If you're not watching Conan, now might be a good time to start
I've avoided weighing in on this Conan-Leno NBC debacle, save for a few friendly discussions over beers. There are plenty of people who sit at desks down the hall from or on the floor below me who are much better versed in the ins and outs of the situation to write with authority about it.
But I have to throw a word in just to urge you to watch "The Tonight Show" while it lasts. Not because the ratings will do Conan O'Brien or his job any good now. No, because the show is absolutely hilarious this week and could very well maintain until NBC yanks it off the air.
I had never really watched much late-night TV and still don't (catching occasional rerun on Hulu). I had been a fan of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" a decade or so ago when recurring characters included the Masturbating Bear and other jokes not suitable for a professional broadcast. Back then, the loss of Andy Richter, when he went to pursue a series of failed sitcoms and movie parts, was noticeable but not devastating. Conan held his own.
When I heard Richter would return to the lineup in the move to 11:35, I saw a glimmer of hope to revive a somewhat-underground classic. Unfortunately, the new "Tonight Show" dynamic proved pretty lackluster, with Richter being corralled behind a podium with announcing duties and the occasional one-liner. I checked in from time to time to watch interviews with actors I was interested in or bands that I liked.
This week has been different. I've seen every episode (on Hulu, which probably helps Conan's ratings argument in no way), and I'm sure many others have curiously dropped in since hearing about the late-night shakeup. It seems like now that the hosts have "nothing to lose," as Conan says, the shows have gotten that much funnier.
Sure, the jabs at NBC and Jay Leno and the newly-unemployed jokes are great. But look at that! Andy is on the couch again.
Richter is jumping in during interviews and tag-teaming jokes with Conan. The duo even managed to turn an interview with Rob Lowe, his four-thousandth talk show appearance in all likelihood, into a classic moment on Thursday.
Really, now is the time to watch "The Tonight Show," when it's better than ever, because pretty soon, NBC will scoop in a new dose of stale.
Photo credit: Vtdainfo via Flickr
