"Conan" | TV Review

Story by Mitch McCann 

| Published Nov 23, 2010

If you are anything like me, you probably don’t pay much attention to late night network television. There is a reason Leno and Letterman’s median-age viewers are already seasoned mid-life crisis veterans — everyone younger than them is neck-deep in a Calculus textbook or too busy drinking to enjoy the flaccid comedy stylings of senile old coots. But as you are probably already aware, since you no doubt became part of his “over-night” fan base, nine months ago Conan O’Brien had TV’s longest-running talk show reneged from him, and was cast into the cold, clammy streets of New York with nothing but 45 million dollars to comfort him.

Since then, Conan has done nothing but toil in his own hatred for network television and Jay “Big Jaw” Leno for robbing the former writer for “SNL” and “The Simpsons” of his dream job. After he was booted, Conan launched the “Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television” tour, and spoke on many occasions about what is being known as Television’s biggest blunder of all time. This coming from the network that took “Law & Order” off the air after 20 years because it had to make room for...well...a new “Law & Order.”

The show lept into the stratosphere with brilliant comedy, great musical acts (Jack White, The Decemberists), wonderful guests (Tom Hanks, Seth Rogen, Russell Brand and Jon Hamm) and only a few bitter remarks about NBC. Cable’s “Conan” has since settled into a rather successful, and quite hilarious routine. O’Brien no longer spitefully degrades his past and the move to basic cable, but now opts to simply make light of it, describing his show’s move to TBS as now being called “Tyler Perry’s: Conan,” or the success of his first week being described as “not only good, but ‘According to Jim’ good,” by TBS execs.

Any reservations about how TBS’s Conan could compete with NBC’s Conan have not only been laid to rest, but shattered. NBC has no doubt realized that they not only lost a great comedian and showrunner, but one most talented and genuine performers working today. I’m with CoCo.

‘Conan’ airs Monday-Thursday nights at 10pm on TBS.