Christian Toto likes to play TV critic — but he doesn’t seem to know much about TV. He grumbled in a Sept. 14 Media Research Center column:
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.
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.
But Carson would indeed recognize that move — in 1980, he stopped hosting the show on Mondays, and through at least part of the ’80s hosted only three shows a week.
Toto eventually switched to comedy-cop mode, complaining that late-night comedians make too much fun of right-wingers:
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.
Toto offered no evidence that Gutfeld tells any jokes about his fellow right-wingers — that’s not what his biased viewers want to hear, after all.