The Late Shift
The movie follows the behind-the-scenes network politics responsible for late-night programming leading up to — and after — the retirement of Johnny Carson (played by Rich Little) from The Tonight Show on NBC in 1992. Jay Leno (Daniel Roebuck) and David Letterman (John Michael Higgins) both vie for the position, but Leno's tough manager, Helen Kushnick (Kathy Bates), secures the spot for him. In the wake of some of her more fierce tactics, she is pushed out of her job as The Tonight Show executive producer and dropped by Leno as his personal manager. Letterman, devastated by his being passed over, brings in superagent Mike Ovitz (Treat Williams) to negotiate on his behalf, resulting in his move to CBS.