NBC ends late night wars: Conan is out, Leno is back

Conan O'Brienstargate atlantis dvd will end his short-lived stint as host of "The Tonight Show" on Friday after signing a $45 million exit deal with NBC that ends two weeks of embarrassing on-air bickeringsix feet under dvd box set and allows Jay Leno to return to the flagship late-night comedy The Wire seasons DVDprogram.

After moreThe Sopranos complete series dvd than a week of negotiations,the simpson dvd seasons series General Electric Co's NBC said it had agreed to release O'Brien from his contract after seven months, and that he would be free to take a new job elsewhere after September 1.

"I'd like to apologize to the guests that Boston Legal dvd seasonswere scheduled for next week: President Barack Obama, the Pope, the Queen of England, and our good friend, Elvis Presley," O'Brien joked during his show on Thursday.

The struggling network,Sons of anarchy season 1-2 dvdalready bottom of the four big U.S. TV networks and now the butt of jokes by its own and Monk seasons 1-8 dvdrival comics, said Leno will resume "The Tonight Show" on March 1.

Leno hosted the program for 17 years, makingThe Closer DVD Box set it the top-rated late-night talk show on U.S. television. He handed over to O'Brien in June 2009, only to see audiences slump.

"We're pleasedMad men dvd season that Jay is returning to host the franchise that he helmed brilliantly and successfully for many years," said NBC TV entertainment chairman Jeff Gaspin.

Media analysts expected it would Criminal mindstake time for Leno, who has been painted as the villain in the drama, to recover the "Tonight Show" audience.

"It is going to be a longCurb Your Enthusiasm tv series path to recovery for NBC. It is not going to happen overnight," said Marc Berman, Seinfeld season dvd box seta senior TV writer with Mediaweek.