Kevagorn

Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993)

The Funniest Late Night Show Is, Well, "Late Night"

In 1993 writer and sketch comedian Conan O'Brien took over "Late Night" from departing host David Letterman. The first few years were a hit and miss affair, with Conan and his sidekick Andy Richter coming to terms with being on TV every night. The early seasons were, as admitted by Conan himself, not very good. NBC gave the show a chance to grow though, and their trust has lead to "Late Night" emerging once again to be one of the funniest shows on television.

The show's biggest strength of course is Conan himself. His light, conversational interviewing style, bolstered by a quick wit makes even the most boring celebrity seem interesting. Conan actually listens to what they say and plays off them, never making fun of them or making them look stupid, even though they might be just that. His sometimes awkward demeanor and self-deprecating sense of humor makes him the most likable host on television today. Contrast that with Craig Kilborn's smarmy, unfunny television persona, and it's easy to decide who to watch at 12:35 am.

At its heart, "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" is a comedy show. The show's signature bits, such as Actual Items, If They Mated, and In the Year 2000, are always funny and irreverent. Every now and then Conan will take his desk for a drive around town (with the help of an audience member and the wonders of green-screen special effects). Occasionally he talks to his announcer Joel and his half-naked Asian male prostitute. The video of Max Weinberg having sex with Max Weinberg (oh, special effects!) is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Also great are Conan's remotes, such as his hilarious trip to bartending school, his day apple picking with Mr. T, or the video shoot for his boy band Dudes-A-Plenty. Oh, and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is a wonderful comic creation - for me to poop on!

The show suffers only from it's celebrity guests, who occasionally can be as interesting as watching paint dry. But it's a talk show - ya gotta have guests. I just don't think I can take another 7 minutes of Alyssa Milano, ever.

I highly recommend that anyone who wrote off this show in it's early years take a second look. Or get some sleep - you've got to work in the morning, darn it!