Jay Leno: The Most Wanted Man in Hollywood

JAY LENO'S WHEEL OF FORTUNE

The outgoing Tonight Show host has countless career options at his disposal. Here, we outline the six most likely scenarios for Leno's future. Spin, wheel, spin!

NBC
Unless the brass pay Conan O'Brien some $40 million in penalties, Leno loses Johnny Carson's chair. He could set up shop in prime time, maybe hosting a 10 p.m. series a few nights a week.

ABC
The network kills Nightline, moves Jimmy Kimmel Live to 12:30 a.m., and launches its first 11:30 p.m. talk show in recent history; Leno goes head-to-head with the institution he helped make No. 1.

FOX
If he settles for an 11 p.m. show on Fox, he'll have his work cut out for him: The network has an abysmal track record with late-night series (e.g., Chevy Chase).

CNN
Leno takes over for Larry King when the host's deal runs out in 2010. But would he want such a lightweight gig — to say nothing of wearing suspenders every night?

Syndication
Like Oprah Winfrey, he gets a huge stake in his own show and the chance to produce others, but he loses the chance to compete seriously against NBC and CBS at 11:30 p.m.

CBS
He sits on the bench until 2010, when David Letterman's contract is up — assuming that CBS wants him when younger candidates like Craig Ferguson and Jon Stewart wait in the wings.