Conan on TBS is getting rid of all music performances

With Conan on TBS decreasing in length starting in January, the show will be getting rid of all music performances and its longtime music producer.

Is this the end of an era?

As previously reported, Conan on TBS will be going through a major change at the start of 2019. The show currently runs for an hour when it airs on the network, but in January, it will be going down to 30 minutes. Of course, with Conan O’Brien’s intent on turning it into a leaner show, that means certain segments are going to have to go bye bye.

That brings us to the music performances on the show, which have been a fixture on Conan for years. Come January, you won’t be seeing any more of those on the program again. Variety reports that the music bits have officially been axed, with O’Brien using the time to focus more on straight comedy segments instead. Certainly, it’s a bummer in many ways, but makes sense given the show’s new half-hour timeslot.

Unfortunately, this change brings some bad news for Roey Hershkovitz, the show’s producer and music booker. With his services no longer required, Hershkovitz is parting ways with Conan. This ends a nearly two decade run with O’Brien, as the producer first came on board back in 1999 as an intern. O’Brien and Hershkovitz have seen an awful lot together over the years, and it’s always a little sad to see these kinds of things happen.

The shorter and leaner Conan will only feature one celebrity guest interview. The rest of the show will likely be dedicated to varying comedy bits from O’Brien, who has always been a comedian at heart. Perhaps the lighter show will turn out to be funnier than the series has been, giving O’Brien more of a chance to fine tune the comedy.