The premiere of the first Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien last night was, by regular Conan standards, a mostly average episode, including an ok on-location bit (they’re usually amazing), a two-part interview with Will Ferrell that still seemed weirdly short, and a performance by Pearl Jam with the same muffled-sounding vocals as the old Conan set.
None of this, however, fazed my surreal enthusiasm for one second, and I sat through the hour simultaneously bewildered and proud, like a mother watching her child graduate (or more like a child watching his smarter, more talented mother graduate), and couldn’t get over the symbolic nature of the event: A writerly comedy nerd who continues to insist to this day his face has no business appearing on national television was assuming control of America’s premiere late-night show, prepared to toss his irreverence onto a completely willing 11:30 audience. It was like Letterman’s first CBS show, but with the added bonus of Jay Leno having been squeezed out.
The unquestionable highlight of the first Conan Tonight Show was this epic opening bit, which wasn’t quite as dark and self-deprecating as his first Late Night opening, but which nonetheless caused me to cheer in the dark alone as though “goodness” had staged a coup and ultimately triumphed over “networkness” – just as I used to do during those old Late Nights.
Thoughts on the first Conan Tonight Show? Leave ‘em in the comments.
