Conan O'Brien and the Happiest Decade Ever

It may not be apparent in the things that I write, say and do, but my primary virtue is hope. Though I'm far too cynical to actually believe that all the potential good that exists at the beginning of any situation will actually come to pass, I'm frequently hopeful that at least some of it will manage to blossom among all the inevitable disappointment. So, standing at the beginning of not just a new year but a new decade, I'm positively, though cautiously, replete with hope for all the good stuff that might happen in the coming years. We can all accept that the 00's were a total drag, but there's plenty of possible happiness on the horizon. Case in point, the distinct possibility that neither Conan O'Brien nor Jay Leno will be running the late shift anymore.

This is not to imply that I have any ill will toward either of these performers. Quite the opposite, actually. I genuinely believe that O'Brien and Leno have been increasingly stifled by their seemingly intractable careers as late night talk show hosts. The format itself has finally worn out its use in our society and now it's just a bed for mediocrity.

Looking back at the glory days of Ed Sullivan and Johnny Carson, it's really hard to accept modern late night talk as being at all relevant. Sullivan, even if it was against his conservative sensibilities, used his show to introduce the world to some very important musicians. Everyone from The Jackson 5 to The Beatles and The Doors got their first big break on Ed Sullivan's stage, even cementing the archetype of rock star as rebel when a significant portion of them pissed off the host with their family-unfriendly lyrics. Honestly, that happened so frequently that there's a good chance it was just part of Sullivan's screen persona. After all, nothing could boost record sales like being permanently banned from The Ed Sullivan Show.

As for Carson, the man pretty much focused a good three generations of comedic talent into one late night program. Few influential stand-ups and sitcom writers from the 1960's through 1980's didn't do their time on Carson's nerve-wracking stage. The man made careers out of threadbare dreams.

Now, I appreciate David Letterman but I don't think the man has a screen life outside of The Late Show. He's so good at what he does and he's fought so hard for the position that he's never going to do anything else. The guy's getting old. It's only a matter of time before Letterman hangs up that hat and creates a late night void that will never really be filled.

I can't say the same for Leno or O'Brien. Jay Leno's show has never been good and it has effectively turned its host into a cartoon character that lives exclusively on low-hanging fruit. I'd like to think that a guy who's that resilient could do something, anything else and be better than the limp, thoroughly middle-brow Tonight Show or the somehow worse Jay Leno Show.

And Conan. Gloriously funny Conan. For two solid decades O'Brien hasn't lost his edge or his admirable comic wit. His years as a writer on The Simpsons were some of the show's best and he managed to occupy a horrendous time slot for Late Night and not only make it work but actually grab ratings that would be good for a much earlier airing. Still, his move to Tonight always rang a little hollow. Conan O'Brien is too good to helm a dying medium. If anyone out there deserves his own sitcom, HBO original or movie career, it's Conan.

So, now that NBC has pushed Conan into a corner and he's effectively said that he won't stand for it, it looks like he might just achieve that free agency he so desperately deserves. Even if nothing else good happens in entertainment media for the next ten years, at least we might be able to see the death of the late night talk show format and the rise of one decent career from the ashes.