As Tonight shifts, late night could use real change.
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What these shows have in common is specificity, intimacy--no desk, no barrier--and point of view. They own their passions, whether for celebrities, politics or media. They're not something for everyone; each is a thing for someone, and viewers respond to that authenticity.
Sure, their ratings are generally lower, but late night is already headed in that direction. So there's no better time for NBC to chop up the desk and try something different. If it wants to hire Meyers, he could be perfect for a news-based comedy. (Though it might also consider someone like The Daily Show's Samantha Bee.) It could try political comedy. (A libertarian-leaning show, e.g., might fill a void and appeal to younger viewers.) It could create a pop-culture roundtable like Bravo's and AMC's, or MTV's gleeful tabloid minutiae--fest Nikki & Sara Live.
All these ideas piggyback on cable innovations--but that beats trying to re-re-re-create Letterman's innovations from 30 years ago. NBC and Michaels could develop what they did with SNL: a new, vital late-night format that would define its category. #WhyDontTheyMakeThat?