Viva La Conando!

I am pretty aware of pop culture, but I do not necessarily follow feuds, trends, or ongoing developments. I was aware of Jon and Kate, but only via headlines, and I probably didn't pay as much attention to Michael Jackson dying as the rest of America. However, I am practically stalking all the news outlets for developments on NBC's apprent mental breakdown.

In February of '09 I bid a fond farewell to one of my favorite people on television, Conan O'Brien. I started watching 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien' when I was a sophomore in high school. He was the only thing on TV when I got home late at night from my crummy job at the grocery store. I've been watching him off and on ever since. He was absolutely hilarious during the writer's strike and when he went to Finland to meet his apparent doppleganger. I've watched Conan a lot over the years and therefore I feel like I know him. I find myself genuinely caring about what happens in this situation. He made me laugh for seven years, after all.

So natually I'm a little peeved at NBC for many reasons (least of all that they didn't listen to me when I gave them some suggestions. Gosh!), but the biggest is that they seem to want Jay Leno more than any other human being on the planet...so why did they ask him to leave in the first place? And really, what's so great about Jay Leno?

Well, I think the two previous questions can be summed up by looking at the kind of audience Conan and Jay generally attract. My parents like Jay Leno. They like a guy who stands up in front of people, tells a lot of jokes, is generally a-political, and finds friends in people like Jerry Seinfeld. You have to admit, the guy is very personable. A lot of my aunt and uncles feel the same way. They tell me they don't like to watch Conan because they don't 'get' him.

Now this is something I can't really argue with. My brother, friends from high school and college, and even a few younger co-workers all generally love Conan and find him to be much more entertaining than Leno. So I think the problem here is plain and simple--Leno and Conan are a generational thing.

Eventually though, my parents generation is going to phase out. This may sound harsh, but it's ture: people my parents age are going to start dying. They are also start going to bed at a decent hour (I can no longer call their house after 11 because both my parents are asleep). They also can't seem to work some of the high tech things my generation can, like DVR and Hulu (which is how I watch 'The Tonight Show'). Eventually my generation will come into some money that those greedy little advertisers want, and my parents...well, they'll be retired and living off of their savings/Social Security (maybe).

So is NBC getting rid of Conan too quickly? I think so. I also think that Jay Leno is being rather obnoxious in this scenario. I mean, he did agree to leave in 2009 and he sort of did but now...suddenly...he's back! At 11:35! He's basically the Tonight Show, just without the title and 30 minutes shorter. His risk into prime time is admirable, but it didn't work. I personally think that Jay, who comes off as being the nice neighbor, is kind of like the guy who just won't leave. He loves to work, everyone knows that, but really Jay? This is a bit much. When you agree to leave, you leave. Conan left the city he loved, moved his family, his band, and his staff to LA where he clearly doesn't fit in.

People also argue that Conan had a chance to prove himself with ratings and so far, has not done so. I can't argue with numbers, but I can aruge with the fact that Conan has terrible lead-ins. The Jay Leno Show had poor rating, the local news had poor ratings too, and, well, that would result in even poorer ratings at 11:35. I also think that Conan is relatively new at this. Jay himself was not a ratings gold mine when he took over the Tonight Show from Johnny Carson. Conan needs time to figure out where he fits in. He also needs better support from his network. Hit shows at 10 and someone else not stealing all the A-list stars at a prime time spot are two things that NBC has not given him, but things that Leno had plenty of.

I also agree with David Carr when he asserts in his New York Times article that this shuffle not only puts Conan on the chopping block but also NBC mogul Jeff Zucker. Not only did Zucker and his henchmen construct this 'compromise' and are now the ones reshuffling their network, they are all over every single media outlet. People at Entertainment Weekly think they are idiots, CBS moguls love them because thanks to them basically having five nights of nothing at 10 o'clock has resulted in their 10 o'clock shows doing better. That's not good when the rival networks are telling you 'thank you' NBC!

It seems now that there is really no happy solution. Jay will stay at 11:35 until it's literally physically impossible for him to do a show. Conan will either always be known as the guy who follows Jay or he'll leave. In the mean time, I hope things work out for him. If I could, I would give him a hug.

(picture is curtosey of my friend Amy who put it up on FB the other day)