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Early Return For Late Night Comedy Shows

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by Jeff Bercovici
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Dec 17 2007 12:00am EDT

Early Return for Late Night Comedy Shows

The writers strike won't be ending any time soon. But it is about to get a lot more bearable for TV audiences.

One way or another, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson are all expected to be back on the air in early January.

For Letterman and Ferguson, the return will be complete. The Writers Guild of America has signaled its willingness to negotiate independent deals with production companies, and Letterman's Worldwide Pants, which owns both shows, is expected to nail one down within a few days, according to Variety and The New York Times.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal says NBC will announce today that Leno and O'Brien will be back on the air "as early as Jan. 2," but without writers. In lieu of monologues and sketches, they'll pad out the run time with extra interviews and musical acts. Comedy Central is contemplating a similar scenario for The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

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