Monday, April 12, 2010

Well, this is a surprise: Conan heading to TBS

After months of speculation that Conan O'Brien would be appearing this fall on Fox, Coco has surprised everyone by heading to basic cable instead -- he's taking his act to TBS.

"His new pact with the network will allow O'Brien to own his own show, a la David Letterman, while also giving him an eight-figure compensation package described as 'bigger than any other deal he's ever had,' one person familiar with the agreement" told TV MoJoe. Fox, on the other hand, was offering "less money, no guarantee of wide affiliate clearances and little chance for O'Brien to own his own show."

And what about George Lopez, who currently holds down the 11 PM hour on TBS? He's heading to midnight -- and he's fine with it. "I can’t think of anything better than doing my show with Conan as my lead-in,” said Lopez. “It’s the beginning of a new era in late-night comedy.”

Like "Lopez Tonight," the new Conan show will air four times a week.

Coco, who kicks off his tour with a stop in Eugene, OR tonight, stated via Twitter: "The good news: I will be doing a show on TBS starting in November! The bad news: I'll be playing Rudy on the all new Cosby Show."

5 comments :

  1. Shane G. said...

    This is obviously good news to hear that Conan is coming back soon, and getting what he wants with this new show, but it sucks that it's only 4 nights a week. I'm absolutely not a Lopez fan either, but I'm glad he's alright with moving. I think I'd rather see Conan a little later than 11, like at least 11:30 or 12, but whatever..

  2. Anonymous said...

    I don't get cable/satellite/fiber-optic TV. :(

  3. Talk Show News said...

    Fear not, mehnonymous -- "Lopez Tonight" can be viewed via TBS.com, so I am sure Conan will be available online as well.

  4. Anonymous said...

    Keep in mind only highlights of Lopez Tonight are available on TBS.COM, not full episodes. Granted there are a lot of highlights online (looks like about 30 minutes per episode on average, and a full episode without commercials is probably 40-42 minutes). Also, Conan is going to OWN his show, which may limit what we see on TBS.COM. I doubt Lopez owns his show. I remember for a long time Letterman (he owns his show) was not available online, although Jay/Conan full episodes were on NBC.COM, probably because they didn't own their shows. Granted, full episodes of Letterman are now online so he did relent, and in this day and age Conan may allow/demand full episodes online from day 1.

  5. Jay Hart said...

    Good news for Conan, I'm glad he'll have a show that he'll own himself and will have his creative freedom. I hope he does very well! It's also good to know that George Lopez is also being a good sport in terms of letting his show get bumped one hour later. :)