Who is the King of Late Night?

Ever since Jay Leno seized the role as host of the Tonight Show, CBS' David Letterman and the aforementioned Leno have been embroiled in a battle to become King of Late Night. At least, that was true up until about three years ago, when Jay emerged as the victor of the ratings war. But what is popular isn't always what is best.

Below is an analysis of both the Tonight Show and the Late Show, broken into the four segments: monologue, filler skit, guests, and supporting cast.

Monologue
This is an area where Leno dominates. Whereas Letterman tells jokes, Leno does jokes. Jay will change his voice, facial expressions, and timing to conform to a given joke. Another advantage Jay possess is the consistent level of energy in each show. One of Letterman's biggest downfalls is that he is inconsistent. Some days he is on fire, yet on others he is as boring as Al Gore. Does anyone remember the Oscars? I've heard that appearance was a more destructive bomb than the ones that hit Japan in WW2. When Letterman hits a slump, he is known for becoming somewhat psychotic. When Leno has a less-than-mediocre show, he keeps his composure, but still acknowledges the crowd's response, and doesn't get down on himself.

Another advantage that Leno possess is his overall appearance. His oversized chin and large body are perfect for a comedian, and definitely preferable to a short, balding, nutcase.

Advantage: Jay Leno

Filler Skit
Jay Leno struggles with the filler skit, as his only two established fillers are Headlines and Jay Walking. He then rotates between Ask Jay Anything, Mr. Brain, [holiday or season name i.e Summer] Products, and whatever impromptu skits he can think of. Contrast that with Letterman who has his (still popular) Top Ten List combined with another skit, often completely original. While some of his ideas are dull, some are classics.

Though Letterman has great fillers, while Leno usually has something only somewhat funny, Letterman also has bad fillers, keeping him from blowing Jay away in this category.

Slight Advantage: David Letterman

Guests
This segment is hard to grade because the guests are one-half of the conversation. That being said, Letterman is terrible at asking the normal questions. When Letterman talks about a movie, he describes the movie, then asks a question, which is the reverse of the way Leno does it. Leno asks a question about the movie and lets his guest describe it, along with their experiences. After the formalities are over, the two hosts really begin to differ. Whereas Leno transitions into the next question, setting the table for the guest to tell a humorous story, Letterman will either ask a shocking question or will ask a boring question. This inconsistency isn't just annoying, it destroys the sense of continuity.

Advantage: Jay Leno

Supporting Cast
This really comes down to Kevin Eubanks vs. Paul Shaffer. Sure, there are other people among the supporting cast, such as Leno's announcer Edd Hall, but he doesn't really play a role other than introducing Jay, Kevin, and the guests. I have to give the advantage to Kevin when it comes to what to say. He is sarcastically naive and his chuckles are Jay's saving grace after telling a bad joke. The only reason he loses the battle to Shaffer is because he doesn't have enough to say. Paul isn't witty and is only mildly funny, but Letterman talks to him and he'll give his input.

Slight Advantage: David Letterman

Jay has two advantages in the categories that matter most, while Dave has only two slight advantages. Dave has great shows every now and then, but he just can't compete with someone who has so much energy and consistency.

Winner: Jay Leno