As the late night landscape continues to evolve,Conan O’Brienis making some significant changes to hisConanseries on TBS. Rumors swirled last year thatConanwasconsidering shifting to a weekly format, more in the vein ofLast Week TonightorFull Frontal with Samantha Bee. That’s apparently not happening anymore, but starting in 2019Conanwill be a half-hour series instead of a traditional hourlong late night talk show. The move comes in concert with the celebration of 25 years in late night TV for Conan O’Brien, who started withLate Night with Conan O’Brienon NBC, then famously hostedThe Tonight Showfor a short tenure until NBC decided it wantedJay Lenoback and pushed Conan out. It was at that point that Conan set up shop at TBS, whereConanhas evolved into its own unique spin on the late night format with regular specials in which Conan travels abroad and documents his experience.
In addition to shifting to a half-hour format four nights a week, it was announced that TBS and Conan’s Team Coco are extending their partnership to include additional television, digital, and live events. This will include talent deals with stand-up comedians, driven by live touring and original digital content. The big kick off happens later this year, when O’Brien and a group of comics will hit the road on a multi-city tour hosted by O’Brien himself.
O’Brien will also continue to forge ahead with more international specials forConan, which will continue to be hourlong programs. Additionally, in celebration of this expanded deal, O’Brien’s entire catalogue fromLate Night with Conan O’BrienandConanwill be available digitally on TBS.
The late night landscape shifted considerably a few years ago with the departures ofDavid LettermanandJon Stewart, and the evolution to more politically focused shows has led to increased ratings for folks likeSeth MeyersandStephen Colbert, while more traditional showmen likeJimmy Fallonhave struggled a bit to find their place. It took a while for O’Brien to figure out where he fit into all of this, but his international specials continue to be must-sees, and it’ll be interesting to see what a half-hour episode ofConanlooks like as the brand appears to be pivoting more towards the celebration of stand-up comedians.
It’s unclear when, exactly, the shift to a half-hour format will occur, or if the road tour will be recorded and televised, but these here are interesting happenings in the world of late night television.
