How Bad Are We Really Prepared to Feel For Conan O'Brien?
I have a hunch. Television historians around America will forevermore note Jan. 13, 2010, at around 12:14 a.m. as the precise moment that the Great Conan O'Brien Blowback against NBC finally began its fade. After all, that was when O'Brien welcomed Chuck star Zachary Levi to his Tonight Show couch, only to have his guest interrupt him with an earnest, solemn expression of support. "I know it's your show -- at least for a little while longer -- but I want to say a couple of things before the plug is officially pulled," Levi said. "Everyone at Chuck, myself, millions of people, everyone here in this audience, I think we can all agree that you are one of the funniest, one of the kindest, and one of the classiest acts to ever grace late night. [...] Wherever you go, however this shakes out, I just want you to know that I hope that we get to hang out again."
Which, as a viewer, I don't doubt or disagree with. But really. People. Let's get a hold of ourselves.
Whatever happens in the reshuffling of NBC's late-night talent, it should be noted that Conan O'Brien was not diagnosed with a terminal illness, nor is he going to prison, nor is he being deported or shot into space in one of Jeff Zucker's corrugated-tin escape pods retrofitted for O'Brien's lanky frame and towering hair. When the 46-year-old host's Tonight Show reign finally fizzles out next month, it won't even mean the end of Conan O'Brien on television.
This is clear, right? Conan O'Brien is not dying.
I'm not going to be that default contrarian who attempts to defend NBC's handling of its late-night programming and, by extension, its viewers, its hosts and their respective staffs. I kind of love the National Moment we're having at the network's expense. Coco's anger yields a wallop and a burn that comes from a very specific cultural leverage, and his monologues this week have made for fascinating TV. I sincerely hope this upheaval results in the kind of regime change that NBC needs to reinvent itself as a legitimate or even a functioning network. Moreover, I wish to see O'Brien happy and his audience, of which I consider myself a part, even happier.
And here's the "but": How bad are we really prepared to feel for this guy? Why do we feel bad in the first place? O'Brien isn't the first man to ever move house and family cross-country for a job only to realize the grass wasn't greener, nor the job even secure. (Though he is in a minority of those men whose transfers netted him a contract worth anywhere from $50 million to $80 million.) Reportedly, his deal with NBC doesn't specify the precise windows during which he'd broadcast, an unusual, network-favoring loophole for a late-night pact. O'Brien's waves of supporters may be united in their outrage and loyalty, but good luck finding a majority that says The Tonight Show actually exceeds the quality and consistency of Late Night With Conan O' Brien.
In fact, this shuffle may be the best possible scenario for O'Brien and his fans. He'll land somewhere that wants him -- somewhere without the burden of a prime-time experiment siphoning talent from his stage and morale from his crew. Somewhere he'll be welcome as the niche product he is as opposed to being penalized for it. Somewhere whose motivation is a profitable, entertaining show, and not just the mere prospect of sticking it to NBC by wedging O'Brien back into 11:35 opposite an obviously insurmountable Jay Leno and David Letterman. "My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work," O'Brien summarized in his statement Tuesday. Exactly, and fair enough.
Not as fair, though, is the entitlement complex taking shape around O'Brien's cult of personality. Its undercurrents roiled Tuesday in monologue jokes like, "Hello, my name is Conan O'Brien, and I may soon be available for children's parties," or, "When I was a little boy, I remember watching The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and thinking 'Someday, I'm going to host that show for seven months.'"
I laughed, I winced. Of course O'Brien earned the gig, and of course he and NBC had a deal for him to inherit it from Leno, which he did. But if affiliates show up outside 30 Rock with pitchforks, torches and threats over collapsing local news ratings from Leno's lead-in, and O'Brien's Tonight Show is getting slammed in the ratings compared to Leno's edition a year ago, what else was NBC supposed to do? This is business. Does it make it ethical? No. Does it make anyone happy? Power-politician Leno, perhaps, and most certainly Letterman. (Though, in backlash damage-control mode, Leno's already spinning his own displeasure with NBC by supposedly threatening to leave the network himself. Talk about an entitlement complex.) Was O'Brien screwed? Without a doubt.
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"O’Brien isn’t the first man to ever move house and family cross-country for a job only to realize the grass wasn’t greener, nor the job even secure."
I think this is what's so great about Conan's letter. Lots of us working schmoes have been screwed around by our employers, especially in this economic climate where managers know we'll have a hard time finding another job. To have someone on a public stage give an elegant yet totally defiant "F you" to this kind of corporate manhandling is BEAUTIFUL.
Thank you. I felt the same way during the segments last night. Was happy to see him come out swinging on Monday but not sure I'm up for a week of this. It's much more amusing to see Letterman and Ferguson take shots at NBC. The more I think about it, the better I think it'd be if Conan got to go his own way and take his smarts elsewhere. Let NBC screw themselves. Just feel rather bad for his crew and the abrupt turn of events. Then again, it's tv, this sh!t happens all the time, just not to such name brand shows.
This coming from the website that a few days ago posted a story about boycotting Leno's tonight show.
Man you people are a fickle bunch, god bless the internet.
Is there a way to "Like" this article? I even went to the show's website after watching the show last night and reminded them that they need to continue doing the comedy skits and jokes that made them loveable in the first place instead of going through a self-indulgent pity party on national t.v. The nail in the coffin for me was when Conan started asking Zach Levi about Alvin and the Chipmunks and gave himself away as not actually having any knowledge of Zach Levi's part in the movie or having seen the movie; Conan, I love you and support you to no end, but do your work. The captain must go down with the ship.
That being said, I'm still going to boycott NBC if that little prick Leno gets his old job back.
Check that boycott story again for context. It's as apples-and-oranges as they come.
"The entitlement complex" is based on three things>
1. He IS entitled to the Tonight Show by contract. NBC will have to pay Conan because THEY are violating a binding legal contract.
2. This kind of reshuffle is unprecedented.
3. IT'S FUNNY!
I don't think anyone is mourning the death of Conan. I think we are all mourning the death of COMMON SENSE... Plus, some of us remember when Johnny Carson was forced to retire and replaced by Leno. Carson's public statement that it was HIS CHOICE to retire was to beat NBC to the punch. Then Letterman was left out in the cold much like Conan. Letterman pulled through so we can assume Conan will, too.
But what if he doesn't? We really don't know, yet...
But the sympathy we feel is based on how most of us are puppets to a machine which is unthinking and heartless. A mechanism based only on the bottom line. Conan's fans are reacting EXACTLY as many of us from the Defamer days reacted when that debacle occured.
But we really couldn't breathe a sigh of relief until Movieline was born and proved itself by still going strong a year later.
Same goes for Conan...
"O’Brien’s Tonight Show is getting slammed in the ratings compared to Leno’s edition a year ago, what else was NBC supposed to do? This is business."
Maybe give him a chance like they did for Jay for the first three years that Jay was doing terribly? Maybe not put another new late night show before him? How is it fair that they are willing to let Conan go in favor of someone who failed? Jays show was awful, so they are giving him another one?? Makes no sense. Jay is selfish and I have lost all respect for him. Let Conan have his chance as he was promised. Jays failure should not affect him.
First of all, Conan's not asking for our pity: I
want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second
feeling sorry for me....in a world with real problems, I've been absurdly lucky.
And of course there are plenty of worse things to read/care about: the horrific earthquake in Haiti, drone attacks killing Pakistani civilians, human trafficking, etc.
Furthermore, I don't think that those of us eagerly following the ongoing hot mess over at NBC do so and weep for Conan; we like a good juicy scandal, and we read this blog b/c we like entertainment news/gossip/chatter.
The point of an entertainment blog is to make people care about an industry that is mostly composed of overpaid morons and a handful of talented people. If we're going to get righteous now, then I guess this means no more Snooki coverage on Movieline.
Amen.
This article isn't connecting the dots. It's not as if Conan's Tonight Show was sucking all on it's own and that was the only problem. In fact, he was keeping the same numbers he had when he was on Late Night.
Explain exactly how Conan's Tonight Show was supposed to bring in better ratings than Leno's 7 months after he started? Especially after Leno had 17 years to establish his brand. If you'll recall, Leno was getting stepped on in the ratings by Letterman for three years until he snagged his infamous interview with Hugh Grant.
On top of that, when Leno's 10PM show is bleeding viewers by the thousands nightly, leading affiliates to complain that no one is watching local news, it's not as if the people watch ABC and CBS will suddenly say "Oh, yeah! Conan!" especially if they weren't predisposed to his brand of comedy to begin with.
This article is all about being contrary for the sake of it.
"there are plenty of worse things to read/care about: the horrific earthquake in Haiti, drone attacks killing Pakistani civilians, human trafficking, etc."
Which is why we talk/complain about Conan. There has to be something not so earth-shattering to discuss so as to keep us sane....
Although I appreciate--as always--S.T. Vanairdale's smart and adult writing, what I immediate read here is an attempt to get ahead of the wild swings that the media, and only the media, assigns to these types of events. There's sympathy for Conan O'Brien, which means there will be a backlash against Conan O'Brien, and then a backlash against the backlash, etc. etc. ad naseum. And please, stop it.
There's a presumption of pity for Conan and his current situation--and honestly, the public is a bit more discerning about where suffering is and where sympathy should lie. We're not taking sides because what does it really matter to any of us? This whole matter will play out as it will, for all the various entities and participants involved, but do any of us really believe that the outcome will affect our lives in any kind of substantial way? No. Don't try to direct how we should feel or who we ought to root for unless the stakes are really worthy of our attention.
In one of the articles listed yesterday here on Movieline a NY writer wrote eloquently about it being a business decision.
Does it suck? Most assuredly.
Your point about them only giving him 7 months as opposed to Leno's 3 years (until the "Gift from God" Hugh Grant appearance pushed him ahead) is fair and understandable. But it's not reflective of business.
The article states that older people watch "The Tonight Show" and older people like Leno. At the end of the day, numbers count to generate ad revenues, and you can't argue that.
Most assuredly, them moving Leno to 10pm took the wheels out from under Conan. And that sucks. It's like giving someone a sailboat with torn sails and asking them to win the America's Cup.
So what do you do? (As the failing Network?)
Cancel the 10pm show and send Leno out to compete against you as a known entity with proven numbers or stick him back in to a familiar time slot that viewers have historically responded to?
Again, we're NOT talking about what's "Classy", we're talking about money. BIG money.
It sucks. They're throwing O'Brien under the bus. And, frankly, I'm not sure it's a smart decision because even if Leno DOES get TTS back, this wave of "He screwed Conan" could potentially have a lasting effect that results in this being Dave's "Hugh Grant" moment.
It's about business, folks. And business is rarely, if ever, a pretty, moral thing.
O'Brien's getting ganked. But with a $50million dollar severance package (if the numbers posted are close to reality)?
That's not a bad way to get booted.
Stars won't walk away from appearing on TTS. If someone has something to sell, they're gonna be there.
When it's all said and done this will pass and people will move on to something else to be outraged about.
Incidentally, I'm a big Conan fan.
But business is business. And when you're on the crap end of the stick as NBC is I'm willing to bet that their brass is thinking only about profits. And that's what business is all about.
Don't confuse "Morality" with "Good business sense."
That's a mistake.
Dude, it's the Squeakuel
These are good points, but I don't think it's this black-and-white. The teeth-gnashing and hand-wringing is everywhere: On Twitter, blogs and even on Conan's own show. He asks people not to feel sorry for him, says he's lucky, but his first monologue to follow that sentiment traded self-deprecation for self-pity. The pimps/hoes thing was just beneath him; I don't blame him for being bitter, but if the high road isn't accessible, then at least take the middle one or something. His class is his currency, and this petty, obvious vengeance shit -- however sincere -- squanders it.
And I hope Movieline can be more pluralistic than, "Here's a scandal -- reaction, please," I love Snooki as much as anybody. Which is to say, well... forget it.
For real. I don't think anyone besides the emotionally disturbed is holding prayer vigils for the guy or doing much beyond enjoying that letter, wishing The Late Shift was on Youtube, and watching him make cracks about NBC less venomous than what you'll find in yr avg episode of 30 Rock. He seemed obviously uncomfortable with Chuck's weird eulogy. I SMELL HIT BAIT, BOYS
I understand why you say something like "It's business", but I disagree. It's BAD business. It's shenanigans. The great source of outrage at the people leading NBC is that it is so evident to many of us that they are making "business" decisions out of fear, without an iota of common sense.
I think many people's outward expressions of support for Conan are also about showing disdain for the kind of executives that ruin Hollywood, not only as a place where bold artistic creation can occur, but as a business as well. These panicky vicious cycles of decision-making are exactly why studio heads roll so often. They don't take chances because they don't want to lose their jobs so they play it safe, and they lose their jobs because they don't take chances and they play it safe. When the next executive comes along, he or she looks at the quick turnaround rate the job usually comes with and chooses to play it safe, not take risks and etc...
I wasn't bothered by the guy from Chuck fawning over Conan for a little bit, because, quite frankly, he deserves some visible props for the way he's handled this. We have the likes of Paul Riser and Jerry Seinfeld (who I continue to hold in considerable estimation for his sitcom) siding with Leno in comments and editorials and if this were the only information coming out of the industry, one would assume that people who are bold and have integrity like Conan will find themselves alone if they make a stand. It really isn't about turning Conan the victim into a martyr, it's about coming together and telling a network, a studio, an executive: your intentions are transparent to us and we won't let you get away clean when you try to pull this kind of shit.
You think showing our support isn't so important. I think it's the most important thing we could be doing.
I honestly just feel that someone was screwed out of their dream. It was clear that Conan had been working towards the moment of hosting TTS and then, after just a few months, it was taken. That sucks. Yes, he's had a great career leading up to this. But it still sucks. But he was fair in saying that he didn't want to participate in the destruction of this show he's worshipped. It's just heartbreaking for those who have dreamed of being a part of something they deem legendary only to have it ripped away prematurely in the name of money.
For me, this is similar to watching Jenny Slate curse on her very first episode of SNL. If being on this show was her dream, and I know for a fact that this girl worked her ass off in the comedy scene, then this was just not the way it was supposed to be. It was humiliating. I know she wasn't fired and was given another chance (and now they're *finally* letting her do stuff), but the whole "dream deferred/dented" thing gets me right in the cockles of my heart. (As someone with similar dreams.)
Cole's bit was stupid, but shouldn't your complaint be more with Zachary Levi? I can't imagine anyone forced him to be so obsequious.
Oh those Dark Defamer Days....
There was the problem of the Olds and the problem of the news affiliates that saw a rating drop bc of Leno.
Some things I don't quite get are:
1) If it's strictly a business decision, does it make any sense to move Leno for only a 30 min slot doing - what exactly? If his ratings suck, drop'm. Conan is struggling bc he's tried to sway that demographic and it's one reason it's not working for them or his old fans.
2) How does it work with these news affiliates? I always assumed if you wanted to watch the crap news at 11 you would tune in to see it (or more likely the weather) if you really needed. Local news is local news no matter what channel it's on. It's not like you won't see the exact same stories at 5 am - 8/9 am. And then there's always that internet thing.
3) Why are the Nielsen ratings still considered standard metrics for making these decisions? Were they ever really to be trusted? How accurate do they capture what people are actually watching? Esp. in the age of Hulu, DVR, etc. Is that the only metric they have now? One that's 60 yrs old?
The ho's thing was horrible. Howie Mandel was almost as bad. Craig Ferguson's puppets tend to be funnier than most of Conan's bits these days. As you said, he's supposed to be the classier one here so let's hope it kinda stopped last night. Reputations are made and broken on such things.
+1.
Appropriate Jenny Slate comparison - despite having only seen her on Fallon's show, I thought it was going to turn into another 'righteous conservative' America BS thing like the Janet Jackson/Super Bowl bru ha ha and felt quite bad for her.
i agree that conan wasnt given a chance i also cant believe how selfish leno is being did need money for more cars? chin cream? stand up lessons? i never cared for him before but now i have a strong dislike for nbc maybe conan should go to comedy central with a 10:00 show before john stewart or fox would be a good fit
See, even you know more about it ;P
Perhaps. Even Brokaw was obsequious, though, but at least his fawning had a sort of gravitas. Which at least makes for good television.
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