 For its first decade, Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show" was based at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City, with some episodes recorded at NBC's West Coast studios in Burbank, California; on May 1, 1972, the show moved to Burbank as its main venue and remained there exclusively after May 1973 until Carson's retirement.In 2002, "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" was ranked No.12 on "TV Guide"s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time, and in 2013 it was ranked No.