The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Production
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno intertitle.
Format	Talk show Variety show
Presented by	Jay Leno
Starring	Branford Marsalis (1992–1995) Kevin Eubanks (1995–2009)
Narrated by	Edd Hall (1992–2004) John Melendez (2004–2009)
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	3,775 1
Location(s)	NBC Studios Studio 3 Burbank, California
Running time	62 min. (with commercials)
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC
Picture format	480i (SDTV), 1080i (HDTV)
Original run	May 25, 1992 – May 29, 2009
Chronology
Preceded by	The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962–1992)
Followed by	The Tonight Show with Conan O`Brien
Related shows	The Jay Leno Show

Description

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno, on NBC. It made its debut on May 25, 1992, following Johnny Carson`s retirement as host of The Tonight Show. The nightly broadcast at 11:35 p.m. (Eastern) originated from NBC`s studios, in Burbank, California and ran until May 29, 2009. Its successor program, The Tonight Show with Conan O`Brien premiered on June 1, 2009. On April 26, 1999, the show began broadcasting in 1080i HDTV, becoming the first American nightly talk show to be shot in high definition. The show is shot in 16:9 aspect ratio. Leno`s incarnation of The Tonight Show followed the same basic format as that of his predecessors: an opening monologue followed by comedy routines, interviews and performances. Unlike Jack Paar or Johnny Carson, however, Leno only once utilized a guest host, preferring to host the series by himself (see "notable episodes" below). NBC announced in 2004 that Leno would leave The Tonight Show at the end of May 2009, handing the reins to Conan O`Brien. Leno`s last episode aired on May 29, 2009. However, following rumors of Leno being interested in moving elsewhere to launch a competing program, NBC signed Leno to a new deal for a nightly talk show in the 10:00 p.m. ET timeslot. The primetime series, titled The Jay Leno Show, debuted Sept. 14, 2009, 2 following a similar format to the Leno incarnation of Tonight.345