2014 was the year late-night TV excelled — thanks to getting rid of Jay Leno?

2014 was the year late-night TV excelled – thanks to getting rid of Jay Leno?
“What might be the most important change in late night is a perception that all the major players seem to view each other as colleagues rather than blood rivals. It”s an unabashed mutual-admiration society,” says Jeff Labrecque. Jimmy Fallon”s ascendancy and the loss of “lightning rod” Jay Leno seems, he says, to have paved the way for “the entire gang not only seems to look forward to what the other will do next-they actually seem to enjoy one another”s company.”

Sony boss compared A-listers taking on TV roles to celebs adopting black babies
In one hacked e-mail, Sony co-chair Amy Pascal told another exec that “everyone with half a brain these days” was doing television and that he was “not used to TV being the new black baby.”

TNT is dropping “Christmas in Washington”
The annual special, which features the president of the United States, has been a holiday staple for 33 years, first airing on NBC before moving to TNT in 1999. TNT airs “Christmas in Washington” a final time on Friday.

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Netflix”s “Wet Hot American Summer” sequel is set to start filming as a miniseries in January
According to E!, none of the original cast of the 2001 film are set for the sequel, at least so far.

Aaron Sorkin reacts to “The Newsroom” series finale, says his show wasn”t a “ventriloquist act”
“Let me be as clear as I can be,” Sorkin said last week after a screening of the series finale. “Neither this show nor anything else I”ve ever written have been autobiographical, nor have they been a ventriloquist act. I”m not speaking through these characters. I”ve always liked the sound of debate. I like a conflict of ideas, romanticism and idealism and I just try to create a world where that can happen. I know genuine political activists and I”m not one of them.” PLUS: “Newsroom” ended with a gnarly final three episodes, “The Newsroom” was ultimately a failed experiment that was unlike anything seen on TV before, and the finale felt too rushed.

“The Newsroom” writer kicked out over rape story objections responds to Aaron Sorkin
Alena Smith tweeted today: “Sorkin doxxed me via a blog but deems it treasonous to report any of his (predictably misogynistic) emails. What a week.”

“Once Upon a Time” bringing Ariel back
“You will see her within the first half of 4B,” says co-creator Adam Horowitz. “There may be some other returns that we”re not ready to confirm yet, from our past years.”

Morena Baccerin would love to return to “Homeland” to wrap up her character”s story
“I would love to,” she says. “Whether or not it's great for the story, who cares? I would love to come back and just kind of wrap up my story. It would be really fun.” PLUS: “Homeland” director on last night”s protests “I just sort of shot it out of my a**”

“The Walking Dead” was 2014″s most-tweeted TV show
Last year”s most-tweeted about show was also on AMC – “Breaking Bad.”

Steven Moffat defends the darkness of “Doctor Who”
“I wish those people would do a bit of research,” says the “Who” boss. “Go and discover what  children are reading now. 'Harry Potter”s' very dark. All the Young Adult  literature is very dark. And children are dark and serious people.”

Expect “Jane the Virgin” to deliver her baby by the end of the season
Creator Jennie Snyder Urman hopes to have the “baby delivered at the end of 22 because there's a big moment there that would launch the second season.”

“The Mindy Project”s” Reese Witherspoon tribute goes viral
Fans created their own “Wreath Witherspoons.”

See a slideshow of people standing next to their TV sets
Artist Oliver Wasow presents old pictures he took of people and televisions.

2014 was Shonda Rhimes” year
“All three of Rhimes”s shows,” says Matt Zoller Seitz, “are essentially turbocharged melodramas in a 1980s or “90s vein: ‘Scandal' is 'Dynasty' plus 'The West Wing' with a dash of “24,' while ‘Murder' is 'The Paper Chase' spiked with the lustiness and rude humor of 'L.A. Law' or 'The Practice.” We”re familiar with these modes, and that”s why the shows are so inviting.”

“The Colbert Report” was panned when it debuted in 2005
One critic called it inferior David Spade”s “The Shobiz Show,” which ended in 2007. PLUS: See Colbert”s most iconic moments, year by year.

Watch the latest “Broad City” promo
With hot guys in a pool.

Letterman goes selfie crazy with Emma Stone
Watch them have selfie fun with his iPhone.

“Hart of Dixie” will end this season with a proper goodbye, even if it's renewed
Season 4, kicking off tonight, will end with “some doors open for the future,” says creator Leila Gerstein. However, she adds, “I do feel like 76 episodes of these particular love stories is plenty.” PLUS: How “Hart of Dixie” handled Rahcel Bilson's pregnancy.

Nick Kroll on ending “Kroll Show”: “F*ck, am I breaking up this all-star team?”
“I”ve been really spoiled,” he says, “by the idea that I can be like, 'Oh, I have access to John Daly and Jenny Slate, who are playing now like four or five different characters but are so versatile and so funny and so smart.' That was honestly the scariest thing about putting it to bed. But the beauty of comedy is that it”s so collaborative and there are always new things coming along.”

“SNL” newbie Pete Davidson”s little sister is a star high school basketball player
Watch senior Casey Davidson score a game-winning basket.

Check out the promo for “Chasing Life”s” return
The ABC Family drama is back on Jan. 19.

Presenting the 20 best sketches of 2014
From “The Foodroom” on “Inside Amy Schumer” to “SNL”s” “Dyke & Fats.”

Gaby Hoffman becomes a mom
The “Girls” and “Transparent” vet welcomed a daughter last month.

“Ascension” is a great idea that stuck to Syfy”s soap-opera instincts
Hank Stuever says of the three-night miniseries: “It”s sad to watch ‘Ascension' lean so soon and so heavily on the easiest form of parallel storytelling, like a 'Love Boat' episode without the laugh track (or the love). The poor citizens of Ascension flew all this way and yet cannot escape the gravitational pull of Syfy”s tractor beam of the banal.” PLUS: There”s too much head-scratching science, and it does have a whiff of the “finding-itself days” of “Battlestar Galactica.”

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