Conversation so far:
What was the industry impact?
NBC became the first large United States network to broadcast the same show every weekday during prime time since ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
When did that begin?
in 1999.
Was the show well received?
" An industry observer said that Leno, "in all my years, is the biggest risk a network has ever taken..

Question: What made it a risk?
Self-contained rewrite: What made The Jay Leno Show a risk?