The Tonight Show w/Conan O'Brien (1 Viewer)

[Greg.K]

Glad this is coming to Hulu since I missed it last night.

 

[pitchman]

I must have seen a different show than many of you. I'm sure his premiere numbers will be very good. But, considering all of the time NBC had to craft this debut show, I was surprised at how uneven the whole affair was.

The opening bit with Conan running across country went on too long IMO, especially considering the corny payoff. Conan leaving his keys back in NY was funny and the bit should have ended there with him pounding on the studio door. Conan driving a forklift through the exterior of a cardboard building was just lame.

The thing that struck me most as the program went on is how nervous (or ill-at-ease) Conan appeared to be. Granted, his surroundings are new, but he is a professional and it's not like he hasn't been doing this five nights a week for the past 14 years (including a stint as an Oscar host!) His monologue was disjointed and flat in spots. And that overlong bit with Conan as a Universal Studios tour guide started out forced and eventually became downright painful to watch as it seemed like it was never going to end. Once again, with all the time they had to plan out this first show, the pre-produced comedy bits should be tight and funny... or at least funnier than this was.

IMO, things didn't fair a whole lot better when Will Ferrell finally came out. I like Conan and was a big fan of his late night program. I always think of him as a bright, articulate and funny guy, not to mention a decent interviewer. I don't know why, but he and Ferrell were just not on the same page here. Conan appeared to struggle throughout the entire interview (as though he wasn't even listening to Ferrell) and it was all he could do to set up that "Land of the Lost" clip.

Maybe I'm being overly critical or perhaps I'm just too old, but I was expecting this show to be a whole lot better than it was. I will certainly give Conan the benefit of the doubt and continue to sample the program for a while, but unless things don't pick up substantially for me, I just don't see this program becoming part of my late-night routine.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Conan did bang-up ratings in his debut, giving the Tonight Show its best Monday in four years, reeling in more than one and a half times as many viewers as Letterman:However, he still fell short of Leno's final spin on the Tonight Show, which earned Leno his best Friday Tonight Show numbers ever:
Broadcasting & Cable: Conan's Debut Can't Top Leno's Goodbye

 

[Joe_H]

It's on Hulu right now actually, since someone mentioned it coming soon.

 

[MikeM]

HULU Link:

Hulu - The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien: Mon, Jun 1, 2009 - Watch the full episode now.

Enjoy!

 

[Brent M]

Dude, it's the first show of the guy's admitted life-time dream job. How can you possibly expect him not to be nervous and a little "off" on Day 1? I don't think it's fair to make a judgment about the show after this one outing. I can't imagine how you would've felt watching the first couple years of Conan on Late Night.

 

[Brandon Conway]

Conan even plainly said that the first night would be a bit different than the regular show because, well, it was the first night.

It was fine, it was funny, it was Conan. I'll be a regular viewer.

 

[Scott-S]

I finally watched the premier and I thought it was great. I didn't think that Conan showed any nerves at all. He was basically the same as he was on Late Night.

I think Pitchman was watching a different show, or has not ever watched Conan before.

I thought he was much less nervous than I expected. If you want to see nerves, try and find Jimmy Fallon's first show. LOL man he was nervous. I love his show as well now that he has settled into a groove.

 

[MielR]

I loved the opening with Cheap Trick's 'Surrender'.

I went to see Conan's show twice in 1996(?), one of which was the 3rd anniversary show (got a free t-shirt!), so I'm a long-time fan.

They did seem a little awkward last nite, but it's to be expected. I think the new studio is much bigger, and I imagine it will take a while for them to get used to it after being in the smaller, cozier NY studio for so many years.

 

[Greg.K]

Just finished watching on Hulu - and I stress "watching" because the sound levels were way too low. It was a good first show, I may have to start watching. Leno didn't really appeal to me (other than Headlines).

Loved the opening.

The Universal tram bit was great - and dare I say very "Letterman-esque".

Oh, and Ferrell's clip in no way made me want to see Land of the Lost.

 

[ThomasC]

Ditto, he didn't seem nervous at all. I thought it was the same ol' Conan, which is what I like.

 

[Francois Caron]

Ferrel's clip made me want to go to the bathroom!

Decent first show. They're usually one of the weakest of any new talk show, so it's looking up for the rest of the run. The only hiccup is that I started watching the previous "Late Night" long after Andy Richter had already left, so I'm not entirely used to seeing him there. I've always found Max Weinberg to be hilarious as the calm, well dressed yet incredibly perverted sidekick, so I hope there are more opportunities to unmask Max as the sick and twisted sexual deviant that he really is.

And of course, LA BAMBA!!!

 

[pitchman]

Like I say, I was posting my own personal reaction to the show and Conan's performance. I said I am a fan and that I plan to continue sampling the program, which I will. I guess after all the hype and build-up, I was hoping for a "grand slam home run" debut, but for me, I didn't get one. As always, YMMV.

 

[Scott-S]

That is what he always does. How is that nervous? It seems like the writer has never watched Conan before.

 

[pitchman]

Now THAT's what I'm talking about! Tonight's show was great from start to finish! This is what I was expecting from Conan last night. Conan was... well... CONAN! Every bit worked like gangbusters and Conan and Hanks were terrific together.

 

[David Norman]

Hanks is the best. His Ron Howard stuff is just tear inducing.

In and Out Burger
Star Trek Name dropping.

Co-Co, Co-Co, Co-Co!


Just starting thinking about Hanks again, is he becoming the Jimmy Stewart of this generation (or is there a better comparison from the 30's to 80's)? From Screwball comedy to RomCom to hard edged drama, is there any actor who seems to so easily move from one genre to the the next and almost never miss a beat.

 

[Diallo B]

meh... not a conan fan. didn't care for his other show either.

too much slapstick. jay was just funny.

perhaps he will grow on me.......

 

[Alfonso_M]

Well, Conan is getting his old groove back, La Bamba got his first introduction, and so did Max, (I noticed the backup drummer (?)doing percussion now), the monologue was hilarious, and the 'twitter' bit was not great but it was not bad either.the show was so much fun that I got distracted and missed recording Greenday...

I love Jay too, and I'm glad he's coming back at 10PM, Conan after Jay is the perfect combo for me.

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[EricW]

Bro's a No-No for Co-Co?

 

[Brent M]

The taped piece where he went to Rodeo ROAD had me on the floor. Hanks was the perfect guest(as usual) and Green Day rocked the house. Great show!!!