Nov 10 2010

Conan finally returns. Was it worth the wait?

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Short answer?  We’ll see.

Logan and I have talked about it before, and his prediction has so far turned out to be correct: Conan’s new show is no different than either of his old shows.  It’s a talk show with some funny bits, some not-so-funny bits, and some guests.  The question is whether he’ll use the comparative freedom of cable to innovate as he becomes more confident in his new home.  Right now, my guess is no.  Not because he’s incapable of it, or because he’s lazy.  Because the man seems to legitimately love the traditional talk show format.

Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  The first show was strong overall.  There was a pretty great cold open with a few laugh-out-loud moments (see above), and some excellent banter with Andy who I’m glad to see return to the role of proper sidekick.  (Side note: he’ll also be handling the role of “wacky priest” in the TBS comedy Glory Daze according to a well-placed ad.)  And I hope they continue to give each episode a cheesy 70’s detective show title (the premiere’s was Baa Baa Blackmail).  Not a new gag, but one of my favorites.

I’ll continue to watch (or my DVR will) for the time being, with the confidence that even if Conan’s new show isn’t quite the revolution it might have been, at least it’s a hell of a lot harder to get cancelled on cable.  What did you, the unwashed masses think?


Nov 3 2010

Conan Show Zero

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Okay, it’s not that funny in execution. But it’s a funny idea, it’s short, and it reminds me to watch Conan in a week. Mission accomplished?


Jan 22 2010

Critical Hit! | The Late Night Wars of 2010

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An unplanned aside after recording episode 41 of the regular podcast turned into a Critical Hit! on the Leno/Conan debacle going on at NBC.  Some day we’ll all look back on this and laugh.  Much harder than we ever did at either of their shows.

Download it.

 

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Meanwhile, I don’t know why we bothered to debate, since this video explains the whole situation quite clearly.