Leno, O’Brien… or Carson?

How do you take your late night TV? If you’re a Tonight Show fan, you probably know that the show has passed from Jay Leno’s hands to Conan O’Brien’s. Before being chosen to take over for Leno, O’Brien had hosted NBC’s Late Night since 1993. He had been plucked out of relative obscurity for Late Night – he was a writer and producer for the television show The Simpsons from 1991 – 1993.

Check out some of his work by borrowing early seasons of The Simpsons on DVD.

• The Simpsons, The Complete 4th Season - episodes: “Marge vs. the Monorail,” “New Kid on the Block”
• The Simpsons: The Complete 5th Season - episodes: “Homer Goes to College,” “Treehouse of Horror IV"

Leno, who hosted The Tonight Show for 17 years, had previously been a comedian and a writer. A staple during his tenure on The Tonight Show was “Headlines,” in which he shows actually news clippings featuring ridiculous (but true) headlines. He has published some of these as books.

• Jay Leno’s Headlines: Real but Ridiculous Headlines from America’s Newspapers

Of course, the legendary Johnny Carson was the host of The Tonight Show for 30 years. Highlights of his shows, including his best monologues, interviews and animal guests, are available on several DVD sets:

• The Ultimate Carson Collection (3 DVDs)
• The Johnny Carson Show (2 DVDs)
• Here is…the Johnny Carson Show (3DVDs)

You can place any of these items on hold with your library card.