PREMIERE

Conan Opens with a Bang

But sticks to late-night formula.

A slew of swipes at NBC dominated the opening of Conan O’Brien’s new late-night show simply titled Conan—though he managed to limit himself to a single mention of Jay Leno. The Los Angeles Times’ Robert Lloyd called it a “giddy” collaboration of guests, with some familiar touches like sidekick Andy Richter. The conversations with Seth Rogen, Lea Michele and musical guest Jack White, didn’t stray much from ordinary late-night banter, Lloyd writes that they “befitted the night.” The opening of Conan comes after much hype from a hilarious three-minute American Express commercial, numerous teasers from TBS and a highly watched Twitter feed of two million followers. Not to mention the incredible support of Conan fans. He might never have even gotten the attention had he stayed with NBC. His messy divorce with the network meant a Rolling Stone cover and a nationwide comedy tour.