The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien

The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien was a short-lived late-night talk show on NBC that ran from June 2009 to late January 2010. Conan O'Brien inherited the prestigious Tonight Show franchise from Jay Leno, whose show preceded his successor's Late Night with Conan O'Brien for sixteen years. Conan brought his trademark affable personality, witty brand of comedy, and wisp of red hair to the impressive brand new set and 11:35 p.m. timeslot. He also brought with him his writing staff, his crew, his band The Max Weinberg 7, and his old-time trusty sidekick, Andy Richter. Richter's returned as the narrator of the show. Conan also imported popular sketches "In the Year 2000" (now called "In the Year 3000") and "Celebrity Surveys", while implementing new bits such as "Conan's Tabloid Moment" and "Twitter Tracker." Other elements of Late Night stayed as well, such as Conan's on-location comedy bits and characters like Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. It seemed like a winning formula; however, after a short period of time, NBC decided to move Jay Leno back to the "Tonight Show" amidst underwhelming ratings and a firestorm of controversy. NBC paid Conan $33 million and his staff $12 million to walk away from the Tonight Show for good. Conan felt betrayed by Leno and NBC, which he publically voiced. The public outcry greatly supported O'Brien. David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel also spoke in support of the comic before Conan's last show at The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien on January 22, 2010. MORE