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The best of Conan 2018

By Matt Moore

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 08: (EDITOR'S NOTE: This image has been converted to black and white.) Conan O'Brien performs onstage during New York Comedy Festival at Beacon Theatre on November 8, 2018 in New York City. 465875 (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 08: (EDITOR'S NOTE: This image has been converted to black and white.) Conan O'Brien performs onstage during New York Comedy Festival at Beacon Theatre on November 8, 2018 in New York City. 465875 (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images) /
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In 2018 Conan O’Brien showed why he’s been a late night staple for 25 and why he’s the perfect host to reinvent the format.

Conan O’Brien may never been in the headlines again in quite the same way he was in 2010 during the Tonight Show debacle. He likely prefers it stay that way as he has always been obsessively dedicated to his craft as a comedian rather than have any interest in making statements or making tabloids. It’s why if you’re a pure fan of comedy and late night television, you have to respect what Conan O’Brien did in 2018.

While other shows built themselves around whatever shocking and head-scratching news came out of the White House, O’Brien stuck to what has made him the most original voice in late night since arriving on the scene in 1993.

That’s not to say O’Brien completely ignored President Trump. But he didn’t base so much of his nightly material on politics compared to Stephen Colbert or Seth Meyers. Instead he, Andy Richter, and the writers at Conan continued to pursue the ridiculous and the absurd. The goal was always to make audiences laugh without commentary or pretense.

Despite already doing things that no other late night hosts are doing, O’Brien still felt the need to reinvent his show and change up the formula of late night television that had been almost unaltered since its inception. He announced Conan would reformat to a 30-minute show, dropping musical guests and the beloved Basic Cable Band to better focus on the things and people O’Brien wanted to feature.

Some were quick to suggest this change was a response to O’Brien failing to compete with Colbert, Meyers, and Jimmy Kimmel. Or that TBS was losing it’s support of Conan. Instead, O’Brien emphasized the loyalty of TBS and how the new show would only make him better.

But that wasn’t the only new and exciting news from O’Brien. During the hiatus of Conan, he embarked on a sold-out nationwide comedy tour. Another travel special, this time to Japan, debuted on TBS. He also launched Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, an immediately popular podcast that has featured guests like Will Ferrell, Kristen Bell, and Bill Burr.

Even with an abbreviated schedule, Conan still produced a full year’s worth of highlights. Conan O’Brien is the best on television when it comes to remote segments and there is no better host to have behind the desk when an interview goes sideways. Enjoy Last Night On’s picks for the best of Conan in 2018 below.

Conan Helps Sona Buy a Car

Elizabeth Olsen Teaches Conan Russian Curse Words

Jim Carrey Crashes Jeff Daniels’ Interview

Conan Rents a Family in Japan

Fred Armisen Tells Jokes Only Musicians Would Get

James Veitch’s Wrong Number Prank

Bill Burr’s Issue with Airline Boarding

Batman Wants to Join Marvel

Clueless Gamer with Bill Hader

Conan O'Brien announces his return to television. light. Related Story

So there you have all the best moments from Conan in 2018. There are still plenty more clips worth checking out on the Team Coco YouTube channel and even Last Night On highly recommends the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast. 2019 will be an even bigger year for Conan O’Brien and we’ll be sure to have it all covered!

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