They’re using the old theme song. Good for them, it rocks. They’ve got an art deco set. Good for them, it rocks. They’ve got Andy Richter back. Well, two out of three ain’t bad.Richter’s all right, I suppose. I used to like him just fine, but then he left the original show and seemed to be on countless numbers of sitcoms that got cancelled after a few shows and he may have been in a few movies that evidently were so bad, because I can’t remember any of them.
Just when I got used to him being away, he’s back, providing uncomfortable laughter behind what looked to be a podium. It made the weak material sound weaker and it made his own bits sound even more contrived.
There’s been this reoccurring mantra that nothing’s changed, but the reality is that things need to change in this time slot. The monologue on the opening night was like a weak one from the old show. There was too much uncomfortable silence in between bits and more of Andy’s pointless guffaws.
It wasn’t until Conan whipped out the video footage when things started getting good. The problem is that O’Brien can’t rely on video bits to carry him. His writers better get choppin’ at better material. As much as I can’t stand Leno, I’ve got to admit that his monologue material was quick, well rehearsed and perfect for the show. Ironically, it was his video bits that were awful.
But there’s one thing that I cannot do: count out Conan. It took a few years before he started to hit his stride in Letterman’s old slot and warm over my heart. A lot of it had to do with the way NBC shafted Dave, but Conan seemed to be an innocent pawn in the entire event. And when Conan asked Dave to be a guest in the old digs, it seemed that Dave himself was giving a blessing.
Now that he’s directly against Dave, I doubt there will be any of those same kind of meetings. And I doubt that I will change my time-slot viewing habits either. They will remained loyal to Letterman unless he’s gone or a rerun. Besides, Dave’s days (or nights as it were) are probably limited until the end of his current contract in 2010, so we may as well start getting our fill of Dave before it’s too late.
By then, enough time will have passed that O’Brien could be considered as being certifiably old school. And by then enough time will have passed that O’Brien will have had to consider that being old school doesn’t mean you have to disregard some new school strategies.
4 comments:
It's a good idea not to count Conan out. I hope he can breathe new life into The Tonight Show.
Barring the fact that O'Brien took 3-4 years to really find his footing in late night television, his quirky sense of humor and quick wit were easy draws for the college aged Gen X'ers of the day. That said, while that humor worked in a cynical New York set, I'm not sure I can buy it from a cushy SoCal studio.
But dear God, someone save Jimmy Fallon before he destroys his career in Studio 6B.
What career, MVD? heh, heh
Firstly, nice blogs both. I sincerely enjoyed reading some of the posts in your respective arenas.
The second show seemed smoother; the drivers license bit was funny as fuck. Another video bit I see-they must have recorded a shitload during the break-and I beginning to wonder if these extended bits of footage will indeed be a regular thing. If all you have is one guest and a musical performance, then you obviously have some time to fill. Cool by me. But again, what's the deal with Andy? It's like he's not even allowed next to the host.
The lead-in worked: I watched Fallon for the first time and I must say "Dear God, will my television forever be on the Food Network channel during that time slot?" It's quite painful to watch, isn't it? It's almost as bad as Craig Ferguson, but it hasn't reached the level of "I must change the channel immediately!" like it does whenever I hear Ferguson's theme music come on.
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