NBC Extends Leno’s ‘Tonight’ Contract

Jay Leno got a vote of confidence from NBC Friday as the network announced that it has extended his multiyear agreement to continue hosting “The Tonight Show,” with a pay raise.

NBC Entertainment President Warren Littlefield praised Leno, saying he had performed well in the crowded and competitive late-night field, which is now led by CBS’ “Late Show With David Letterman.” He said that ratings for “The Tonight Show” are as strong as before Letterman joined the 11:35 p.m. fray.

At a news conference in Pasadena, Littlefield declined to be specific about Leno’s contract, saying simply, “We had an option coming up in March and we sat down and we decided to keep going for several years.” Leno, however, indicated that the extension was for at least two years.

Leno said he felt that the competition from Letterman and from “Nightline’s” Ted Koppel had made him and his show better. “I feel looser. We’re doing more comedy, more remotes and lots of different things,” he said.

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NBC also announced that it will continue the popular “Perry Mason” mystery franchise even though star Raymond Burr passed away last year, with guest stars brought in to take the lead defense counsel role. The first of these will be Hal Holbrook, portraying a former associate of Mason’s who returns to the law firm to defend a murder suspect. The movie will note that the Mason character has died, Littlefield said.

Meanwhile, the network said it has acquired the exclusive rights from Republic Pictures to the classic 1946 film “It’s a Wonderful Life” and will begin airing it as a holiday perennial in 1995. The movie, which stars Jimmy Stewart, will be broadcast in the original director’s cut and in black and white, NBC said, and will not be presented on any other broadcast service.

Littlefield also disclosed that the Friday night drama series “Against the Grain,” about a high school football coach and his family, had been canceled because of low ratings. In development as possible series for next season are projects starring Ralph Macchio, Shawn and Marlon Wayans, Patty Duke, Melissa Gilbert and Cicely Tyson.