🔍
Filter by my child's age
Under 6 Ages 6-8 Ages 9-12 Ages 13+
Browse
🎮 Games › 🎬 Movies › 📺 TV Shows ›
About Contact Privacy Policy
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson poster
Home › Shows › The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Updated March 2026

Is The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson safe for children?

TV-PG Talk Generally safe
Scenes & stills
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson still 1The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson still 2
Content breakdown
✅
Generally safe
# The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson - Parent Guide This classic late-night talk show is generally safe for older children with its TV-PG rating, featuring celebrity interviews and comedy sketches with no violence, profanity, or sexual content. However, the late-night airtime and occasional adult-oriented humor mean it's best suited for teenagers rather than younger children.
🔫
Violence
Mild
🗣️
Language / Profanity
None
🔞
Sexual Content
None
👻
Horror / Scary
None
About this TV show
Type
TV Show
Released
1962
Rating
TV-PG
Genre
Talk
Synopsis

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night. For its first ten years, Carson's Tonight Show was based in New York City with occasional trips to Burbank, California; in May 1972, the show moved permanently to Burbank, California. In 2002, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was ranked #12 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

Cast
Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
Self - Host
Full cast on IMDb ›
Stimulus level
Very low stimulus

This is a classic talk show with slow conversational pacing, minimal visual changes, and a calm studio setting — completely unsuitable for infants and toddlers but extremely low in sensory stimulation.

Stimulus rating reflects pacing, visual complexity, and sensory intensity — factors associated with attention development in children under 3. Learn more

Age suitability
Under 6
Not yet
Ages 6–8
With parent
Ages 9–12
Yes
Ages 13+
Yes
Where to watch
🎬 Find on Amazon

Affiliate links support ScreenWise at no extra cost to you.

Parents also checked
Top Gear
Top Gear
Generally safe
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Not recommended
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Use caution
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Use caution

Ratings based on MPAA/TV classification and TMDB metadata. Updated March 2026.
Every child is different — always preview content for your family's specific needs.