O'Brien's last show is Friday. Then, he and most of his staff, including band-leader Max Weinberg, will head west.'Late Night' will be in reruns for a week and then on March 2, former 'Saturday Night Live' staffer Jimmy Fallon begins as host. Current 'Tonight' host Jay Leno says farewell May 29, with O'Brien talking over June 1. Leno moves to 10 p.m. in the fall.
O'Brien's departure from 'Late Night' marks the most significant shift in the late-night television landscape since he landed in the time period as an unknown.
A virtual unknown, O'Brien got 13-week contracts, which are normal for people on prime-time series, but hardly the norm in late night. Eventually, NBC brass broke down and gave him a six-month deal and finally contracts measured in years.
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