The Reign of King Conan Begins

The Tonight Show has been putting us to bed since 1954; the third longest running show in the history of television. While there have been many guest hosts and "transition hosts" in the show's history, it is generally acknowledged that five permanent hosts have held tenure at NBC's most beloved property. Steve Allen (1954-57), Jack Parr (1957-62), Johnny Carson (1962-92), Jay Leno (1992-2009) and, as of last Monday night, Conan O'Brien (2009-present). For me, Johnny Carson was and always will be the King of Late Night TV. That would be an interesting discussion/debate in itself, but I really wanted to discuss Conan's debut.


ABOVE: Nobody will ever top Johnny Carson, the King of Late Night TV

As usual with new hosts, Conan brought his own people in to help him begin his era. Drummer/bandleader Max Weinberg (of E Street fame) came with Conan from his old show to lead the revamped Tonight Show Band. In a move harkening back to the Carson days, Conan brought back old buddy Andy Richter to play his Ed McMahon sidekick, even down to heavily miked laughter at the host's quips. Richter had been on Conan's old show in the early days, but had left several years ago. Conan and Richter have a great rapport, so I hope that Richter stays onboard.

Conan is very funny and smart. In fact, funnier and smarter than Leno ever was, but he also takes some getting used to. His humor is not as accessible as Leno's was, and some of his personal ticks can be annoying even to admirers. I think due to nerves, on his first show, his odd pauses and sudden body gyrations were on full display. He also relied heavily on some pre-recorded skits, most of which worked well (but the Ford Taurus one fell a bit flat). Having Will Ferrell as his first guest was a smart move, as Conan seemed to relax for the first time once Ferrell came out (carried by Egyptian servants on a throne). Ferrell continually made great cracks about the assured failure of Conan's hosting era of The Tonight Show, which in fact relieved some of the tense pressure of earlier in the show. As Conan himself joked: "I have great timing. I'm coming over to a last place network, moving to a bankrupt state, and we are sponsored tonight by General Motors." Musical guest Pearl Jam was also an inspired choice, but they disappointed by playing a pretty lame tune from their forthcoming album. They could have served Conan better in his coming out party by dusting off a familiar chestnut instead.

Overall, Conan did well under the understandable pressure. I look forward to watching him in the years to come. What did you think?


ABOVE: I'm looking forward to seeing what Conan O'Brien can do with The Tonight Show