Leno Moves to Prime Time

In an economically sensible move, NBC has decided to air The Jay Leno Show in prime time, five nights a week, placing it in the 10 p.m. time slot.

While the cost of an hour drama is typically close to $3 million, the cost of an episode of The Jay Leno Show is expected to be closer to $400,000, Reuters reports.

The change also eliminates the threat of competition from Conan O'Brien, Leno's Tonight Show successor, if Leno were to leave NBC for ABC. The variety show will compete with dramas like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Law & Order: SVU. According to Reuters, this falls in line with NBC Universal's overall plan to program for high profit margins over high ratings.

According to USA Today, Leno looks forward to bringing something different to prime time.

"I enjoy the 10 o'clock dramas. I like 'CSI' and 'SVU' and 'Law & Order,' these are some of my favorite shows. But there really isn't any comedy at 10 o'clock," he said.

Leno steps down from his 17-year run as Tonight Show host this week, the Associated Press reports. He leaves atop of the late-night ratings and as the second-longest-running host of the show after Johnny Carson.