Johnny Carson-Hosted ‘Tonight Show’ Returning to Late Night

You may want to check your channel guide, because starting January 1, it’s the only place where – for the first time in decades – the world will be able to fall asleep to the dulcet tones of “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” every night.

Move over Jimmy Kimmel, Steven Colbert, Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Fallon ’cause here’s Johnny, as in Johnny Carson, who’s returning to late night to compete against the boys… well kinda.

“Here’s Johnny!” Tribune Broadcasting today announced a multi-year agreement with Carson Entertainment Group to broadcast Johnny Carson on Antenna TV, Tribune Broadcasting’s multicast network, beginning January 1, 2016.

Antenna’s showcase will mark the first time Carson-era “Tonight Show” episodes have aired on a nightly basis since the host signed off in May 1992.

Antenna TV airs in 102 markets nationwide, including Chicago, and reaches 78 percent of all television households nationally. Antenna will run episodes that originally aired from 1972 until 1992, when Carson finally retired. Antenna TV will unlock the vaults to bring viewers the most popular full-length episodes from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, which have not aired on television since, including Jackie Gleason’s only appearance on the show, a joint appearance by Don Rickles and Frank Sinatra, Myrtle the Potato Chip Lady and Barney Odum and his tree-climbing dog. 30 years later, Carson’s comedy and humour are just as relevant.

Carson, who died in 2005, negotiated the right to own his programs during one of his contract standoffs with NBC when he was the dominant figure in late night television. The company licenses footage from the show, creates home video products and repurposes footage from the show. There is certainly plenty of material to cull from: The Tonight Show featured the debut of numerous biggest stand-ups out there, such as Jerry Seinfeld, Tim Allen, and Ellen DeGeneres.

“I think there’s a demographic out there that is really going to eat this up”, said Jeff Sotzing, the head of Carson Entertainment Group and Johnny’s nephew. The channel is profitable even with a modest, older-skewing audience.