Conan O'Brien
Saturday Night Live and TV Icons
May 19, 2010
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Saturday Night Live has been and continues to be a launching pad for actors to break into the movies.
Chevy Chase and Foul Play.
John Belushi and Animal House.
Eddie Murphy and 48 Hours.
Mike Myers and Wayne’s World.
Tina Fey and Mean Girls.
But Saturday Night Live is also the launching pad for television icons beyond Saturday nights in Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center.
In 1993, SNL creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels took over NBC’s Late Night franchise after David Letterman bolted for CBS. Michaels tapped Conan O’Brien to succeed Letterman. O’Brien was a writer on Saturday Night Live in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. He hosted Late Night for sixteen years, from 1993 to 2009.
Again, Michaels need to find a Late Night host. He went to the ultimately likable Jimmy Fallon, an SNL icon who had the keystone role of a Weekend Update co-anchor with Tina Fey.
Fey created and stars in the comedy 30 Rock airing Thursday nights on NBC. Michaels’ company Broadway Video produces 30 Rock.
30 Rock, a multiple Emmy Award winner, concerns the behind-the-scenes antics of the staff at TGS or The Girlie Show, an NBC comedy-variety show, like Saturday Night Live. Fey plays Liz Lemon, the head writer. Alec Baldwin, a longtime guest host of SNL, also stars on 30 Rock. He plays NBC executive Jack Donaghy. Donaghy retools TGS by bringing in Tracy Jordan, played by Tracy Morgan in a thinly veiled depiction of his bombastic, hilarious, and affable public persona.
Another former Weekend Update anchor has a Thursday night comedy on NBC. From the team that brought you The Office, you now have Parks and Recreation starring Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, a dedicated public servant in the fictional Pawnee, Indiana. Though idealistic about Pawnee’s Parks and Recreation Department, she encounters apathy, bureaucracy, and ignorance among her staff, the town, and other public servants.
david@davidkrell.com
Saturday Night Live has been and continues to be a launching pad for actors to break into the movies.
Chevy Chase and Foul Play.
John Belushi and Animal House.
Eddie Murphy and 48 Hours.
Mike Myers and Wayne’s World.
Tina Fey and Mean Girls.
But Saturday Night Live is also the launching pad for television icons beyond Saturday nights in Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center.
In 1993, SNL creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels took over NBC’s Late Night franchise after David Letterman bolted for CBS. Michaels tapped Conan O’Brien to succeed Letterman. O’Brien was a writer on Saturday Night Live in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. He hosted Late Night for sixteen years, from 1993 to 2009.
Again, Michaels need to find a Late Night host. He went to the ultimately likable Jimmy Fallon, an SNL icon who had the keystone role of a Weekend Update co-anchor with Tina Fey.
Fey created and stars in the comedy 30 Rock airing Thursday nights on NBC. Michaels’ company Broadway Video produces 30 Rock.
30 Rock, a multiple Emmy Award winner, concerns the behind-the-scenes antics of the staff at TGS or The Girlie Show, an NBC comedy-variety show, like Saturday Night Live. Fey plays Liz Lemon, the head writer. Alec Baldwin, a longtime guest host of SNL, also stars on 30 Rock. He plays NBC executive Jack Donaghy. Donaghy retools TGS by bringing in Tracy Jordan, played by Tracy Morgan in a thinly veiled depiction of his bombastic, hilarious, and affable public persona.
Another former Weekend Update anchor has a Thursday night comedy on NBC. From the team that brought you The Office, you now have Parks and Recreation starring Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, a dedicated public servant in the fictional Pawnee, Indiana. Though idealistic about Pawnee’s Parks and Recreation Department, she encounters apathy, bureaucracy, and ignorance among her staff, the town, and other public servants.
Year in Review
December 31, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
As 2009 turns into 2010, we take a look back at the year in television.
We saw Ziva David leave her role as a Mossad liaison in NCIS and return to the Mossad full-time under the reign of her father, Mossad Chief Eli David.
After she got captured during a mission in North Africa, the NCIS crew rescued her.
And Ziva returned to NCIS as a full-fledged member of the team, thereby abandoning any remaining and confusing loyalties to her father.
We met the team’s Los Angeles counterparts in a crossover appearance that set the stage for the spinoff NCIS: Los Angeles.
We saw Sarah Palin confront David Letterman in the media because of a joke about her daughter’s pregnancy.
And we saw David Letterman in another media controversy rooted in his extracurricular relationships with female staff members.
We saw Jay Leno move to 10:00 pm with the slogan It’s About Time. We saw Conan O’Brien move into The Tonight Show host position with a new studio at NBC Universal.
We saw Jimmy Fallon take over Conan’s old job as the host of Late Night.
We saw Julianna Marguiles return to network prime time as the scorned spouse of an adulterous Chicago politician in The Good Wife. Her character returns to the practice of law after a 15-year absence so she can support her children.
We saw a story line span all three CSI shows during the November sweeps period.
On Entourage, we saw Ari Gold merge his agency, Miller Gold, with the agency of his mentor and nemesis, Terrence McQuewick.
We saw Johnny Chase get his big break with a network holding deal for a television series to be centered on him.
We saw Eric fold up his small talent management company to take a job with a legendary talent management company.
We saw Turtle and Jamie-Lynn Sigler break up.
And we saw Eric and Sloane get engaged.
On cable news channels, we saw a balloon that looked like a huge Jiffy Pop container travel across Colorado and we feared that a six-year-old boy was inside the balloon.
We soon learned that no one was inside. It was a hoax so the parents could get media attention and pitch themselves for a reality show.
We saw Jon and Kate split up.
We saw Southland get cancelled before its second season even aired one episode because its content is suited for a 10:00 pm broadcast time slot, but NBC does not have that time slot available. TNT picked up the show.
We saw the return of sitcom favorites.
Courtney Cox in Cougar Town.
Ed O’Neill in Modern Family.
Kelsey Grammer in Hank.
Patricia Heaton in The Middle.
Ray Romano in Men of a Certain Age.
We saw Jim and Pam get married on The Office.
We saw the end of King of the Hill and the launch of its replacement -- Family Guy spinoff The Cleveland Show.
We saw The Simpsons begin its 20th season.
We saw the debut of Amy Poehler’s comedy, Parks and Recreation.
We saw Chevy Chase finally ready for prime time as part of the ensemble cast of NBC’s rookie comedy, Community.
And we saw America’s favorite high school football coach, Eric Taylor, begin the next chapter of his career in Friday Night Lights. Same town -- Dillon, Texas. Different high school -- East Dillon High.
We saw unknown Taylor Schilling capture our hearts as the lead character in Mercy, Veronica Callahan, a nurse at the fictional Mercy Hospital in Jersey City, New Jersey.
We saw Saturday Night Live begin its 35th season.
We saw a remake of The Prisoner, the revolutionary late 1960’s drama.
And we saw a Seinfeld reunion of sorts on Curb Your Enthusiasm.
We said hello to Royal Pains, White Collar, and Castle.
We said goodbye to Monk, The Unusuals, and Life on Mars.
We also said goodbye to icons of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s.
Soupy Sales, who entertained children of the 1960’s as an unofficial precursor to Pee Wee Herman.
Farrah Fawcett, who inspired women in the late 1970’s to wear their hair long and feathered.
And Michael Jackson, who helped launch MTV in the 1980’s with videos that told stories.
2010 is just around the corner. If it’s anything like 2009, it should take us on quite an odyssey in the world of television.
david@davidkrell.com
As 2009 turns into 2010, we take a look back at the year in television.
We saw Ziva David leave her role as a Mossad liaison in NCIS and return to the Mossad full-time under the reign of her father, Mossad Chief Eli David.
After she got captured during a mission in North Africa, the NCIS crew rescued her.
And Ziva returned to NCIS as a full-fledged member of the team, thereby abandoning any remaining and confusing loyalties to her father.
We met the team’s Los Angeles counterparts in a crossover appearance that set the stage for the spinoff NCIS: Los Angeles.
We saw Sarah Palin confront David Letterman in the media because of a joke about her daughter’s pregnancy.
And we saw David Letterman in another media controversy rooted in his extracurricular relationships with female staff members.
We saw Jay Leno move to 10:00 pm with the slogan It’s About Time. We saw Conan O’Brien move into The Tonight Show host position with a new studio at NBC Universal.
We saw Jimmy Fallon take over Conan’s old job as the host of Late Night.
We saw Julianna Marguiles return to network prime time as the scorned spouse of an adulterous Chicago politician in The Good Wife. Her character returns to the practice of law after a 15-year absence so she can support her children.
We saw a story line span all three CSI shows during the November sweeps period.
On Entourage, we saw Ari Gold merge his agency, Miller Gold, with the agency of his mentor and nemesis, Terrence McQuewick.
We saw Johnny Chase get his big break with a network holding deal for a television series to be centered on him.
We saw Eric fold up his small talent management company to take a job with a legendary talent management company.
We saw Turtle and Jamie-Lynn Sigler break up.
And we saw Eric and Sloane get engaged.
On cable news channels, we saw a balloon that looked like a huge Jiffy Pop container travel across Colorado and we feared that a six-year-old boy was inside the balloon.
We soon learned that no one was inside. It was a hoax so the parents could get media attention and pitch themselves for a reality show.
We saw Jon and Kate split up.
We saw Southland get cancelled before its second season even aired one episode because its content is suited for a 10:00 pm broadcast time slot, but NBC does not have that time slot available. TNT picked up the show.
We saw the return of sitcom favorites.
Courtney Cox in Cougar Town.
Ed O’Neill in Modern Family.
Kelsey Grammer in Hank.
Patricia Heaton in The Middle.
Ray Romano in Men of a Certain Age.
We saw Jim and Pam get married on The Office.
We saw the end of King of the Hill and the launch of its replacement -- Family Guy spinoff The Cleveland Show.
We saw The Simpsons begin its 20th season.
We saw the debut of Amy Poehler’s comedy, Parks and Recreation.
We saw Chevy Chase finally ready for prime time as part of the ensemble cast of NBC’s rookie comedy, Community.
And we saw America’s favorite high school football coach, Eric Taylor, begin the next chapter of his career in Friday Night Lights. Same town -- Dillon, Texas. Different high school -- East Dillon High.
We saw unknown Taylor Schilling capture our hearts as the lead character in Mercy, Veronica Callahan, a nurse at the fictional Mercy Hospital in Jersey City, New Jersey.
We saw Saturday Night Live begin its 35th season.
We saw a remake of The Prisoner, the revolutionary late 1960’s drama.
And we saw a Seinfeld reunion of sorts on Curb Your Enthusiasm.
We said hello to Royal Pains, White Collar, and Castle.
We said goodbye to Monk, The Unusuals, and Life on Mars.
We also said goodbye to icons of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s.
Soupy Sales, who entertained children of the 1960’s as an unofficial precursor to Pee Wee Herman.
Farrah Fawcett, who inspired women in the late 1970’s to wear their hair long and feathered.
And Michael Jackson, who helped launch MTV in the 1980’s with videos that told stories.
2010 is just around the corner. If it’s anything like 2009, it should take us on quite an odyssey in the world of television.
Mid-Year Review
July 02, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
And so 2009 is officially half-finished.
What kind of half-year has it been?
A half-year of transition.
We saw a transition of power from a republican president to a democratic president -- the first-ever minority to be elected to the highest office in the land.
We saw a transition of power in the coveted Tonight Show host job from Jay Leno to Conan O'Brien.
O'Brien passed the torch at Late Night to Jimmy Fallon.
And we saw a transition of power in the technological sense from antenna television to digital television.
A half-year of controversy.
Controversy was in abundant supply during the first half of '09.
Because of a joke during a monologue about Sarah Palin's daughter getting pregnant by New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez during the Palin's visit to New York City, David Letterman went from television star to hot-button topic.
Although he meant Bristol Palin, the daughter who got pregnant by her then boyfriend Levi Johnston last year, 14-year-old Willow Palin was the daughter accompanying her mom at the Yankee game.
The Palins took action and belittled Letterman.
A clarification of sorts took place a few days later with Letterman showing self-deprecation, humor, and a literal wink at the audience that the controversy was nonsense.
The Palins took action and again belittled Letterman.
But after a weekend of thought, deliberation, and analysis, David Letterman gave a sincere apology the following Monday night.
The Palins accepted Letterman's apology.
We saw Miss California lose her crown because of an honest answer to a politically-charged question.
A half-year of television shows that deserved a longer chance to find an audience.
In Life on Mars, the series finale revealed that Sam Tyler was actually an astronaut on the first manned to Mars. The events he experienced in 1973 were triggered by a meteor shower wreaking havoc with virtual reality program. He was supposed to be a New York City cop in 2008, but the meteor incident caused the virtual reality glitch that sent him to 1973.
We saw The Unusuals, another solid program with depth of characters, unique stories, and realistic relationships set in the fictional 2nd precinct of Manhattan. This show starring Adam Goldberg and Terry Kinney looks like it will not be renewed.
A half-year of veteran sitcoms and dramas setting up story lines that were months, sometimes years in the making.
We saw Michael Scott, inefficient manager extraordinaire, attempt to start a paper company with receptionist Pam and temp Ryan. He sought to compete with Dunder Mifflin, only to have Dunder Mifflin buy the company on The Office.
We saw Barney and Robin reveal their feelings for each other on How I Met Your Mother.
We saw Justin propose to Rebecca and we saw Rebecca say Yes on Brothers and Sisters.
And we saw Michael J. Fox in an Emmy-worthy guest role on Rescue Me as Dwight, the paraplegic, pill-popping boyfriend of Tommy Gavin figurative ex-wife Janet, played by Denis Leary and Andrea Roth respectively.
A half-year of goodbyes.
In the space of a few days, we lost three legends -- an angel, an icon, and a voice. Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and Ed McMahon.
If the second half of '09 is anything like the first half, then fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy ride.
david@davidkrell.com
And so 2009 is officially half-finished.
What kind of half-year has it been?
A half-year of transition.
We saw a transition of power from a republican president to a democratic president -- the first-ever minority to be elected to the highest office in the land.
We saw a transition of power in the coveted Tonight Show host job from Jay Leno to Conan O'Brien.
O'Brien passed the torch at Late Night to Jimmy Fallon.
And we saw a transition of power in the technological sense from antenna television to digital television.
A half-year of controversy.
Controversy was in abundant supply during the first half of '09.
Because of a joke during a monologue about Sarah Palin's daughter getting pregnant by New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez during the Palin's visit to New York City, David Letterman went from television star to hot-button topic.
Although he meant Bristol Palin, the daughter who got pregnant by her then boyfriend Levi Johnston last year, 14-year-old Willow Palin was the daughter accompanying her mom at the Yankee game.
The Palins took action and belittled Letterman.
A clarification of sorts took place a few days later with Letterman showing self-deprecation, humor, and a literal wink at the audience that the controversy was nonsense.
The Palins took action and again belittled Letterman.
But after a weekend of thought, deliberation, and analysis, David Letterman gave a sincere apology the following Monday night.
The Palins accepted Letterman's apology.
We saw Miss California lose her crown because of an honest answer to a politically-charged question.
A half-year of television shows that deserved a longer chance to find an audience.
In Life on Mars, the series finale revealed that Sam Tyler was actually an astronaut on the first manned to Mars. The events he experienced in 1973 were triggered by a meteor shower wreaking havoc with virtual reality program. He was supposed to be a New York City cop in 2008, but the meteor incident caused the virtual reality glitch that sent him to 1973.
We saw The Unusuals, another solid program with depth of characters, unique stories, and realistic relationships set in the fictional 2nd precinct of Manhattan. This show starring Adam Goldberg and Terry Kinney looks like it will not be renewed.
A half-year of veteran sitcoms and dramas setting up story lines that were months, sometimes years in the making.
We saw Michael Scott, inefficient manager extraordinaire, attempt to start a paper company with receptionist Pam and temp Ryan. He sought to compete with Dunder Mifflin, only to have Dunder Mifflin buy the company on The Office.
We saw Barney and Robin reveal their feelings for each other on How I Met Your Mother.
We saw Justin propose to Rebecca and we saw Rebecca say Yes on Brothers and Sisters.
And we saw Michael J. Fox in an Emmy-worthy guest role on Rescue Me as Dwight, the paraplegic, pill-popping boyfriend of Tommy Gavin figurative ex-wife Janet, played by Denis Leary and Andrea Roth respectively.
A half-year of goodbyes.
In the space of a few days, we lost three legends -- an angel, an icon, and a voice. Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and Ed McMahon.
If the second half of '09 is anything like the first half, then fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy ride.
Heeere's Conan!
May 29, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Tonight is Jay Leno's last night as host of The Tonight Show.
Leno enjoyed great success because of his immense dedication to the craft of comedy, a Must See TV lineup lead-in with powerhouses Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Friends, Seinfeld, and ER, and a 1995 appearance by Hugh Grant after his arrest for soliciting a prostitute that turbocharged ratings.
But great success came with a cost. Leno's tenure at The Tonight Show will be forever marked by intense competition with Late Show with David Letterman preceded by the confusion over which comedian would succeed Johnny Carson. Additionally, the furor created by Leno's manager Helen Kushnick when she was the initial Executive Producer of The Tonight Show triggered her dismissal only four months into the show. A seventeen-year relationship between the likable comedian and tough entertainment manager evaporated. This, after building Jay Leno's career, increasing his exposure, and taking him from small clubs to the most coveted job in comedy.
Leno will be gone from late night after tonight's broadcast, but not from NBC. In a few months, we will see him on prime time as the host of a Monday-Friday 10:00 pm show (9:00 pm in the Midwest).
Ironically, this is the same time slot that NBC offered to David Letterman after they gave The Tonight Show to Jay Leno. Letterman refused and went to CBS.
A Jay Leno talk-variety show in prime time will be cheaper to produce with more original shows than a drama. But is NBC foregoing potential licensing dollars by not investing in a drama?
To put a spin on a well-known phrase, prime time will tell.
Conan O'Brien takes the baton of The Tonight Show on Monday, June 1st.
david@davidkrell.com
Tonight is Jay Leno's last night as host of The Tonight Show.
Leno enjoyed great success because of his immense dedication to the craft of comedy, a Must See TV lineup lead-in with powerhouses Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Friends, Seinfeld, and ER, and a 1995 appearance by Hugh Grant after his arrest for soliciting a prostitute that turbocharged ratings.
But great success came with a cost. Leno's tenure at The Tonight Show will be forever marked by intense competition with Late Show with David Letterman preceded by the confusion over which comedian would succeed Johnny Carson. Additionally, the furor created by Leno's manager Helen Kushnick when she was the initial Executive Producer of The Tonight Show triggered her dismissal only four months into the show. A seventeen-year relationship between the likable comedian and tough entertainment manager evaporated. This, after building Jay Leno's career, increasing his exposure, and taking him from small clubs to the most coveted job in comedy.
Leno will be gone from late night after tonight's broadcast, but not from NBC. In a few months, we will see him on prime time as the host of a Monday-Friday 10:00 pm show (9:00 pm in the Midwest).
Ironically, this is the same time slot that NBC offered to David Letterman after they gave The Tonight Show to Jay Leno. Letterman refused and went to CBS.
A Jay Leno talk-variety show in prime time will be cheaper to produce with more original shows than a drama. But is NBC foregoing potential licensing dollars by not investing in a drama?
To put a spin on a well-known phrase, prime time will tell.
Conan O'Brien takes the baton of The Tonight Show on Monday, June 1st.