Late night television: Five things fans should be thankful for

Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend

Late night fans should be thankful for Conan O’Brien, period end of sentence. The longest tenured late night host has been influencing comedy before he ever sat behind the Late Night desk. O’Brien has become what David Letterman was to him and countless other comedians of his generation.

Given O’Brien’s age and 25 year career, it is a bit surprising that he is the one pushing late night forward and redefining what the genre can be. He reduced Conan down to a half-hour per night yet he and the rest of Team Coco deliver more content than any other late night show.

There are the travel specials, sponsored comedy shows, Twitch streams, a joke-a-day Twitter feed, and podcasts. Team Coco has quickly built up a podcast empire with “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” as the centerpiece.

Now in season two, “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” is one of the highest rated comedy podcasts in a crowded market. The podcast averages more than one million downloads per episode.

The podcast is a must-listen for fans of O’Brien who get to see a different side of the comedian–one not restricted by or by the need to promote a movie and interview someone uninteresting. Instead, fans have heard O’Brien sit down with Tina Fey, David Letterman, Michelle Obama and many more celebrities not featured on any other podcast.

Fans should be thankful that Conan O’Brien remains relentless in his comedy pursuits and that he continues to change late night for the better 25 years after entering it. O’Brien may think he needs a friend, but he certainly has no shortage of grateful fans.