Conan O'Brien (1 Viewer)

[Matt Stone]

Like most of you, I also love Conan.
...can't think of anything funny to say right now.

 

[David Egan]

I watch Craig at 12:30. I've hated Conan for years. He can't tell a joke and the jokes he tells are designed to get whoops and hollers rather that laughs. (JLo has a big ass!!! Whoop whoop!) Worse thogh are his interviews where he won't stop going off on tangents, never allowing a single guest to develope their own rhythm. He's not a quick wit, he just won't shut up. Jay and Conan never stop kowtowing to their crowd while Dave and Craig are individuals with personalities and are much more relaxed.

A masturbating bear and a dog that says "poop" aren't actually funny, it's just tittilating that they can get away with certain thing on late night TV. TV comedy writers need to stop asking "What can we get away with?" and start asking "What's funny?"

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Craig Kilborn isn't really that funny. I don't see how looking at his hair every once in a while is funny. And the 5 Questions thing is...played out. The idea is good, but I've already seen it and it has lost its appeal because it's not that good.

Conan does make some jokes that aren't really intelligent, but it's his reactions and the stuff he makes up on the spot that are funny. Triumph is also funny because he's a little hand puppet of a dog and has an extremely dirty and rude mouth.

 

[Matt Birchall]

Dave and Conan rule. Everybody else sucks.

 

[Chuck C]

Conan is the best late night host there is. In addition to "off studio" style skits, the best is when Conan drives his desk.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

NBC has my latenight vote.

(For those with a different local affiliate setup, this means Leno then Conan)

The only good thing about Craig Kilborn taking over the Late Late Show job is that it opened up the Daily Show slot for Jon Stewart.

 

[Ike]

I like Conan, and I want to like Letterman more than I probably actually do, but I cannot stand Leno. Bland, old, tired, and way too safe. Bleh.

 

[Joe Bernardi]

I like Conan and Letterman. I liked Letterman more when he was doing stunts like the velcro suit and alka seltzer suit.

I don't like Leno at all. He can't just tell a joke and let it rise or fall on its merits. He always has to go on and blabber something about the joke he just told. Maybe he thinks his audience is too stupid to get the joke without additional help.

 

[John Sturge]

Whenever I'm watching, it's the Daily Show With John Stewart first then maybe Leno or Letterman(I hate both, but sometimes I watch for interviews with stars I like and try to mute the annoying host).

And if I want more, Conan for the skits, and Kilborn for the interviews...

 

[Matt Stone]

He always has to go on and blabber something about the joke he just told.

I agree with that all the way...that is my principle problem with Leno. I used to like him, but now I just can't take the way he mumbles (and boy does he mumble) something right after a joke. Not funny in my book...but to each his own.

 

[MikeM]

.sketch called "Will It Float?" where they dumped things into water to see....(drum roll please)...if they would float. (Yawn). Wow, that was bad...
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think that is the whole point.

I agree...a great skit for Mr. Wizard's show...a lame ass skit for a comedy show. That's my point.

 

[JeremySt]

It must just be for my style of humor, but I like Craig Kilborne the best. Conan is a close second. Conan mught have a better show, but Kilborne is a funnier person. Conan has the best sketches, but Kilborne is the funniest, without the help of sketches. Conan is like an offshoot of SNL, while Kilborne is just genuinely a great talk show host. Conan does the majority of the talking when he has a guest, and that gets annoying.

Conan has gone downhill since Andy Richter left. Once, I said that to some one, and they said: "Who? He had a sidekick?" I guess that makes me old.

 

[Chris]

I enjoy Letterman and then flick to Conan. Letterman has the most well pointed interview style of any of the late night hosts; Leno virtually laps up whatever the interview says, and Conan tries to go after them, but Letterman is probably the only one who doesn't give people a "pass" and is not afraid to ask tough questions or put the person on the spot, which makes his show worth it. Letterman also has a better style fo dealing with the guests then either of the other two; of all of them, the only one I can't tolerate is Leno.. I find his demeaner with guests to be the equivelent of watching an info-mercial.

That having been said, Conan is funnier, minute by minute, then anyone else on late night.. but being in a later time slot, he's also got a lot more leeway as to what he can do then either Letterman or Leno.

 

[Andrew Chong]

I've been curious about this for some time now:

I know that Conan's title sequence is comprised of a number of clips from past shows. A couple of them include what looks like Conan jumping into a body of water and swimming in it at night. Did anyone see him do this on a past show? What was the (comedic) reason for this bit? It looked like it might have been fun viewing.

 

[Van Patton]

The water jumping bit was from the beginning of his 5th anniversary show. He jumped into the New York Harbor out of nowhere. Very funny stuff.

 

[John_Lee]

Leno screwed the pooch on comedic awareness last night. Guests were Samuel L. Jackson. and John Corbett. Sam's interview was over and he was on down the couch. Corbett started talking about the budget for 'MBFGW' and made a snarky remark the relative success of MBFGW -v- 'the Star Wars movie.' People started giggling in the audience, then the camera panned to Sam with his eyebrow raised. Long story short, neither Jay nor John could figure out what everyone found so funny. We're talking total Farrah Fawcett on Dave territory here.

 

[Graeme Clark]

Conan has, consistently, the funniest program. And he has the best band to boot (I almost have to switch away from Letterman when the band either figures they should butcher another popular song, or when I know Paul is going to break out into one of his little "songs" at the start of a bit where he just repeats the name of the bit, or just holds a word in the name of a bit for an hour and a half)

Anyway, Conan is not your typical stand up comedian, he's more of a physical comedian, and I think that shows in he sketches and during the monologue where he'll do a stringy dance, or "attacks" the camera, and in many ways, that's just as funny as telling a good joke.

So no, he might not be all that great telling a joke, but he knows it. That's why, instead of wasting half his show with jokes like Leno does, he tells 3 or 4, and gets the show on the road.

And for interviewing, I think that he just goes about it a little differently. I mean, those guests are on to promote their stuff and to draw viewers, but do we really want them to go on about something, or do we really expect grilling and hard hitting questions? Conan just has fun and plays around with the guests a bit, and I think that works just as well.

Letterman is getting tired (the show and the man) but still entertaining, Leno is only funny when he relies on other people to provide the humor (headlines, jaywalking, correspondents like Dave Chapelle, Ross the Intern and those two Jaywalking girls), and Kilborne I really have no problem with, except that I find he tries to be more clever than funny.

 

[James_G]

If there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s mediocre, middle-of-the-road comedy…which is why I don’t watch Leno.

Conan does the majority of the talking when he has a guest, and that gets annoying.

That's sort of true -- he does the majority of the talking when a flat, uninteresting guest that's only pimping his/her newest project is on. When it's a personality that he's genuinely interested in he'll let them talk.
Anyway, who cares about some lame-ass anecdote from some boring actor? I’d rather have someone entertaining talking instead of someone who’s as bored as can be and thinks that I actually give a damn about their French poodle’s manicure accident.

 

[CameronS]

when I know Paul is going to break out into one of his little "songs" at the start of a bit where he just repeats the name of the bit, or just holds a word in the name of a bit for an hour and a half

LOL! I've always felt the same way.
Can someone remind me when the Triumph at Star Wars: AOTC bit on Conan repeats again so I can tape it?

 

[Pete_S]

I love Conan, but can you imagine how much a network would water him down to appeal to a much bigger post-news timeslot? I don't think I'd be able to stand it.