What’s next for Conan? The Hollywood Reporter recently spoke with TBS chief Kevin Reilly about the future of the late night talk show.
Conan premiered on 2010 after host Conan O’Brien departed as host of NBC’s The Tonight Show.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Reilly said he wants Conan around for a long time, but there are plans to change up the talk show:
I want Conan around for a long time. The question I’m fascinated with in the next number of years is this online thing that he’s got — is there a way to keep that going in some fashion that it becomes part of a more valuable brand rather than posting the worthless calories on YouTube? Maybe it’s not a five-night-a-week show. He’s talking about it. That’s not anything we’re doing in the short run.”
Reilly, who recently became the Chief Creative Officer for Turner Entertainment, also mentioned that the show would be broadening its scope to more international segments:
I sat down with Conan at dinner a week before I announced [I was taking] the job and I felt like he was toiling a little bit in obscurity. … I said, ‘We have to shake it up.’ We started talking about things and shortly thereafter he started doing those remotes. The Cuba show was incredible. [TBS announced Thursday he’d be heading to Qatar with Michelle Obama.] There’s a lot of people who watch the show who don’t watch it on TBS.”
The changes with Conan are part of a larger re-visioning for Turner Entertainment’s networks, TBS and TNT. Under Reilly’s watch, TBS is premiering several new original comedies like Angie Tribeca and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.
What do you think? Do you watch Conan? Do you think the talk show should change?
I love Conan. I think he needs more exposure with specials that are hyped online and TV. But also continue his show.
CONAN ISN’T FUNNY ANYMORE .
I love Conan so much. I also get the feeling he toils away in obscurity though because I feel he doesn’t get the true recognition he deserves. I’ m glad TBS recognises his worth and I love all the Conan remotes the best. I also believe the show needs to be available in some pay to view format internationally and somehow incorporate that into his viewership ratings. Just look at all his 20.9 million Twitter followers or his well over a billion views on YouTube. The quality of his shows vs other late night shows is astounding. P.S @Sam you… Read more »
I’ve been a big Conan fan since the beginning. I hate to say it but Conan should broom Andy Richter. He brings the show down in a big way. When Conan brought him(Andy) back was when his ratings took a nose dive.
I used to be a Conan fan, but no more. Conan O’Brien went BEHIND Jay Leno’s back and signed a contract to take over The Toinight Show. It was publicly embarassing to Leno, as he learned about it AFTER it was a fait accompli. Subsequently, O’Brien then blamed Leno when his venture on The Tonight Show failed. Even in O’Brien’s 60 Minutes interview (2010), he continued to blame Leno. To top it off, O’Brien amassed a large following based upon this misdirected sympathy (Team Coco?). To this day, many continue to believe it was Leno who decided to leave The… Read more »