TV REVIEW: 'CONAN' ON TBS
In Absence We May Have Grown Fond, But Now, Back In the Calm, We'll See If We Grow Apart
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. But that's not always true. Sometimes you just forget. Thank God for reminders. After a long, nine-month slog, Conan O'Brien returned to TV Monday night in a way that, even a year ago, no one would have expected or thought necessary. Conan showed up sandwiched between Family Guy reruns and Tyler Perry sitcoms on TBS. He didn't seem upset to be there like that, even though nine months ago I was hoping better for him. But in the current TV climate, TBS really ain't all that bad. And thankfully their motto ended up being very fitting with Coco's return: Very Funny.
The point is I think last night I realized I have two Dads. First, there's my Dad. What's up, Dad? Next, there's Conan O'Brien. I had come to take him for granted. Even when he was gone. And then, in a dizzying first 15 minutes or so of his show, I realized what an effect this guy's had on me over the years, dating back to when I was about 12--so most of them in my (grant me this) young life. For me, Conan must be akin to what Carson's audience used to feel--that this guy was their friend, their shoulder to yuck on every night and be tucked in by. At present, I can't much imagine a world sans Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert either, just because of what they mean to the culture, but it's goofy, lanky, self-effacing, red-plumed Conan who's been massaging some of my own comedic sensibilities since the sixth grade.
You love someone and you move on and you don't see them for forever, but when you do again, it's the twitch of a nose, the use of an expression, the old hoodie that brings it all back to mind. The things you didn't remember you remembered.
At a time when Haiti was being ravaged by an earthquake, a bunch of mostly purgatory-aged people (late to post-high school; pre-"Oh so this is what I'm doing with my life") took to rainy streets to protest someone taking away their hoodie. Conan O'Brien is like a hoodie for a lot of us fans--the rhythm and notes of his monologues seemingly as familiar, predictable as the in and outs, ups and downs of the ocean. But that thing sure is comfortable when you see it, sit in it again--sometimes remarkable.
To be clear, there was nothing clearly fantastic about the debut of Conan last night. His set was simple, the presentation wasn't explosive; after Seth Rogen came and went, my interest in the interviews waned. But the opening sketch recounting "previously on Conan" paired with a classic O'Brien monologue were more "Oh!" than "Whoa!"
There may have not been shock and awe, but there was, "Oh, this is what I've been missing!" I laughed harder than I have in a long time. And for all my just fury back when Conan was being axed, I was all but unconcious, unmotivated about his return yesterday. Until I watched. I imagine maybe I was just happy to see the guy.
It's going to be interesting to see how the show evolves, how ratings and interest hold. Conan debuted with a 2.8 rating last night, or a little over double what his now most lauded, direct and comparable competition does on a nightly basis (The Daily Show). Even without the blast from a canon, this was still a big return show. Eventually things will settle and the audience that truly had mixed feelings about Conan on The Tonight Show before Leno and NBC came after him might have the same complaints about Conan in his new basic outlet.
But we'll see. Over at Entertainment Weekly, 72% of those participating in a post-show poll called it great. That's nearly 60% more than the next closest option: "okay." The jokes were sharp, honest, silly in the vein of the C.O.B. brand. The first guest was an old lady who runs a nutcracker museum who won an online poll. Conan and Andy put on a popular Halloween mask from this year: "Ex-Late-Night Host." The monologue was agile, welcome, reminiscent. "Yes, I know what you guys are thinking. 'Hey it's that guy from Twitter!" Andy: "Kanye West?" "People asked me why I named the show Conan. I did it so I'd be harder to replace." Chalk this up to the "Oh, this is what I was missing!" category.
Conan had a beard. He had a few more wrinkles under his eyes than the 12-year-old me would remember. Then again, who knows what 12-year-old me would have to say about me anyway? By now, Conan's been growing with us, and through crisis, we grew closer; in absence we may have grown fond, but now, back in the calm, we'll see if we grow apart. If the almost giddy, unexpected joy that came with the first moments of the show last night doesn't let up, I'm guessing all of us will see Conan in some capacity into old age. He might not be the edgiest dude anymore, but you know what? I like my hoodie.
Sidebar: When the announcement was made that the Conan was going to settle in over at TBS, I predicted that someday, and before too long, he'd be back on network. Call it within five years. His arch nemesis, Jeff Zucker, is out at NBC, which is under new ownership, ironically enough, by a cable company. Leno, for the first time since his return to the unrightful throne of The Tonight Show, lost to Letterman in the ratings last week, and his ratings, particularly in the all important 18-35 demo, are down from Conan's in the same gig. Letterman himself is likely to retire before too long, and even if Leno is a Highlander, he can't do what he's doing for forever. When the next void in Late Night opens, it's entirely likely that CBS or NBC would come looking around the Warner Bros. lot in Studio City, if we all stay with CoCo. And then, in a story similar to that of The Lion King and pride rock, Conan will run on all fours across a desert, only to ascend Pride Rock after Uncle Chin is deposed with the rest of the hyenas. Or, in something erring closer to reality, a reality of earthquakes, financial meltdowns, the election of "momma grizzlies" and the future unforseen Conan O'Brien and his competitors and comrades will just be late-night goofs, comedians. Without all the drama and hype, Conan might just be a guy. But he could be our guy.
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