Conan O’Brien’s 10 best remote pieces of all time

1. Conan Plays Old Timey Baseball

It is the greatest remote piece Conan O’Brien has ever done. It is among the greatest bits ever done in late night television, comedy, or whatever other category you want to come up with. It’s Conan playing old timey baseball.

Conan himself has said it is the piece he thinks best reflects who he is as a comedian. It can serve as the only clip necessary to find out if someone is a Conan O’Brien fan. The best parts of the previous nine remote pieces distilled down would give us this piece from 2004.

The piece is the results of equal parts luck and Conan’s comedic genius. Once again, we have a set up that is only left of center. Yes, Conan calls it an “incredible waste of time” but there are far more niche and odd things going on in the world than playing baseball by 19th-century rules.

Or at least it would appear that way from the outside until we meet the real star of the show in Nell. It was a stroke of luck that this woman was involved in the baseball game and in doing so was intensely dedicated to her character. You can see Conan light up when he realizes what’s going on and the endless possibilities he can have through his interactions with her.

Anyone who has watched Conan for long knows that he has a certain affinity for all things “old timey.” The slang, the accents, the boxing stance we see and hear in this piece have all come up time and time again on his shows. What makes it even better is that it comes from a highly educated history buff who still chooses to play the jackass.

It is a great example of how Conan’s career evolved. Going into the setup, he no doubt had prepared gags and lines he wanted to use. But upon meeting Nell or seeing the airplane, the writer turns into the improv performer to hilarious results. It’s clear why Conan O’Brien wants this played at his funeral and why it remains one of the best pieces of comedy in television history.

So that concludes Last Night On’s list of the ten best remotes in Conan O’Brien’s late night career. Be sure to check out Conan25 to see over 300 other remotes. Soon Team Coco will be adding more comedy bits and highlights from various characters until O’Brien’s entire television career is online in one place. Keep checking in with us here at Last Night On for all the updates.