The program was the result of a compromise by NBC Universal's then-CEO Jeff Zucker to keep Leno with the network following his retirement from The Tonight Show and succession by Conan O'Brien.

Others were critical of NBC's decision to give up an hour of its weeknight lineup to Leno, due to the network's past success with dramas airing in the 10:00 p.m. ET/PT time slot.

One NBC affiliate (WHDH in Boston owned by Sunbeam Television, now independent) notably planned not to air the show at all, although this decision was retracted due to complaints by the network.

Although viewership of The Jay Leno Show was initially on par with NBC's projections, by November, the program's ratings began to fall significantly.

The Jay Leno Show ended on February 9, 2010, after being on the air for only four months, with Entertainment Weekly calling the program television's "Biggest Bomb of All Time.

"[5] Leno resumed his duties as host of The Tonight Show on March 1, 2010, for a second and final tenure that lasted until his February 2014 succession by Jimmy Fallon.

Leno—who wanted to avoid a repeat of the acrimonious transition when he inherited Tonight from Johnny Carson[7]—said at the announcement, "You can do these things until they carry you out on a stretcher, or you can get out when you’re still doing good.

"[8] He began to regret his decision to retire in 2007,[8] and several networks and studios including ABC, Fox, Sony,[9] and Tribune[10] expressed interest in his services after leaving Tonight.

"[17] According to Broadcasting & Cable, "most [NBC affiliates] are hopeful Jay—and Conan—sticks with NBC, and most, if not all, desperately want to see a change in terms of the lead-in they're getting to their lucrative late news; the affiliates "remain fiercely loyal to Leno and were quick to say the rookie program's struggles don't reflect the funnyman's work ethic or comedic chops.

The Jay Leno Show aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT (9:00 p.m. CT/MT) from Studio 11[21] of the NBC Studios in Burbank, California with the following format:[22] One planned segment, "Stories Not Good Enough for the NBC Nightly News" (which would have featured then-NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams), was dropped from the show before it made it to air.

"[37] The Associated Press noted that "it's not a good sign when the Bud Light commercial is funnier than the comedy show it interrupts," and that "at least Rosie Live took some chances.

"[38] Jonah Krakow of IGN gave it a 5.5/10 saying that "show felt like they just picked from where they left off three months ago, and I'm not sure that's a good thing".

The guests were Ashton Kutcher, Gabourey Sidibe and Bob Costas, with unannounced visits from Donald Trump and Kurt Warner.

Following the monologue, there was a brief clip reel of highlights from the show's short tenure; otherwise, little mention was made about the fact that it was the final episode of the program.

When Leno asked Costas how it felt to be the show's final guest, the sportscaster replied, "Kind of like being involved in the last game of a Clippers season, isn't it?

"[40] Directly following the interview with Costas, Leno thanked him, told the audience to stay tuned for their local news, and then abruptly went off-air.

[55] Leno did not expect his show to beat competing first-run episodes, but to do better than reruns,[22] in part because topical jokes benefit from the "immediacy" of the time slot versus 11:30 pm.

[15][16][65] On January 10, NBC Universal Television Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin confirmed that The Jay Leno Show would indeed move to 11:35.

On January 19, 2010, multiple media outlets reported that O'Brien and NBC were close to signing a deal between $30 and $40 million for the host to walk away from the network.

[81] TMZ reported that NBC would rerun episodes from O'Brien's time as host until the network began airing the Olympics on February 12.

[83] NBC became the first large United States network[84] to broadcast the same show every weekday during prime time since ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

[85] More recently, the upstart MyNetwork TV had attempted, upon its launch in 2006, to air the same telenovelas every night of the week, a programming strategy that proved to be very unsuccessful.

"[86] According to former NBC president Fred Silverman, "If the Leno Show works, it will be the most significant thing to happen in broadcast television in the last decade.

"[28] Although NBC had not developed a new hit show at 10 pm in years,[28] industry executives criticized the network for abandoning a history of airing quality dramas at that hour such as Hill Street Blues, St.

[56][87] In addition, critics predicted that the decision would hurt NBC by undermining a reputation built on successful scripted shows.

Rival networks ABC and CBS had discouraged "their stars" from appearing on The Jay Leno Show in its primetime slot.

In a Broadcasting & Cable interview published in early November 2009, Leno mentioned the boycott again, saying "I'm flattered; like ABC and CBS...none of their stars can appear on the show.

"[54] John Wells, the president of the Writers Guild of America, West, and executive producer of prominent NBC shows ER and The West Wing, said, "I wish NBC and Jay Leno well; personally, he's a very nice guy, but I hope he falls flat on his face and we get five dramas back.