late night talk show host writer for simpsons

#LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST WRITER FOR SIMPSONS TV#

Instead, Leno got the network to give him a primetime show at 10 p.m. Leno didn't actually leave NBC when O'Brien moved up.

#LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST WRITER FOR SIMPSONS TV#

His version of Late Night eventually won over critics and the public, fueled by quirky bits like a guy in a bear suit who couldn't stop fondling himself dubbed the 'Masturbating Bear.' But when it came time for O'Brien to take over the venerated Tonight Show from Jay Leno many years later in 2009, the cutthroat politics of late night TV intervened. Airing at 12:30 a.m., he was on the fringe of late night, speaking mostly to college students and insomniacs long before video clips on the Internet could spread awareness beyond those who watched it on NBC. It took years for his version of Late Night to gel, as the network initially hedged its bets by refusing to give him a long-term contract. I remember that O'Brien also didn't seem to quite fit in when first entered the late night talk arena way back in 1993, taking over NBC's Late Night show after David Letterman left for CBS.ĭespite stints as a writer on both The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live, O'Brien seemed an untested talent back then who hadn't built his persona in public, like the former standup comics who hosted all the other late night talk shows. Carving and sustaining a distinctive voice His smartly silly comedy - disconnected from politics, celebrity worship or anything resembling showbiz cool – is now beloved by a sliver of the TV audience too small to sustain a regular gig, even on standard cable.Įven as new voices like Amber Ruffin, Desus and Mero and Ziwe try to reinvent late night talk for a new generation, O'Brien is headed for the exit, seemingly eager to redefine himself before the industry does it for him. Still, this transition feels like an odd combination of O'Brien leaving late night TV as the genre leaves him. His smartly silly comedy - disconnected from politics, celebrity worship or anything resembling showbiz cool – is now beloved by a sliver of the TV audience too small to sustain a regular gig, even on standard cable. O'Brien told WHYY's Fresh Air back in 2019 that 'what I don't want to do is sleepwalk my way through my career at this stage,' hinting at a restless spirit which has powered many of his recent projects.

He's also got loads of multimedia projects going under his Team Coco banner, including podcasts ( Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, Literally with Rob Lowe), stand-up specials from other comics, merchandising and more.

Now, O'Brien is leaving TBS altogether, with plans to debut a weekly variety show on corporate sibling HBO Max. Instead, the show has leaned into creating online content for fans to consume on YouTube and through his website, mirroring how many viewers now seem to connect with talk show content.Ĭonan went on hiatus in 2018, coming back months later as a stripped-down half-hour show without a band. He's pictured above in February 2016.īut it never developed Nielsen ratings to match what O'Brien could access on a broadcast network (The Wrap website reported this week Conan's ratings have declined 29 percent during the current TV season, averaging about 282,000 viewers a night). O'Brien is leaving TBS with plans to debut a weekly variety show on corporate sibling HBO Max.

Late night talk show host writer for simpsons