What’s the Verdict?

I was a huge fan of Letterman on NBC in the 80s. In the mid-80s, I joined the military and never watched broadcast television since. However, I would sometimes watch YouTube clips of Letterman on CBS and it just wasn't the same. Of course, time marches on and Dave was older. He was still funny, just not in the same way. He was always funnier than Leno, though. I think Leno clearly has comedy chops, but he wasn't able to showcase them on NBC. It wouldn't surprise me if Leno hated that about the gig. If I were him, though, I'd probably keep cashing those huge checks, too. At least, for a while. I'm surprised he stayed as long as he did. I agree with another commenter that Letterman wasn't the one to try to capture Carson's audience. Letterman had a different style (which Carson appreciated) and needed his own show. I watched Carson in the 70s and up until I joined the service in '85. I would only see occasional clips of Leno, if he had a guest I liked. I couldn't stand Leno's monologues, but he was definitely a better host than Jimmy Fallon. I consider Fallon hosting The Tonight Show to be a blight on the show's history. I find Fallon boring, unimaginative, unfunny, and overwhelmingly fake.