Conan Returns to Late Night

Good day my friends,

Back in 1993 Conan O’Brien took over for David Letterman as host of Late Night on NBC.  I was, and still am a big Letterman fan and was excited about his move to CBS.  When Conan began his tour of duty I watched once or twice, but I had gotten to the point where staying up that late was beyond my abilities.  Fast forward 10 years and you will see me awake at all hours of the night due to a baby that refused to sleep.  I’d watch Letterman on CBS and then switch over to NBC after his show ended to watch Conan.  It was then that I truly began to appreciate his humor as well as any opportunity to sleep. 

I have never liked Leno and have never watched The Tonight Show with him as host.  I watched the last appearance of Johnny Carson and did not watch again until Conan briefly took over.  There are a few reasons that I have never watched Leno:

• He’s not funny.
• He’s a hack.
• He is as milquetoast as there is as far as comedians go and he has no edge.
• He does not ask tough questions to his guests.
• He steals a lot of his material from Howard Stern.
• He’s boring.
• He’s an asshole.

While I was still a fan of Letterman, I did take the time to tune in to Conan when he hosted The Tonight Show.  He got a raw deal from the suits at NBC and his final show was emotional and impressive.  I am here to tell you today that Leno has come out of this with what appears to be flying colors.

Conan premiered on TBS this past Monday night to a huge debut audience.  Now while that audience decreased by 30% for the second night, he still is off to a good start and Leno’s ratings are down and have been that way since he returned to The Tonight Show.

Conan’s new set is spectacular.  The band is to the left as you look at the stage and so is Conan’s desk, which is a little different than the standard late night talk show format.  Behind the desk is an ocean view rather than the standard city view and there is a moon that Conan can move remotely.  Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band provide spectacular sounds to the broadcast plus they look like they are having a really good time. 

I found the first episode to be funny, inventive and fresh.  There was an opening sequence showing what Conan has been doing since his brief reign at The Tonight Show ended and it was followed by Conan’s very funny monologue.  Conan poked fun at NBC and himself in his monologue and his self deprecating humor has always been a plus. 
Although Conan seemed a bit nervous at first he seemed to settle down and find his groove.  It also helped immensely that he had his old friend Andy Richter with him as his announcer.  Andy on the couch has always added an extra dimension to Conan’s shows. 

The first guest was technically an old lady from a nutcracker museum in Washington, but she just kind of walked through with a giant nutcracker and left a gift for Conan.  In actuality the first guest was Seth Rogen, who is a very funny person.  The segment with Seth was not long, but they did discuss comedy and the upcoming Green Hornet film which I am very excited about.  Conan’s interviewing skills were not the least bit rusty. 

However, it was the second guest that caught my attention.  The incredibly hot and sexy Lea Michelle from Glee came out next.  She wore a short dress that accentuated her incredible legs.  As she sat there next to Conan it was difficult for me to take my eyes away from those sexy legs.  Lea turned out to be a great interview and her segment was way too short.  They did discuss the silliness of the controversy regarding the GQ photo shoot and also how her issues of Glamour magazine ended up all over a highway in California after a truck crashed.  Lea seemed fascinated by the moon behind her.

Naturally all late night talk shows have to have a musical guest and on Monday Conan featured Jack White.  He’s not one of my favorites, but Conan performed with him and it was not half bad.  Seriously though I could certainly do without the requisite musical guest on these shows.  I like music, but not performed live for the most part and many of the musical guests are not anyone I’d ever listen to.  Tuesday night Conan was scheduled to have Soundgarden on which made me wonder when the heck they got back together. 

Overall I think Conan is a good addition to late night TV and will certainly tune in on the occasions when I happen to be up at 11:00 PM and looking for something to watch.  Conan may have difficulty getting the top notch guests, but that remains to be seen.  However, that should not stop anyone from tuning in.  Give Conan a chance and make your own decision.  I think you may laugh.

Be silly my friends.