General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: "There's been something wrong with MSNBC" [View all]ShazzieB
(16,636 posts)Rachel doesn't owe any of us a daily show or anything else afaic. I'm happy to see her on Monday nights and when MSNBC is doing special coverage of things like election nights and the SOTU. The rest of the time I enjoy Alex Wagner. If I didn't like Alex, I'd no doubt be less content, but that's not the case.
Comparing Rachel with a talk show host/comedian like Johnny Carson is absurd, imo. Carson was very good at what he did, which was telling jokes, doing comedy sketches, and being an affable host, but it was totally different from what Rachel (or any other MSNBC host) does. (Not to mention, he had professional comedy writers to help with the jokes and skits. Rachel writes ALL her own naterial.)
The kind of show Rachel does involves extremely deep, painstaking research and analysis, and she's known for being a perfectionist, to an almost obsessive degree. Doing the kind of show she does 5 nights a week was exhausting for her, and she was in danger of burning out. I love her work, but I also care about her as a person, and some things are just not sustainable for some people.
I imagine Carson kept doing his show for as long as he did because it continued to be enjoyable and wasn't a backbreaking ordeal for him, not because he thought he owed it to his fans. He didn't owe anyone anything, and neither does Rachel.