Late Night Wars | There Goes Johnny! | 4

CBS makes David Letterman a very attractive offer to leave NBC—a move he’s very willing to make—but his long-time network is desperate to keep him. So desperate they dangle the prize that Letterman felt he deserved all along—the Tonight Show. That doesn’t sit well with Tonight ho ...  Show more

Jay Leno takes it on the chin from NBC when the network informs him his future as Tonight Show host has a looming shelf life. He needs to hand the keys to Conan O’Brien, who doesn’t want to be stuck in the 12:30 slot forever. As Letterman’s ratings at CBS decline, NBC makes a biz ...  Show more

They were the king and queen of late-night TV until it all came crashing down. Johnny Carson reigned supreme as the host of "The Tonight Show," and by his side was Joan Rivers, his trusted protégé who became a star with her biting comedy routines. But in 1986, Joan did the unthin ...  Show more

Two weeks ago, when Paramount cancelled “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” insiders in Hollywood and Washington alike deemed the move suspicious: Colbert had just called his parent company’s payout to Trump a “big fat bribe” on air. Paramount, for its part, claims that the dec ...  Show more

The monologue, the desk, the guests, the band. The ingredients of the late night TV formula are familiar, yet fickle. Get them just right and a show can last for decades. Make one mistake and your career is over – fast. In this episode, we explore the alchemy that turns a late ni ...  Show more

In the 1970s, Leonard Riggio buys the famous New York bookstore Barnes & Noble and turns it into a national chain. But as the decades pass and retail shifts around him, Leonard struggles to adapt to the digital age as a new rival emerges for Barnes & Noble’s crown.Be the first to ...  Show more