The article says NBC could sign Fallon in a holding deal for his future television pursuits. That would be good for him and lay the ground work for the transition. Will Carson Daly be hella mad?
More interesting is who the network signed a holding deal for the Johnny Carson gig years ago:
Not every holding deal has led to a spot in late night. In the early 1990s with Johnny Carson’s retirement nearing, NBC signed deals with several comics, including Dennis Miller (who like Mr. Fallon had been a “Saturday Night Live” star) and a well-regarded stand-up named Jerry Seinfeld. Mr. Seinfeld got a deal to develop a sitcom, though the network was mainly interested in him as a potential late-night star.Later NBC offered Dana Carvey, another former “Saturday Night Live” star, a job that would have placed him in the “Late Night” chair after Mr. Letterman left for CBS. Mr. Carvey ultimately turned down the offer.
That’s when NBC turned to Mr. O’Brien, who was not a comic but a comedy writer. He too had connections to “Saturday Night Live,” where he had served as a writer before moving on to “The Simpsons.”
Hindsight being 20/20, Carvey should have taken that. CONTACT: Leave me a Houston or Texas media news tip | COMMENT: Click to leave your thoughts on this post here
