It’s been a little more than four years since Conan O’Brien took his talents to TBS. We all remember the saga well. After just seven months of hosting The Tonight Show, NBC was a looking to push Conan back to 12:05, giving Jay Leno a new, half-hour long show. O’Brien balked at the idea and wound up leaving NBC. He would reach a deal to do a new show with the TBS. That show, Conan would debut in November 2010.
But while Coco was finally back on the airwaves, he faced a challenge. NBC held the rights to many of his popular characters. How could he do a show that his longtime fans would love if classic characters like the Masturbating Bear and Pimpbot 5000 were now off-limits? Well, it took some adjustments, but Conan is still one of the funniest people in late night TV.
And with the news that our brave trailblazer will be the first late night host to broadcast from Cuba, it feels like the time to look at some recent segments that prove Conan’s still got it.
Clueless Gamer: Marshawn Lynch and Rob Gronkowski Play Mortal Kombat X
This bit aired two weeks ago and quickly went mega viral. The genius here partially comes from the humor of Conan trying to learn how to play a video game (a recurring theme in the Clueless Gamer series), but it was also a great idea to bring together the two funniest players from each Super Bowl team. Rob Gronkowski is a well-known goofball, and he brings that to the table here, but the inclusion of Lynch is especially noteworthy. Before the Super Bowl, Lynch gave his memorable “I’m just here so I don’t get fined” interview. This segment proved that while Lynch might not enjoy talking to reporters, he does have quite a personality. Conan got more out of Marshawn Lynch than any journalist has pretty much ever, and that’s worth something.
Kind Hearts Day Care For Unvaccinated Kids
This one aired just a few days ago, but it’s an instant classic and probably the best takedown of the anti-vaccination movement yet. This sketch definitely could have aired during the glory days of Late Night.
The Super Bowl’s Most Depressing Commercial
Another recent one, which only illustrates how much the Conan’s writing crew has been knocking out winners lately. This one is a parody of the infamous Nationwide Super Bowl commercial, which we don’t need to discuss yet again here. I won’t spoil the ending for you, but it’s a classic example of the random humor that made Conan so beloved to begin with.
Conan & Dave Franco Join Tinder
A fantastic bit from last summer, in which Conan tries his luck with the popular dating app. As Conan puts it, “I’m looking for someone who is going to change my life for a period of 20 minutes.” I can’t think of a better summary of Tinder than that. Also, the biggest revelation from this segment is that Dave Franco squints and laughs awkwardly just as much as his brother does.
More Brian Williams Exaggerations
A great response to the recent Brian Williams controversy, in which we find out that Brian Williams was the first African-American golfer, as well as the author of To Kill A Mockingbird, or so Brian Williams would have us believe.
