The Late Shift, 1996

[ER]

Who knew that the Leno-Letterman war to replace Johnny Carson was such an interesting soap opera? So much passion and so many machinations and yet seeing this depiction in 2018 made it all feel with the passing of time like they were tilting at windmills, God love 'em.

Letterman had more cynical talent, Leno had a more sincere heart, and add in the networks all jockeying to be kingmakers and you wind up with a molehill-to-mountain slugfest that nearly reached Shakespearean heights.

To think, once late night meant so much, and The Tonight Show was so covetously prized it was almost worth someone's soul.