Critiquing Conan

In case you missed it, the "Tonight Show" torch has been passed from Jay Leno to Conan O'Brien, and while there will be plenty of episodes to follow for me to evaluate the status of NBC's top late-night offering, I'm compelled to break down the first offering from the comedy mind of Conan since his "Late Night" gig ended in February. WARNING: I will be using words such as "California-ish" and "Oprah-esque," and I'll also be referencing The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians. Hide your children and tread lightly. Here be dragons.



OPENING BIT: I'm very glad they started getting the "move to L.A." jokes out of the way early, although I enjoyed the running across America sketch (I'll watch just about anything set to "Surrender" by Cheap Trick). It made me realize that beyond the Rocky Mountains, there aren't many nationally recognized monuments or landmarks between the St. Louis Arch and the Welcome to Las Vegas sign (perhaps a dash across the Hoover Dam was in order).

TITLE & THEME: Great reworking of the old "Late Night" theme, set against some glitzy nighttime shots of a lit-up, neon Los Angeles. Having Andy Richter back as "the voice" of the show will take time getting used to -- I'm glad he's there, but I really think he ought to migrate into a true sidekick instead of the goofy announcer.

THE SET: Amazing color scheme going on with lots of blue and California-ish hues, some heavy art deco influence here and there. The band's podiums are the worst offenders, and I kinda like them, so they're doing a number of things right, in my mind.

THE MONOLOGUE: Conan busted out a quick string dance to appease the loyal fans from "Late Night." It'll be interesting to see if that continues. The best line was one of the first: "I think I timed this moment perfectly, if you think about it: I'm on a last-place network, I moved to a state that's bankrupt, and tonight's show is sponsored by General Motors." He poked fun at Vice President Joe Biden's propensity for inappropriate remarks, the status boost of being seen at a Lakers game and -- in a bit that went on a little too long -- leading a tram tour of Universal Studios (The Oprah-esque showering of gifts on tourists, but this time from a dollar store). And how could we escape the episode without an octo-mom joke? It's an absolute necessity.

THE VIBE: Conan's biggest concern could be how his hardcore "Late Night" fans in the studio audience conduct themselves. For me, "Conan" was an institution of my adolescence, a must-watch tradition of my high school years that carried over slightly into college and waned into adulthood. Having him back on an hour earlier makes it easier to watch my new favorite late-night host (CBS' Craig Ferguson), but I don't know if other fans will acclimate themselves to this new show as well as I think I will. "Tonight" is not the madhouse that "Late Night" was, and a few extra seconds of the crowd going wild at the opening could ruffle some feathers with The Powers That Be, the ones who were used to Jay coming out, shaking a couple dozen hands with the front rows and then everyone sitting back and delivering the laughter exactly when they want it. For now we see through a comedy glass, darkly: when Conan became a man, did he put away childish things (i.e. Pimpbot 5000, Holiday Pictures, The Bear)?

THE TAURUS: Fabio with dark hair was a nice addition to the sketch, but I could go without ever seeing Conan's old Ford standby ever again. The whole "getting used to LA's car culture" concept was forever broken when Joe Torre started doing commercials from a surf board for State Farm.

THE GUEST: Will Ferrell isn't a bad choice for a first guest, but it's hard to gauge how hard he'll work at making his appearance be more than just what you'd usually expect from him. In this case, he made a great entrance, sang a song and helped us get through the requisite 4 hours of "moving to L.A." jokes we're bound to hear this week. It seems that Conan really wants to recapture the essence of what made Johnny Carson such an institution, and Ferrell at times strikes me as the closest modern society will get to recapturing the brilliance of Steve Martin, who always was classic on the old Carson show. Ferrell wasn't his best here, but if Conan sticks in this role, he'll have plenty of opportunities to produce the kinds of classic moments that were the hallmark of the Carson show.

THE MUSIC: It's true that Pearl Jam often doesn't get the credit it is due. I think most of the public regards them as one of those bands who just got incredibly popular in the 90s and that's how they'll always be remembered. But despite the fact that Eddie Vedder is slowly morphing into Russell Crowe, his band comfortably inhabits the space between seminal rock gods and above-average alt-rock outfit. Choosing Pearl Jam may be more of a reflection of Conan's musical tastes than the desire to put a "legendary" act out there; in fact, it may have been a measured move. How could you ever top your first show if the musical act were The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen or the likes of Elton John, U2, David Bowie or Prince? Pearl Jam is a solid choice.

FINAL GRADE: A good show that won't be particularly memorable except that it sets a good level of expectations for future shows. It wasn't awkward. It didn't strive to be more than it is. The jokes weren't all gems despite having months to prepare for this moment, but you get the feeling that every second of this first outing was not scripted, and that spontaneous nature likely will provide more laughs in the episodes to come than it will detract from its entertainment value. No one is expecting Jay Leno's "Tonight Show," and Conan certainly isn't going to deliver anything other than what he's been doing for the past 16 years. 7 out of 10