"Conan" Show Changing Format; TeamCoco.com to host Conan O’Brien’s NBC archive*

Looks like that just got walked back. Conan Weekly

 

I think all of this indecision or whatever you want to call it probably means that there's some pretty unpleasant negotiations going on...

 

Conan is a really bright and funny guy.
Wish he was a better interviewer though - he's so tied to his blue cards. Terrible. I love Andy Richter.

 

conan is the best

 

Yes, that is what I was thinking. I'm sure TBS would want some sort of salary adjustment if his show is going to be on less often.

 

The CBS morning news always ran Conan clips, but they're an outlier among morning shows themselves...

 

I haven't seen Conan's show in about a decade (no cable plus a very early commute). I used to love his interviews--he never took his guests very seriously, unlike the current crop who can't stop fawning. I remember one interview with an actress from E.R. that went so far off the rails, there was no way cards were involved. Sorry to hear he changed that style.

 

Craig Ferguson was my favorite but I like the shows when Conan goes on the road, like the show from Cuba.

 

Not sure about that. Both Meyers', Kimmel's and Colbert's views for their most popular videos on YouTube don't even come close to Conan's most watched videos--a difference of tens of millions. Except for Kimmel, Conan has the most YouTube subscribers out of all these hosts.

You are correct that both Meyers and Colbert made more headlines than Conan during the election cycle but not sure how much that comes into play with the possible new arrangement with TBS. It looks as though TBS is thinking progressively in bringing a late night show to a weekly schedule. That really would stir things up since there are no traditional late night talk shows that follow this format. My feeling is that Conan may be open to this idea because he's been saying lately that he's always looking for a fresh, new way to deliver his show. His recent trips to Armenia and Cuba has given him some distance from all the other shows. Going to a weekly airing might be a challenge that Conan and his staff would seriously consider.

 

Note that Jack Paar was ten years younger when he retired from the Tonight Show in 1962.

 

That's insane when you put it like that

 

I like Conan, but things really haven't been the same since his failed attempt at taking over the Tonight Show.

If I were him, I'd probably think about hanging it up as well.

 

Could TBS have competition for Conan's services?
YouTube may be courting Conan for streaming channel | New York Post »

 

Very interesting. Hard to say if such a move will be a complete success but it would definitely pave the way for a new avenue for the format. At this point, Chelsea Handler has a talk show on Netflix and I assume is doing fine. A talk show on YouTube could work but is Conan the right person for the job?

 

I would think so, he seems to do really well with younger people and that's what they want/need! Jimmy Fallon videos do extremely well on Youtube(as you know) so we know the idea has potential!

 

Conan does indeed do well with young people but he'll be 60 in seven years and not sure how much young people will support him at that point.

 

I didn't even think of him being that old!

 

But his current fans might stick around longer, especially with fewer interviews with guests that are only there to sell something. That's the main reason I stopped watching. He's still funny. But losing the classic bits really hurt, too.

The more I think about it the better it sounds. And maybe they can work a deal with NBC for some rights if he's not really competing with Fallon, etc any more. We need "If They Mated" in its original glory.

 

Craig Ferguson was my favorite as well. It didn't matter who the guests were, his shows were always entertaining! I was sorry to see him go. Since his departure, I don't watch any late-night at all!

 

Even if Conan goes weekly still nothing can beat the entertaining essence of the show.

 

Royal pita.

 

Conan was a big part of my childhood growing up. I'd always stay up way too late in middle school to catch his show after the syndicated Married With Children block ended. It was pretty much the perfect material to fall asleep to as a kid. I also kept watching regularly throughtout high school and when I could in college. Leno just didn't resonate with me. But once Conan left 'Late Night' it didn't feel the same anymore. It seemed his edge was gone and he was just another guy hosting a show at that point. I was pretty much done with the talk shows other than the occasional Ferguson.

 

If a weekly format allowed for more location pieces and pre-filmed segments (both things that Conan is excellent at), then I think it would be a better overall show. One thing I think he has some trouble with is pulling off a nightly show without becoming repetitive, especially with some of the comedy segments and gags.

 

Conan never received a truly fair shake as host of the 'Tonight Show' due to Jay Leno. While several years prior to Conan's succession Leno had planned on retiring, he had a change of heart as the date neared and worked out a way to stay on NBC by getting a nightly talk show at 10pm. So instead of having ratings juggernauts like 'ER,' 'Dateline' and 'Law and Order' leading into his show when it began, Conan got the tepid leftovers of Leno's nightly 10pm show which received dismal ratings. And after NBC pulled the plug on Conan, Leno went right back to his 'Tonight Show' duties.

Conan was behind the 8 ball from the start and never received the fair shake that Leno got when he succeeded Carson. And let's not forget that Leno was beaten in the ratings by Letterman for his first few seasons. It wasn't until he had Hugh Grant on after his arrest for solicitation that Leno finally surpassed Letterman. But NBC still stuck with him during the early years and gave his show time, which was a luxury never afforded to Conan.

 

...and now Lettterman is accorded living legend status and Leno is considered a hack and a weasel.

I just don't know how Conan will be viewed. There's lots of people who will say at this point he never really recovered from the Tonight Show debacle. I think this is one of the reasons he doesn't want to pack it in just yet...

It also must be infuriating competing with the likes of James Corden who really has no business being anywhere near a television camera. Or even Kimmel, who has all the charisma of an embalmed Mike Douglas who enjoys producing videos of small children crying.