CNBC Renews ‘Jay Leno’s Garage,' Former 'Tonight Show' Host King of Cable

Emmy winner Jay Leno is now doing for cable what he did for network, getting ratings! The first season of his Jay Leno's Garage ranked as one of the most watched freshman shows in CNBC history, averaging almost 600,000 viewers for its time slot. It's not known if the viewers were car lovers or just people nostalgic for Jay, but whatever the case, they watched, he entertained and CNBC is renewing the show.

In an interview with Adweek, Leno said, "I like CNBC's demo because it's smart. I watch these car shows where people throw tools at each other, and they don't really learn anything. Whereas CNBC is upscale; I watch the ads and it's all Mercedes-Benz and upscale stuff like that. And it's a chance to be not necessarily a big fish in a small pond, but it just looks like a nice place to be."

The late night legend seems to have a history of always landing on his feet whenever he leaves somewhere. The first time, it was on The Tonight Show in 2009 when he had to make room for Conan O' Brien, only to be asked back to the show he loved six months later. With his second departure in 2014 to make room for Jimmy Fallon, CNBC decided to give him a show about his other great love, cars. Now, sure enough, the 65-year-old host is back on TV, getting high ratings, being renewed and putting the competition of David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel in his rear view mirror.

Leno's reality type show is appropriately titled after his own garage, which houses over 130 cars, and features the comic and as well as other car enthusiasts. They discuss the origins and maintenance of their vehicles, including classic and vintage automobiles as well as motorcycles. Of course, Leno still manages to quip a few jokes along the way. He added in his interview with Adweek, "I enjoy this little world, doing the car things. It's a lot of fun, and luckily with The Tonight Show, I was able to make some celebrity connections. So, I could call Keanu Reeves and say, 'Hey, do you want to do something on it?'"

Leno's second season will return in the spring with twelve new hour-long episodes.