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In defense of the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
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Conan O'Brien
Conan O'Brien is a month into his run as host of the “Tonight Show," a position once held by such legends as Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, his predecessor.
The transition has proven difficult because Conan’s brand of humor is geared towards a younger audience while viewers of earlier versions of the “Tonight Show” have traditionally been from an older age bracket. According to the New York Times, the median age of “Tonight Show” viewers has fallen 10 years from 55 to 45. Some of this change has come from his former viewers moving over to his new program while the rest resulted from a sharp decline in older viewers.
I have watched every episode of O’Brien’s program since it began on June 1, 2009, and I’m impressed with the advances he’s made to alter his methods enough to make the “Tonight Show” virtually indistinguishable from “Late Night,” his prior program. As far as the struggles he’s experiences, they are just par for the course. NBC almost canceled “Late Night” early in its run because of unfavorable reviews and lackluster ratings. The show experienced a probation period until 1996-1997, when it was determined that O’Brien’s comedic style had improved enough to warrant a permanent spot. In the years that followed, he built a large fan base of young people, which lead to him getting the “Tonight Show.” If he beat the insurmountable odds placed against him in the early 90’s, I believe he can do so once more. Give him time. He will succeed.
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