Leno Has the Write Stuff When It Comes to Ratings

Should the Writers Guild of America take this personally? According to Nielsen's overnight ratings in 55 markets, NBC's writer-less Tonight Show with Jay Leno was the audience favorite with a 5.3 rating and a 12 share on Wednesday night. That topped CBS' Late Show with David Letterman, which returned with its writers after Letterman's production company worked out its own deal with the WGA. It scored a 4.3/10. Viewers were clearly happy to see both shows return after a strike-imposed two-month hiatus, as both hit season highs. The same goes for NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien, which averaged a 2.5/8 in its return. That topped the 1.9/6 delivered by Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live, which actually saw a ratings spike in November while the leading shows were in repeats, scored a 1.4/4. — Stephen BattaglioRelated:• TVGuide.com Asks... Which Late-night Host Had the Write Stuff?• Matt Roush grades Letterman, Leno and the restIn TVGuide.com's ...

TV GuideNews Jan. 3, 2008 at 3:54 p.m. PT