Jay Leno returns to his familiar 11:35 p.m. slot tonight.
The Chin is back.
Jay Leno returns to his "Tonight Show" spot tonight at 11:35, and it's likely to be the very same "Tonight Show" he left last May -- which then essentially became "The Jay Leno Show" in prime time. (And unless you've been living under a rock for the past three months, you know that Leno's ratings in prime time were atrocious so NBC decided to move his new show to 11:35 and shove Conan's "Tonight Show" to 12:05. When Conan balked, he was dismissed and Jay was tossed like a rabbit into a briar patch).
In the court of public opinion, Leno didn't fare too well in the late night shake up with Conan, but I don't think that will cost him many viewers. Those who watched him at 11:35 before (I wasn't one of them) will probably watch him again.
One significant change will come with the departure of longtime bandleader Kevin Eubanks, who will make an appearance on tonight's debut. Eubanks joined "The Tonight Show" in 1992 and says he's leaving now because he wants a change. We know how you feel, Kev.
Jay's first guests tonight will be Jamie Foxx, Olympian Lindsey Vonn, and singer Brad Paisley.
Tomorrow night, Jay hosts former Alaska governor Sarah Palin while CBS rival David Letterman welcomes former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.
And over the next two weeks, Jay will also have Apolo Ohno, Shaun White, Simon Cowell, and the cast of
MTV's "Jersey Shore." Tonight on CBS, Letterman has Bill Murray and Ludacris, and he'll have Jerry Seinfeld and Tom Brokaw on Wednesday.
Jimmy Kimmel, who Leno accused of figuratively "sucker punching" him during an appearance on "The Jay Leno Show" in January, will have ABC's new "Bachelorette" tonight on "Jimmy Kimmel Live."
