TBS IS CHOPPING ‘CONAN’ IN HALF:
BIG CHANGES are coming to Conan O’Brien’s late night show.
“Conan” will be reduced to half-hour episodes beginning in 2019, down from its current hour-long format, TBS announced this week.
The show will have a “less structured” feel to it once the changes kick in, the network says. O’Brien believes the shorter shift will allow him to better optimize the digital platform.
““Since I inherited my Late Night show in 1993, TV has changed exponentially. I’d like to think I have evolved with many of these changes, but now it’s time to take the next leap,” O’Brien said in a statement. “A half-hour show will give me the time to do a higher percentage of the comedy in, and out, of the studio that I love and that seems to resonate in this new digital world.”
The updated version of “Conan” will still air four nights a week. The series currently runs Monday through Thursday beginning at 11 p.m.
“It’s still going to be me hosting a very silly show, but I want segments on my half-hour program to link to digital content, deepening the experience for my younger fans, and confusing my older ones,” O’Brien said.
TBS also announced a joint partnership with O’Brien that will involve the comedian contributing to “television, digital, social and live events.” Those live events will include a multi-city tour that O’Brien and his team of comics are set to embark on later this year.
The 55-year-old O’Brien — who wrote for shows including “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons” earlier in his career — hosted “Late Night” on NBC from 1993 to 2009 before transitioning to “The Tonight Show” for a little under eight months.
O’Brien has hosted “Conan” on TBS since November 2010.