What has been going on is quite a stir.  But, has anything really changed at all?  Jay Leno recently adopted a whole new style and I’m not quite sure why.  But the more I watch George Lopez, the more I get the idea.  That’s the way Hollywood works.

When one success breeds another success, copycats show up all across the networks.  Reality shows speak tremendously to this truth.  One reality show bred another.  Now, there is a reality show on every channel.  You can watch one at just about any time of the day.

So, George Lopez changes the approach to late night television and throws the desk out the window.  He brings the stage closer to the people in a more “get up close and personal” type of touch.  When I saw Jay Leno’s new show, I realized a lot of those same changes.  Of course, Jay Leno also has some of the same gimmicks that have entertained us for years.  So, it’s not an exact rip off and to be honest with you, I’m really not sure which came first…the chicken or the egg.

But the fact of the matter is that while this approach has worked for day time with Oprah and Ellen, George Lopez has been the only one to pull it off for late night.  Jay Leno’s time shift and stage changes have only resulted in a drop in ratings, which is really what television executives think it’s all about.  And if they run the show, Jay Leno needs to find a way to bring his ratings back up to speed.

But for now, that fate seems to actually be in Conan O’Brien’s hands.  That is until he makes his decision.  He has options.  In fact, he could have more lucrative options with other networks.  So, it could really turn into a stirred up mess by the times it’s all settled.  We’ll just have to wait and see.