Leno: back with a bang
Jay Leno’s return to “The Tonight Show” generated big numbers Monday night.
“Tonight” averaged 6.6 million viewers to easily beat David Letterman’s “Late Show” (3.8 million) in Leno’s first night back at 11:35 since the end of his disastrous “Jay Leno Show.”
“Tonight” also beat the “Late Show” in adults 18-49 (1.6 to 1.1), according to preliminary Nielsen data.
Interest in Leno’s return bumped the show’s viewership up from what it averaged last season with Leno at the helm (5.2 million).
Monday’s “Tonight Show” numbers also represented a big increase over what the show averaged with Conan O’Brien (2.7 million viewers), when it was regularly beaten by “Late Show.”
Leno’s guests his first night back were Jamie Foxx, Olympic gold medal skier Lindsay Vonn and singer Brad Paisley.
“Law & Order” averaged 7.9 million viewers in its return to 10 p.m. — about 3 million more viewers than “The Jay Leno Show” averaged in that timeslot.
