Jay Leno Show has pedal to the metal

The Jay Leno Show is already losing viewers. After premiering with about 18 million viewers on Sept. 14, the show dipped to under 7 million per night in its second week. Of course, the initial high number was mainly due to the novelty and heavy promotion of the former Tonight Show host moving to prime time.

There are a couple things wrong with the Leno show. First, his new show is only 60 minutes as compared with the Tonight Show, which is 90 minutes. Everything seems rushed. There isn't proper spacing between the jokes during the monologue, so it comes across as a list rather than a conversation. Pauses in comedy, like spacing in music, is very important. Lists aren't all that compelling. The interviews with guests are also rushed, but in some cases that's actually a good thing (see Kayne West). The jury is still out on the no-desk set. And I am already quite bored with the Ford green car racing bit. I wonder if Ford quietly agreed to pay the show big bucks for the "free" publicity? Television shows, like newspapers and other media, are looking for new ways to make money as the advertising model is in decline.

Leno now saves classic skits, like "Headlines," for the end of the show. I still like the segment but it seems like a throw-away when butted up against the 11 p.m. news.

Kevin Eubanks still leads the band and has good chemistry with Jay. Sidekicks are an essential ingredient for this genre. He's also a pretty damn good guitarist.

Some might say the show is now tighter and moves faster. Leno goes up against stiffer competition at 10 p.m. than he did at 11:30. I am not a fan of most network dramas, so Leno pretty much has my attention on most nights. Plus, we all need a laugh at the end of the day. But still, I think the show needs a bit of refining if it's going to stop the bleeding.