Strike Out

I occasionally watch the TONIGHT SHOW with Jay Leno, and I was interested to see what the show would be like without writers. Quite frankly, I don't miss the writers. I support their quest for more money, but I think the strike is in danger of collapsing if too many shows come back and especially if the shows are good. The TONIGHT SHOW is lighter and funnier than with writers at least so far. There's a slight sense of danger. The WORST thing in TV (especially these days) is dead air. But now, when Jay or Conan runs out of material, they just stop and wait for something to happen, and it usually does. Ellen's daytime show ran for WEEKS without her writers, and it too not only survived but also seemed to gain a "right-now" quality that I find appealing. It's not an easy thing to fill 39-40 minutes of "live" show day after day, but I think the challenge facing writerless hosts has made them step up their game.