The Late Shift https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116835/ Audio tracks: English Subtitles: English Country: United States Year: 1996 Language: English Genre: Comedy, Drama Runtime: 95 min. Director: Betty Thomas Writer: George Armitage, Bill Carter Cast: Bob Balaban, Kathy Bates, Ed Begley Jr., Sandra Bernhard, Treat Williams, Little Richard, David Brisbin, Michael Chieffo, Wendy Cutler, Nancy Cheryll Davis, Paul Elder, Michael Fairman, John R. Fors, John Getz, Steven Gilborn .:Plot:. HBO movie about the behind-the-scenes network politics responsible for the changes in late-night talk-show hosts, after the retirement of Johnny Carson from the Tonight Show on NBC. Jay Leno and David Letterman were both vying for the position, but Leno's tough manager Helen Kushnick got him the spot. In the wake of her 'stepping on the toes' of powerful network executives and 'playing hardball' tactics with guest bookings, she found herself being pushed out of her job as Tonight Show Executive Producer and Jay's manager. Letterman, devastated by his being passed over, brought in superagent Mike Ovitz to negotiate on his behalf, resulting in his move to CBS