The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992) - TV Shows - Channel Shack

December 31st 1969

The show follows an established six-piece format. The first segment is a monologue by Leno, with quick one-liners about current events and brief comedy sketches occasionally mixed in. Unlike fellow late-night comics David Letterman or Conan O'Brien, Leno -- with his background in stand-up comedy -- emphasizes the monologue perhaps more than any other segment in the show, usually telling jokes for the first six or ten minutes of the broadcast. The second segment is a full comedy sketch, often a humorous mini-documentary by a "Tonight Show correspondent" (e.g., Ross the Intern or Tom Green), or a trademark of Leno's, like "Headlines."

As the nightly broadcast approaches midnight, the first guest appears. The interview is divided into two segments, then followed by the fifth segment, which is the interview of the second guest. The sixth and final segment is almost always a musical performance. However, on some occasions, a stand-up comedian will perform in the last segment, a staple of The Tonight Show.

Immediately following the performance segment, Leno walks on camera to thank the performers and bid farewell to the audience. As the closing credits roll on-screen, the gentle strains of the Tonight Show's closing theme music, "Kevin's Country" -- composed in 1992 by Tonight Show Band leader Kevin Eubanks -- play the show off the air.