Setting Conan's Red Hair on Fire

I have to get it off my chest.

And I just have to say it: I think NBC is giving Conan O'Brien the shaft. Yeah, it's a current rant of mine- from a viewer's perspective and production point of view- I'm disappointed that he hasn't been given the fan fair to be begin with. The Tonight Show is an incredible brand that has only carried a few hosts and has been around to entertain for decades. O'Brien was not only the best choice to replace Leno, but he's also made for funnier TV, at least in my opinion.

O'Brien's vaudeville style and goofy antics convinces the viewer and as he's settling into the new hour and embracing the title, NBC keeps finding ways to screw him over. Yes, NBC, Conan was the right man for the job- taking Jay out was highly necessary! So why on Earth, I ask you, would you even offer him the grand Tonight Show only to put Leno back in front of him at 10pm? That was a mistake.

The two men, each have made their share of jokes on the air about the disgruntling situation. But it's been O'Brien that's recieved huge applause when he walks onto the stage. Since September; NBC has lost viewership by total of 4.6% and 9.8% of their 18-49 viewers. That's a chunk. That tells me that NBC needs to yank Leno completely and give O'Brian a real chance to shine.

Granted they ARE going back to prime time shows next month, but the dilemma now is whether or not they will give Leno an 11:30p slot and push O'Brien back to Midnight (which of course should no longer be labeled the "Tonight Show," semantically speaking). This too, will be a mistake. What I don't understand is why they are so desperate to keep Leno! And if they wanted to continue with him, why re-arrange him in the first place?

O'Brien's style lays back into the Johnny Carson days. Not only that, but O'Brien has stage/set features that are reminiscent of Carson and The Tonight Show has become a lot more fun over the last nine months or so. And now, there is a younger generation that now has an appeal to the show's novelty.

Personally, NBC has been disappointing over the last few years, esp. when it comes to prime time, anyway. Heroes became annoying second season, Kings was destroyed by corporate, as well as Merlin, and since Friends & Seinfeld, NBC has not really had redeeming qualities. It's true, I'm a L&O SVU fan, but I don't watch the show on the nightly slot on NBC. TNT picked up Southland last minute, b/c NBC simply...dropped it with little warning. Whether it's promising or not is yet to be seen, but it wasn't even given the chance. While Community is a show I find "comedically" worthy, I found it even more interesting that Critics think the show would almost do better on a different Network.

In the Television business, it's important to stick to what works and what keeps your viewers. With constant changes, killing shows and never really moving programming forward, you loose viewers, then ratings, then money and ultimately, you're killing yourself. And well, Conan O'Brien's annoyance with the issue is certainly warranted.

Wouldn't you agree?

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