Last week, I wrote about Jay Leno's last week on The Tonight Show and his announcement that Conan O'Brien will be his last guest. Judging by the response, a lot of TV Squad readers have strong opinions about the change. A large share of the comments bashed O'Brien. Some people said they didn't find him funny and would watch Letterman. Some said they'd watch Leno's new show and go to bed early. Some got nasty, criticizing O'Brien's looks, some (who may need to take a break from TV for a while) said they thought the emergence of O'Brien was a harbinger of the downfall of civilization. And a small subset called him a "nerd" (to those people, your copy of Vision Quest is surely in the mail by now, you can skip late night TV altogether).
Personally, I like O'Brien's humor, and look forward to seeing what he'll do with The Tonight Show. I like the goofy physical humor, I like the stunts gone wrong, the oddball set pieces, and the spontaneous feel he brought to the later slot. His show has also featured some great comic writers, from Robert Smigel to Louis C.K.
So this is my call to all of you out there who like O'Brien to weigh in. What do you think The Tonight Show will look like with O'Brien at the helm? Are you looking forward to it? Fearful that the earlier spot will tame the show? Let us know what you think.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
5-19-2009 @ 10:30AM
Ian said...
I am not a Conan fan. He appears too full of himself IMHO.
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5-19-2009 @ 12:20PM
Hashbrown Hunter said...
Actually he's the exact opposite. And whenever he seems to be full of himself, he usually uses it to get a laugh out of it.
5-19-2009 @ 10:26AM
Thomas said...
I like Conan's humour, but I find it incredibly repetitive. I know all Late Night shows repeat the same bits, but with Conan it just seems very obvious to me, far more than with say Letterman who almost makes humour from the fact they're doing it a lot. What especially bugs me about Conan is that you can be watching on a Friday, they've done the same segment or idea all week and he will explain it as if no-one has ever seen it before. Fair enough recap for people who haven't but it always seems rather forced to me.
That said I love the spontaneous one off stuff he does.
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5-19-2009 @ 10:32AM
Jeremy Howard said...
leno is not funny and has never been funny. his jokes are for the people in this country with a GED, at best.
http://www.hesaidandshesaid.wordpress.com
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5-19-2009 @ 10:42AM
Maria T C G said...
I concur which is why all the hate posts for Conan. Look at this website. Do you reallllly think we are dealing with people who have a life outside of their TV worlds. The people that are not going to watch are the small losers that bother to read a blog about TV shows. (*yes I am the exception to the rule) :o)
Booo hooo you are not going to watch. Good. But I am sure you will watch and then you will take the time to post about why he sucks. Go for it. Conan is funny, unique, and has a fun wit about him. Jay is so lame, stale, and phony I want to die. And if you are going to talk about personal attacks on their looks. Um...Jays chin and skunk hair???
5-19-2009 @ 10:31AM
Michael said...
As someone who started watching David Letterman back when he had a morning show in the early 80s, I hate to say it, but Conan is funnier than Dave and I look forward to his show. I just hope the 11:30 show contains the same surreal humor his 12:30 show did.
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5-19-2009 @ 10:51AM
Ryan said...
Haven't watched Leno in years. But I'll be tuning in for Conan. He's hilarious!
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5-19-2009 @ 10:56AM
Aaron said...
I have always been a fan of conan ever since college. His humor appeals to a lot of us who think Dave and Leno are funny, but not worth actually making a point to watch. Just wanted to stand up for the big red head.
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5-19-2009 @ 11:19AM
miller980 said...
This site often seems like a bash-Leno site, so it's nice to see someone else take a hit once in a while. Yes, it's uncool to like Leno because his humor is safe, while it's (supposedly) cool to like Letterman because he's cutting edge - which of course doesn't remotely mean funny. I'll definitely watch Conan to see how he does, but more than likely I'll watch Leno and then get some sleep.
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5-19-2009 @ 11:26AM
StillBash said...
Yeah well Annie is a Conan fan that's all that matters to me ;-)
Honestly though, I manage to watch him in very small doses. He's just not my kind of funny. The skids are tiresome, they repeat too often and like I said elsewhere he's really only interesting when he himself is interested in the guests, something that Craig Ferguson manages to do a lot more often.
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5-19-2009 @ 11:53AM
Joyce N. said...
I've never cared much for Letterman's brand of humor, just not consistently funny. Leno, mostly can take him or leave him. He has his moments. Conan, I like, but not all the time. Craig is someone I recently started watching because Fallon sucks. Craig is now my fave.
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5-19-2009 @ 12:21PM
gwen said...
Yeah, sorry. Not a Conan fan. I think I'll watch Leno early, take a nap, and then get up in time to watch Craig Ferguson, who is the best of the bunch.
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5-19-2009 @ 12:06PM
Mike said...
What's the problem? I thought calling folks out as nerds was official policy of this site?
Or does that only apply to the readers and commentors here? My bad.
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5-19-2009 @ 12:13PM
Rebecca said...
With Conan as host I might start watching The Tonight Show again. I found Leno really boring. I think NBC is making a big mistake putting him on in prime time every night during the week.
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5-19-2009 @ 12:16PM
screaminghello said...
CONAN IS THE BEST!!!
ferguson is even worse than leno
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5-19-2009 @ 12:23PM
Midnight13 said...
I like the bits that he does when he intially does them, but the fact that he has a tendancy to a good bit and ram into the ground till its lost all its humor can be bit annoying. I love humor that is totally random and ridiculous. Which during the 12:30 show was great. Like he said on "Inside the Actor's Studio", "Why a vomiting Kermit the Frog?", "Why a dancing Manatu?" There is no set up, no punchline, the idea and image itself is just so ridiculous, its funny. And I think Conan excells in that.
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5-19-2009 @ 12:33PM
Hashbrown Hunter said...
Conan's spontaneous and psychotic humor mixed with his diabolical laugh won my heart.
Jay Leno, despite any criticisms, will still be remembered and regarded highly. It's annoying, but that's how history works.
I used to think David Letterman was funny, but within the last few years he hasn't amused me in the slightest. And I am alone in this, or does everyone else want to see his annoying band guy have his head chopped off? He ruins the show for me the most. Still, Letterman does some really great interviews so he wins in that aspect.
As a final note, I'm very very very impressed with Jimmy Fallon. He has really answered the call of all Conan fans who felt lost during this Tonight Show hiatus. I find him hilarious and all of the wacky stuff he makes his guests do is awesome. The Neil Patrick Harris card trick and Michael Emerson reading "Little Boy Blue" are already classics in my opinion.
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5-19-2009 @ 12:42PM
Mark said...
I watch most all of the late night shows (Leno, Conan, Letterman, Kimmel, Fallon)... every night... If Ferguson was in HD I would watch him.
Conan is by far my favorite, Letterman is my least favorite of those I watch.
When Leno comes back on the air in the fall I will likely stop watching Letterman. The only reason I watch Letterman is to figure out why you people at TVSquad like him so much, and so far I haven't figured it out.... Letterman is an stupid old man who acts like he doesn't know what is going on and repeats what he says a bunch of times because it got a laugh the first time (Sneezing Monkey).
Conan Rocks! I can't wait for him to come back on the air.
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5-19-2009 @ 1:06PM
puffin said...
Conan is the only late night worth watching.
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5-19-2009 @ 1:12PM
brian said...
Conan is fantastic. Seemingly, most people who like Leno dislike Conan, and vice-versa. I can not stand Jay Leno- what passes for humor (and "interviews") on his show baffles me. Then again, I was raised on the comedy of Monty Python, Kids In The Hall, Benny Hill, 80's SNL & The Simpsons, not the Blue-Hair humor of Leno. Dave is pretty great also (not to mention a Conan supporter), but I like my humor with some absurdity, which is why I will always be watching The Tonight Show instead of The Late Show.
Uh oh, here come the "I love Python and hate Conan, how dare you!" posts...
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