Fast Facts
Title: Conan
Host: Conan O'Brien
Band Leader:Jimmy Vivino
Band: The Basic Cable Band.
Announcer: Andy Richter
Format:A one-hour, classic host-behind-the-desk series
Broadcast information: Conan will debut on cable station TBS on Nov. 8, 2010, at 11 p.m. EST
Tapes: Conan will originate from Stage 15 at Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles and will be produced by Conaco LLC.
Premiere Date: Nov. 8, 2010, on TBS.
Overview: During the early weeks of January 2010, NBC made the announcement that it was going to move The Jay Leno Show, it's failed 10 p.m. talk show, to 11:30, pushing The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien back to 12:05 a.m.
O'Brien chose not to participate in the new schedule, perhaps because it may have felt like a bit of demotion, but also because he felt the move tarnished the image of The Tonight Show. The decision brought angst and animosity to the network during those weeks.
On O'Brien's last Tonight Show, he stated that he intended to continue hosting a talk show, "even if I have to do it in the parking lot of a 7-11." Part of O'Brien's terms with NBC, however, forbade him from hosting a talk show until Sept 1, 2010.
Though it was long speculated O'Brien would land on Fox, the late night host revealed on April 12 that his new home would be cable station TBS. The new show debuts in November 2010.
On Sept. 1, 2010, O'Brien announced the name of his new show on his Team Coco website: Conan.
So what can we expect from Conan's new show?
Our guess is that O'Brien will opt for a more intimate setting, closer to his original Late Night set. The bigger question, though, is will he remain in L.A. or return to New York City?
Chances are: L.A. More connections to celebrity guests, which O'Brien will need if he intends to go up against the Late Show with David Letterman and Jay Leno's Tonight Show.
On Oct. 12, Conan announced that longtime sidekick Andy Richter will join him on the show. In late September, longtime bandleader Max Weinberg announced that he would not join the show. His replacement is band mate Jimmy Vivino.
How many characters he'll be able to bring with him remains to be seen. But how hard is it to turn the Gaseous Wiener into the Tooting Hot Dog?
And we expect a rejuvenated O'Brien, ready to take on the big guns. A host who, by announcing the title of his show as simply Conan, intends to do things his way. After all, now he has something to prove. Above all - we think he's happy.
