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While working on my column for this week—it is probably no trade secret to reveal that it has to do with late-night TV—I just watched Conan O’Brien’s second Tonight Show. A solid outing, I thought: Andy Richter fit into the show better, Tom Hanks was a good guest, and the taped bit about Conan’s wardrobe shopping spree on Rodeo Road—in South Central—was just the right length, and to me, anyway, it killed.
Will Jay Leno’s audience know what to make of a host walking down the street in a cornrow wig and a BITCH belt buckle, or Hanks getting hit by a fake meteor? I have no idea. Do I care? Not really.
But I want to avoid falling into the trap of reviewing a talk show host’s first shows on a segment-by-segment basis, even though last night’s show came off well that way. On a series that will run hundreds and thousands of episodes, that’s beside the point. What matters is that Conan already looks like he belongs on the big stage, and appears to fully believe it. (That’s what hosting a late-night show for 16 years will do for you.)
I don’t know that I’ll keep weighing in on Conan’s inaugural shows much longer—in fact, next I want to give Jimmy Fallon a check-up—but if you do, feel free to keep posting your thoughts on the Morning After posts here.