20 Aug Is TBS Learning About Conan What NBC Already Knew?
George Lopez & Conan O'Brien Photo: AccessHollywood.com
I am not going to make you search for what NBC knew and TBS is just finding out about Conan. I am going to say it right now. Conan O’Brien is a better follower than a lead-in. The only thing saving Conan from being cancelled like “Lopez Tonight” is his ad buy rate and that he got nominated for an Emmy.
Conan is on cruise control and if he can shift into high gear, he will be getting cancelled this time next year. It is just how he was on “The Tonight Show” when he took over. Only after getting threatened by NBC to put Leno back did Conan switch into high gear and become funny. Now, he is back to his usual self, even shaving off his beard a couple of months ago.
I am not going to hate on Leno. Anyone with a brain should have known they gave him that 10 p.m. time slot just in case Coco couldn’t do it. Why couldn’t he see that? Just because an executive says you have a job doesn’t mean you stop trying n act like you don’t need to do anything but show up. You hear everything about Leno. He is unfunny. Safe. Old. Tired out. You never hear about his work ethic. He kills it. That is why “The Tonight Show” was back to number 1 as soon as Jay was put back in the seat.
Jimmy Fallon’s success is mainly because Leno is a good lead-in for him. If NBC did not pull Conan when they did, it would have been Fallon getting cancelled and Lopez still on at 11 going strong. Conan sucks as a lead-in. George’s ratings at 11 were fine but have him follow Conan at 12, Conan was losing 40% of the viewership before G.Lo even went on the air.
There was a reason last year when I said Fox should sign Conan to late night but bring “Lopez Tonight” to Fox and let George be the lead-in and Conan the follower. If TBS wasn’t so hard for Conan and his demands, George would have been the 11 P.M. guy and Conan would have followed and they both would still have a job.
Conan was the man from 2002 til 2005. Almost 10 years ago. Jimmy Kimmel is edgier and that is saying something. Fallon tries harder . He stopped laughing at his own jokes and has that Leno lead-in. Bottom line; If Conan is better than Jay, he better start proving it already.-Dr.FB
Diagnosis: Team Coco? More Like Team No-No
Jay
Posted at 10:39h, 29 MarchYou’re a shitty fortune-teller.
Tim
Posted at 09:33h, 07 MayThis article was moot as soon as George Lopez was mentioned. Anyone who believes George Lopez is funny in any fashion should not be criticizing anyone, especially Conan.
Jay McFake
Posted at 06:52h, 02 JuneYour comments are miss guided. You suck donkey ass.
Myles Matisse
Posted at 13:38h, 03 NovemberUltimately all the talk show hosts out there: Conan, Leno, Letterman, Ferguson, Kimmel, Fallon, Colbert, Stewart, Handler, Maher, Daly. They ALL work very hard and are ALL extremely talented. It’s not easy doing a daily talk show. All the naysayers try it, I dare you. You’d fall on your face and realize real quick that it isn’t an easy job. That being said, the ratings can be damned. They aren’t anywhere near completely accurate in monitoring EVERY TV set watched in America, nor will it ever be. There’s got to be a better way, but unfortunately we live in an imperfect, flawed world where good shows and talented hosts get the axe all the time. Not fair at all but the $$$ hungry execs have to have some way to line their pockets with ad revenue. Nothing better and more open and shut than ratings. Laughable.
ty
Posted at 12:06h, 03 NovemberTR4V15 used the same tactics you did funkenberry, He used stats to manipulate his point the same as you. You dont mention lopez’s drop off rate prior too or the raitings of the spot lopez replaced. Also there’s no comparison between the 2 shows raitings.
Sounds like you’re just one of the four people who liked lopez and attacking conan over lopezs foreseen future
ty
Posted at 11:48h, 03 NovemberWow. Not only does it seem like you couldn’t make a point, your english is terrible. They gave Conan the spot because Jay was leaving the air. Leno changed his mind and that is what lead to conan not getting what was entitled to him. A LAZY man doesn’t turn down his current job (even if seen as a set back) to take legal actions and and search for new employment. Conan juggled his whole life and career based on this wrong doing.
P.s. What are you trying to say with the line “You hear everything about Leno. He is unfunny. Safe. Old. Tired out. You never hear about his work ethic. He kills it.”
He deserves the spot because he works hard, it doesnt matter if he isn’t funny or people dont care for him. He works really hard??!! Frankly I’ve never heard about Conan’s poor work ethics until reading this. So it just sounds like biased garbage.
Bob
Posted at 18:17h, 21 OctoberSorry, I have tried many times to watch Conan and I have yet to laugh! He might be a good writer but sucks as a host. Comparing him to Leno is laughable! Leno is ten times funnier by accident than Conan could ever be.
Myles Matisse
Posted at 18:13h, 06 OctoberThe only people the “numbers” were affected by were households that the Neilson ratings monitor…not every household, which to me is lame. I mean, while there’s a % of accuracy to the ratings system, my attitude is, until every single television watched in every single household, residence, apartment, workplace, restaurant, bar, etc, is monitored, there’s no way the networks and decision makers will ever know even close to how many people are watching their show. To me, the way the system is set up is an incredibly dysfunctional way to rate programs. Many more people than the ratings reflect were actually watching George Lopez’s show. I can guarantee it.
LiLi
Posted at 04:24h, 06 OctoberSo Sad about G.Lo’s show! Conan coming in basically drove him out. I was more of a Lopez fan than a conan fan so when conan came on I changed the channel n just forgot to change it back for Lopez. I bet lots of others did the same n that killed his numbers.
Myles Matisse
Posted at 17:19h, 02 SeptemberWhile I was passionate in my earlier post, I do think many great shows have been cancelled because of a network and/or cable outlet relying on ratings so heavily in their decision making process. And, to be honest, the ratings do NOT monitor every single television set in the country. If they did, I can honestly say, in my opinion, that the results would be much different than they are now with the thousands of households the ratings system currently monitors.
And, commenters like TR4V15, while coming from his heart, is a bit misguided. Many people around the country love George Lopez. He’s an advocate for the Latin community and he’s been a very positive influence and force for that community as well as everyone else. Many loved his television sitcom. Many loved his talk show. From normal folk to the many celebrities he had on his show. No need to bash him or any of the other late night talk show hosts YOU don’t care for. Fact is, many people throughout America would beg to differ with YOUR tastes.
I think they ALL are funny and they ALL have their place on television. Tastes are diverse. Good to see all areas covered. Now, all we need is a late night talk show host that brings it like Arsenio Hall did.
Myles Matisse
Posted at 17:08h, 02 SeptemberThanks, Tom. Really appreciate the kind words. Enjoy the late night infomercials.
tom
Posted at 00:35h, 02 Septemberyoure a dumbfuck
Myles Matisse
Posted at 05:04h, 21 AugustListen up everybody! There is room in talk show land for EVERYBODY! G-DAMMIT if it doesn’t really, really, really peev me off the fact that all these network and cable execs get led around by their cajones by the lame ass ratings. I am so OVER them! They do NOT take account of EVERY SINGLE HOUSEHOLD AND TELEVISION and until they do, they are nowhere near accurate. Situations like this where talk shows get cancelled make me really unhappy. If all the loser networks and cable channels have their way, infomercials will flood the channels even more than they already are. It’s all about the $$$ with these exec morons and they have NO integrity for siding with the talk shows and hosts FIRST and FOREMOST! O’Brien, Kimmel, Lopez, Fallon and Ferguson are all funny. Even Leno has his place. I truly hate the way network and cable television let good shows of all types get cancelled because of ratings. It is beyond horrific to me and if I was in charge of a channel, I’d side by my shows and tell the ratings to kiss my…
Joe O
Posted at 10:43h, 20 AugustWow, nice points there. I still don’t get the Lopez cancellation thing. He helped recruit Conan to TBS. Now TBS is making ad.money from the deal, and the thanks George gets is a big fat BOOT? Conan and G-Lo have different audiences anyway. What kind of a lead-in is Conan for a party show like Lopez Tonight? That’s like Jack Johnson opening for AC/DC.
WY1232
Posted at 10:43h, 20 AugustSo true, well done
Tsanzone51
Posted at 10:43h, 20 AugustI love this. Well put and well reasoned. Kudos.
drfunkenberry
Posted at 09:54h, 20 AugustPlease keep comments on topic. No need to talk about pizza if the meal is fish.
TR4V15
Posted at 09:11h, 20 AugustLopez never has been worth watching in any format. Have you forgotten how horrible his sitcom was. Try watching it on Nick at Nite sometime.
I watch Conan regularly, and for me, he is better than anyone else on late night. To suggest that Kimmel is better, is laughable. You sound as though you have some personal beef with Conan. Yes, Conan was better when he was angry. Most artists are better when they are emotional and a little more boring when they are comfortable. But to suggest that Conan has gotten lazy is just unfair.
It is also interesting that you bring up lead in stats in defense of Lopez. If you want to blame everything on lead in stats, how can you discount the horrible lead in that Leno was to local news affiliates when NBC moved him up?
While I love you for your daily dose of news, I guess it is time to face the facts that you have horrible taste in late night television.