This "gripping" New York Times bestseller from the host of CNN podcast Behind the Desk tells the true story-and backstage drama-of late-night comedy ( Los Angeles Times).

When beloved host Johnny Carson announced his retirement after thirty years on The Tonight Show, millions of Americans mourned. But inside the television industry, the news ignited a battle between two amazing talents-Jay Leno and David Letterman-who both yearned to occupy the departing legend's chair. For NBC, it would be a decision with millions of dollars at stake. Soon these two comedians with strikingly different styles, who had once shared a friendship as they worked the clubs together, would be engaged in a fierce competition for the prize.

Based on in-depth reporting and interviews with those involved, and updated with a new introduction by the author-a producer of CNN series The Story of Late Night- The Late Shift is a "vivid, behind-the-scenes, blow-by-blow account" of the fight that ensued, as stars, agents, and executives maneuvered for control of the most profitable program in TV history ( Chicago Tribune).

"Remarkably gripping ... Takes us deep into the bizarre high-stakes world of broadcasting ... A powerful story, and ultimately a sad one, filled with casualties as well as winners." - The New York Times Book Review

"Solid reporting, based on extensive interviews with the principals, lifts The Late Shift into a class of its own. ... The insights into the people involved are what make [the book] a page-turner." - Orange Country Register

INTRODUCTION
1 NO MORE TO COME
2 THE EMPIRE OF THE NIGHT
3 THE CAMPAIGN
4 STUPID NETWORK TRICKS
5 BRIDGES BURNED
6 GOOD COP, BAD COP
7 PSYCHOLOGY 101
8 THIS IS … CBS
9 THE EAST/WEST GAME
10 CHOOSE YOUR PARTNERS
11 THE SECOND FRONT
12 CLASH BY NIGHT
13 WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY?
POSTSCRIPT: SHOWDOWN IN MIDTOWN
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR