On the eve of his brand-new stage show, hilariously titled-“Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour,” TBS announced that it has reached a deal with Conan O’Brien to headline his own late night show starting in November. Obviously, I had many reactions upon hearing the news, and I am sure that you all did as well. Here were my initial quick-hit reactions:
1. First and foremost, Conan O’Brien will be back, being funny on television again. We all win.
2. Brilliant move for Conan and for TBS. Conan’s brand of humor (bits, sarcasm,etc.) never quite felt right on The Tonight Show stage. Part of what made Conan so successful on “Late Night” was the freedom he had to push the envelope and do comedy he wanted to do. When he moved into the earlier time slot, NBC pulled him in quite a bit. Why hand over the most successful franchise in television to a rising star and then force him to alter his style?
3. On TBS, Conan will have the freedom to be as edgy as he wants, and will have complete control over his show and its content. A great move for Conan, but also for TBS.
4. Conan will be a success no matter what the numbers say. No he will not get the ratings of Letterman or Leno or probably even Kimmel. But is that what he is going for? TBS is a cable network, reaches less homes, and does not have the late-night pedigree. Conan will no doubt draw bigger rating than “Lopez Tonight” has for TBS and will be a huge winner over other cable networks showing re-runs of old sitcoms. Conan will massively improve TBS ratings and that is how his success should be measured. This is not about Conan vs NBC or CBS or FOX. This is just about Conan getting a chance to be funny on television again.
5. Conan O’Brien is the comedy voice of the younger generation and this move shows how much he understands that. He gets to go to a smaller, cable network, do whatever comedy he wants, and be as edgy as he wants. NBC’s average audience that watches The Tonight Show is almost 60 years old, TBS’ average audience is 33. Conan understands what demographic gets him and what demographic finds him sophomoric. With this move, Conan is embracing his young following, and will no doubt be embraced by them once again.
6. I love the “COCO is with us” commercials currently running on TBS.
I guess that is all I have for Conan right now. I know that many more of you who follow our little blog are Conan fans. What do you guys think of this move? Clearly, I like it. Can’t wait to see the Walker Texas Ranger lever make its return!
