Johnny Carson Biopic Mini-Series Announced By NBC

NBC will honour one of its icons, Johnny Carson, in a mini-series based on his life.

Jay Leno cites Carson as one of his influences.

The series will follow Carson's life from his childhood in Nebraska until his death in 2005. The show will be based on the biography written by Bill Zehme, entitled Carson the Magnificent: An Intimate Portrait, and features a number of personal details gathered from Zehme's access to Carson's close personal and professional connections. Zehme's book is yet to be published owing to numerous delays, presumably the publication will now tie in with the release or pre-release of some material from the series. 

NBC announced they would be producing the series on Thursday, although they have neglected to announce any further details including who would be playing Carson. 

Jimmy Fallon also drew inspiration from watching Johnny Carson's show.

Johnny Carson was one of NBC's biggest stars, working for the company for over thirty years. His show, The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, was hugely popular and aired on the network between 1962 and 1992. He retired in 1992 and has been cited as the inspiration for many other talk show hosts including David Letterman, Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon. 

The show will presumably begin with Carson's childhood in Nebraska, where he was born in 1925. He initially began performing, at the ripe old age of twelve, magic tricks which he continued well into his twenties. When he went into television, his career was highlighted with numerous awards including six Emmy awards. 

With regards to his personal life, Carson married four times and had three sons. He refused to discuss his political views, which may be something this miniseries can shed light on. 

Johhny Carson also inspired David Letterman.