The Late Shift: Letterman, Leno, and the Network Battle for the Night is a 1994 non-fiction book written by The New York Times media reporter Bill Carter.

"More than just a play-by-play account of the actions that followed Johnny Carson's 1991 retirement announcement, Carter's well-written book is a look at the history of the late-night franchise, and of the men who host the shows that we would rather watch instead of going to bed."

"[3] Helen Kushnick, Jay Leno's manager at the time of Carson's retirement who was pushed out following her heavy-handed tactics, filed a $30 million lawsuit against Bill Carter, claiming libel.

[5] A film adaption of the book was produced in 1996 by HBO, directed by Betty Thomas, and starring John Michael Higgins as Letterman and Daniel Roebuck as Leno.

The film received seven Emmy Award nominations in categories including "Outstanding Made for Television Movie",[6] makeup,[7] casting,[7] writing,[8] and directing,[6] acting.