drama of Iconic NBC Shows

Films concerning the behind-the-scenes drama of a tv present or film seem to be a distinct segment topic on paper, however the anticipation and fanfare surrounding the trailer for Saturday Night means that there’ll at all times be a marketplace for this style. The new movie by Jason Reitman depicts the chaos unfolding on the set of Saturday Night Live earlier than the premiere of its episode in 1975. The reception of the trailer was combined, with a lot of the divisiveness stemming from questionable casting choices and the need of a story function a few well-documented cultural occasion. Either manner, Saturday Night is heading to theaters in October 2024 with buzz. In many circumstances, the drama backstage is extra attention-grabbing than the product placed on the stage.SNL, or any adjoining community present, would not have almost the cultural grip that it as soon as had on society, however the cutthroat politics and actuality tv high quality surrounding the drama between expertise and executives present scintillating gossip. These docu-dramadies are free cousins of conventional IP franchise leisure, as they’re simply marketable as a result of identify recognition of characters likeJohn Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, and Gilda Radner.

The Late Shift options portrayals of two comedic icons of the twentieth century: David Letterman (John Michael Higgins) and Jay Leno (Daniel Roebuck). The movie by Betty Thomas, who later directed the story of Howard Stern‘s unorthodox rise to superstardom in Private Parts, follows NBC’s hectic scramble to exchange Johnny Carson together with his recurring visitor host, Leno, as Late Show host Letterman lurks within the shadows to undermine their plan. This late-night conflict was ignited by Letterman’s effort to barter out of his contract with NBC to host his personal speak present on the community’s competitors, CBS. Further problems come up when Leno’s supervisor, Helen Kushnick (Kathy Bates), enters a chess match with each networks to capitalize on her shopper’s excessive demand from bidding events. Presiding over all of the drama is NBC’s President, Warren Littlefield (Bob Balaban). Coincidentally, Balaban’s character in Season 4 of Seinfeld, NBC President Russell Dalrymple, who oversees Jerry and George’s failed sitcom, was primarily based on Littlefield.

‘The Late Shift’ is a Docu-Dramedy With Limited Artistic Ambition

The Late Shift, primarily based on the guide of the identical identify by Bill Carter, is a docu-drama to the bone. It recollects the story from level A to level B and reveals little interest in subverting narrative tendencies. The easy method to the narrative might pressure viewers to think about the validity of the movie’s existence as a story function quite than a documentary. Despite the excessive stakes of the story, the film maintains a low-key tone and stripped-down formalist method that’s made to be watched at residence. With Private Parts, Thomas channeled Stern’s iconoclastic persona on the radio by experimenting with narration, nonlinear storytelling, and fourth-wall breaks. For higher or worse, The Late Shift is directed on autopilot, as its main concern is working by way of the Wikipedia synopsis of the Leno-Letterman feud earlier than Wikipedia existed.

Artistic expectations are tempered when analyzing a TV film. They exist to be a lightweight look ahead to viewers with a ardour for a respective subject, however The Late Shift is probably too low power for its personal good. For as cliché because it might sound on paper, the trailer for the upcoming Saturday Night emphasizes the turmoil brought on by drug use and unfettered artistic mania contained in the places of work of NBC in 1975. The two competing hosts specific grief and frustration, significantly the neurotic Letterman, and Kushnick usually will get animated with community executives, however these hostile emotions are offered in a perfunctory method. The Late Shift proved that, if you happen to strip out the fashion, aggression, and pugnacity of Network, you are left with a tepid movie about executives discussing enterprise offers. The film feels prefer it’s in a rush to get to the epilogue that reveals Leno and Letterman’s destiny with out diving into their humanity.

‘The Late Shift’ Represents a Period When Late-Night Television Meant Everything

In addition to the performances of the assorted NBC fits indulging within the stereotypes of enterprise executives as company shills, John Michael Higgins and Daniel Roebuck are resigned to sheer impersonation work. Higgins captures the essence of Letterman’s punk-rock revolt as a late-night host, in addition to his nervy sardonic wit that he delivered to tv for over 30 years. However, the efficiency repeats the identical notes all through the runtime, stopping any discernible character development. In protection of Roebuck, Jay Leno’s distinct voice and supply make him ripe for impersonation. Still, the efficiency is inextricable from the huge trade of Leno impressions in popular culture and on a regular basis life. These performances exhibit their respective comedian’s character, however they don’t seem to be deployed to reinforce the movie’s comedic sensibilities. While the film is bought on the dramatization of Leno and Letterman, it’s way more involved with the backdoor politics and enterprise scheming over the cellphone inside NBC’s places of work, which prevents the viewers from getting an intimate take a look at these larger-than-life figures.

Despite its obvious shortcomings, The Late Shift stays an interesting perception right into a bygone period the place late-night speak reveals had been glamorous media shops and never a relic of the previous like they’re right now. In 1993, sitting on the throne of The Tonight Show made you probably the most standard and recognizable individuals in America, and your monologue and superstar interviews had been appointment viewings. Not solely is the present buzzworthy, however the behind-the-scenes drama reported in commerce publications garners mainstream enchantment, and the short turnaround of this movie’s launch is a product of America’s fascination with Leno vs. Letterman. Even for viewers oblivious to the result of the late-night conflict, the film signifies early on that Leno will turn into Carson’s alternative, and regardless of the place his future takes him, Letterman is assured to have a viable speak present, but the viewer remains to be meant to care about their standing with the higher-ups at NBC.

Because of the cultural fascination with media gossip and superstar drama, there’ll at all times be an urge for food for tales concerning the behind-the-scenes machinations of TV reveals like Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show. As uninspired as The Late Shift could be, it’s nonetheless serviceable leisure that reminds older viewers of the insanity surrounding Leno vs. Letterman and offers a primary define to youthful viewers of simply how a lot we cared concerning the late-night wars.

The Late Shift is obtainable to stream on Max within the U.S.

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