Pretty big news out of late night, according to The Wrap, Conan will be switching to a weekly hour-long format. In a way, this feels like the direction the show has been going with recent trips oversees and to different cities around the world. There is no date yet on when the move will occur.
The chairman spoke to TheWrap at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Wednesday night and explained that the show has worked best with O’Brien on the road. The comic and “Late Night” alum has recently taken his show to Cuba, Berlin and South Korea, among other locations. Those trips have proved a boon both creatively and in TV ratings.Martin also believes one-hour weekly will just prove better for the show. Samantha Bee does exactly that, by the way, and she’s made some waves of her own since “Full Frontal” launched on TBS.
Part of the reason for the switch, Martin said, is that late night’s just too crowded and competitive. He added that O’Brien is holding his own, however.
Conan numbers have been dwindling with so much competition out there in late night and would make the show become “must-see” in a more “special” format. We’ve recently seen The Nightly Show suffer a similar fate despite having The Daily Show as a lead in. Let’s hope Conan doesn’t get out-right cancelled.
