Heeere’s Johnny! The undisputed king of late-night television heads to streaming for the first time ever with the launch of The Johnny Carson Show on Shout! Factory TV April 1. The streaming service will release its first collection of episodes from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson’s historic run, with groupings entitled The Best of Carnac the Magnificent, The Best of George Carlin and Animal Antics with Joan Embery and Jim Fowler.
The Johnny Carson Show will be available for streaming on demand across Shout! Factory TV platforms, on
ShoutFactoryTV.com; Shout! Factory TV’s Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and Android apps; and on various Shout! Factory TV branded channels including Tubi, Amazon Prime Channels, and the Roku Channel.
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ran for over 30 years and created the blueprint for every television host working today. The absolute best episodes from the show are now available via streaming, featuring Carson as Carnac, Carson with wild animals, and Carson with a who’s who of guests from film, television and all walks of life.
With an over 5000-episode run of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson available, Shout! Factory TV has worked diligently with Carson Entertainment Group to curate the best episodes across 30 years and will be presenting episode collections grouped thematically. Upcoming releases include Comic Legends of the 60s, featuring Carl Reiner, Bob Newhart and Mel Brooks; Hollywood Icons of the 70s, featuring Burt Reynolds, Goldie Hawn and Michael Caine; and much more. Programming blocks featuring the greatest appearances of frequent guests will also be available, with talent like Jerry Seinfeld, Richard Pryor and Garry Shandling.
Carson’s show was the first to regularly feature up-and-coming stand-up comedians and getting a shot on The Tonight Show was considered an opportunity that could boost a career. Ellen DeGeneres, Louie Anderson, David Letterman and Drew Carey are among the many comedians who cite their Tonight Show appearances as crucial in the development of their careers. Johnny Carson was also a pioneering monologist, and there’s not a talk show running today that doesn’t mirror the template he perfected, starting each show with jokes that comment on the going’s on of the times.
Johnny Carson’s influence and legacy remain as relevant as ever, as new generations discover the genius that he was. Sirius XM has recently launched The Johnny Carson Channel, which features best moments from the series. The Johnny Carson Podcast, hosted by Wil Shriner, is available wherever fans listen to podcasts. Carson and The Tonight Show arealso featured prominently in the upcoming CNN Series The Story of Late Night.
