I'm not a big watcher of late-night television, but with all the recent drama around NBC's late-show lineup, and after watching Conan O'Brien's final shows last week on The Tonight Show, I realized that I have a lot of feelings on the subject.
Everyone should watch Conan's heartfelt farewell monologue. In the last segment of his last show, Conan laid down the arms that he'd been relentlessly bashing NBC with since he saw the writing on the wall a few weeks ago. In a rare moment of seriousness and sincerity, he closed with a classy statement to thank his longtime employer—the same employer he had faithfully and tirelessly served for over two decades, only to quickly become his adversary in his last two weeks of employment—not to mention the butt of all his (very funny) jokes.
"Between my time at Saturday Night Live, The Late Night Show, and my brief run here on The Tonight Show, I've worked with NBC for over 20 years. Yes, we have our differences right now. Yes, we're going our separate ways. But this company has been my home for most of my adult life. I am enormously proud of the work we have done together, and I wanna thank NBC for making it all possible. I really do."On His Terms
You have to empathize with Conan in the same way that he empathizes with people on his show, because you can only imagine how devastating his decision was to step down from a dream job that he spent the better part of his career chasing.
But despite the fact that his show would have been pushed back just 30 minutes later to 12:05 a.m., Conan couldn't do it on principle alone. As a purist and a fan, he couldn't bring himself to participate in what he termed "the destruction" of The Tonight Show, according to a written statement. Conan refused to compromise. Earlier in his career under similar circumstances, maybe he would have. But not now.
"I sincerely believe that delaying The Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn't The Tonight Show."In the same statement, Conan also showed deference to Jimmy Fallon, whose show would have been bumped back even further had Conan gone to 12:05. Even when he was finally on top, Conan didn't forget about the little guy. It was a position he knew very, very well.
On another note of professionalism, Conan was gracious in his untimely exit, choosing to see the glass as half-full.
"But despite this sense of loss, I really feel this should be a happy moment. Every comedian—every comedian—dreams of hosting The Tonight Show. And for seven months, I got to do it. And I did it my way, with people I love. I do not regret one second of anything that we've done here.The Wrong Guy
I encounter people when I walk on the street who give me kind of a sad look... I have had more good fortune than anyone I know, and if our next gig is doing a show in a 7-11 parking lot, we will find a way to make it fun."
If they're not kicking themselves right now, NBC execs will when they realize what they've lost. It was one thing to not cut the cord with Jay Leno in 2009 after determining Conan to be his successor five years prior, but it was just insulting to restore Leno's prime placement a mere seven months after the baton had been passed. NBC should have stuck with the newer host who has the better range of generational appeal—the guy they chose to lead them into a new decade of late-night entertainment. Instead they pulled a Brett Favre-type reversal.
Leno is also to blame. If he didn't want to get out of late-night, he should have never agreed to step down years in advance while supporting his eventual successor. He should have taken his show elsewhere. And because The Chin hasn't backed down from a chance to reclaim what was his for a long time, he'll be in an unenviable position next to the martyred Conan when he returns on March 1st: as the bad guy.
During his final slate of episodes, it was really clear that Conan O'Brien is the one guy that NBC shouldn't have screwed over. General NBC trashing aside, Conan was intent on taking NBC for every penny he could—and he made sure everyone knew his rebellious stance. As parting shots, he introduced one-off, 11th-hour characters to the show that weren't so much funny as they were "crazy-expensive."
To illustrate further, the first line from the opening monologue of his last show says it all:
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have exactly one hour to steal every single item in this studio."King of the Jungle
Out of all the late-night hosts, Conan has always been my favorite because of one simple, underrated quality: humility. Conan embraces self-deprecation like no other. Quite wisely, he's learned that he can always fall back on a bad joke or a failed bit by making fun of himself, be it his ridiculous hairdo or general uncoolness. Conan is simply more likable because he always beats everyone to the punchline. And with his instant comedic analysis, he's also the first to admit to his audience that a joke or bit wasn't funny (which actually makes it funny). His no-ego approach naturally makes him someone you want to root for. And we did.
As someone who understands and appreciates the depths and nuances of the human condition, Conan closed his goodbye speech, ever so humble and wise:
"And finally, I have something to say to our fans. This massive outpouring of support and passion from so many people has been overwhelming for me. The rallies, the signs; all this goofy, outrageous creativity on the Internet; the fact that people have traveled long distances and camped out all night in the pouring rain. It's been raining for days—it's literally pouring out there.Free Bird
Here's what all of you have done: You've made a sad situation joyous and inspirational. So to all the people watching, I can never, ever [chokes on tears] thank you enough for the kindness to me. I'll think about it the rest of my life.
And all I ask is one thing, and I'm asking this particularly of the young people that watch: Please do not be cynical. I hate cynicism. For the record, it's my least-favorite quality. It doesn't get you anywhere.
Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen. I'm telling you: Amazing things will happen. It's just true."
The good news is that Conan will be back at some point in some form, and he'll continue to do the show he wants to do. In a way, it almost seems right that a maverick such as himself didn't stay on a mainstream show more than seven months, because his spontaneous, wildcard humor never really fit a mold other than his own. His departure also validates his identity as a fringe comic who was able to take more creative liberties and abide by an anything-goes approach in the early hours of the morning. Conan's always been a man of the people.
So maybe in the long run, this will be the best thing that ever happened to him. Conan, above anyone, is a firm believer that when one door closes, another opens. It's just true.
After all that, Conan left us with one great last gem on his blog:
"I ask you to take away from all of this one thing: inspiration. Everyone has dreams. Everyone has hopes... Make something. Do something. You can make it happen.
As I sit in this office with no windows, the only sound the whoosh of the little fan that pushes the hot air around my office, I can tell you this: There is no difference between me and you. You can do this. You can do anything. You just have to get out there and do it."
Related
- Conan O'Brien scores big ratings with his final show
- If this isn't a sign: Johnny Carson passed away on January 23rd. Conan's final show ended at 12:35 a.m. on January 23rd.
- 69% of TV Guide Readers Won't Watch Leno
- Why Former Jay Leno Fans Turned Their Back on 'The Tonight Show'
- Conan O'Brien tells '60 Minutes' he would have left NBC if roles were reversed
2 comments:
Nice analysis Ken. I called Conan's executives back and told them to lay off, so no worries there.
Oh, thank God :)
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