Conan (2010)

It takes great skill to be so soothing, especially when herky-jerky absurdity is the basis of one’s act. Ovaltine is delicious, and O’Brien has found its ideal serving size.

Conan remains peerless at the art of mock-shtick, his mid-monologue mugging to the new set’s camera angles playing irresistibly like he’s photobombing himself. ... Even if this first foray into the half-hour format isn’t a form-busting revelation right out of the gate, it hints at the possibilities of a reenergized comic mind prodding the late-night electric fence for weaknesses.

Whatever the case, he and his show are easier to like. The hour flew by, and it seemed much looser, organic and easy-going than anything I saw last year by him on NBC.

Conan O'Brien debuted his new talk show, Conan, on TBS last night and it didn't feel all that different from the show O'Brien debuted last year on NBC under "The Tonight Show" banner.

Is Conan the sort of show that's going to revolutionize TV? Probably not. But Conan O'Brien remains a singularly appealing and wonderfully silly voice in the crowded clamor of late night, and it's good to see him back where he belongs.

Not everything worked, of course, and anyone expecting Conan to reinvent the wheel or drastically shake up the genre is probably disappointed. But if you were simply glad to see his brand of quirky comedy back in late night--and free of the network guardrails--it was cause for celebration.

Despite some jitters, Conan looked comfortable in his new domain. He had nervous energy to spare, but then again he does most nights.

So far, so good. No late night talk show has ever been canceled after one edition--not even Chevy's--while first albeit abbreviated impressions of Conan are promising.

He's always making his audience come up to his level, instead of lowering himself to theirs. He's gonna do just fine. But more Andy, please.