Why Conan O’Brien’s new behind-the-scenes series should excite fans
By Matt Moore
Meet the Conan Staff will be a brand new original series from Conan O’Brien and Team Coco.
If you have ever wondered what it is like to work for Conan O’Brien, you’re about to find out…sort of. Meet the CONAN Staff is a new original web series from Team Coco that will showcase the people behind the beloved late night show.
Conan O’Brien has demonstrated a long history of looking in-house for comedy content. Whether it was graphic designer Pierre Bernard in the Late Night days or producer Jordan Schlansky on Conan, O’Brien’s staff and crew have often found themselves in front of the camera to the delight of audiences.
Meet the CONAN Staff won’t exactly be a reality show set at Team Coco headquarters. Instead, it will be a scripted series featuring the absurd, silly, and over-the-top comedy that O’Brien has been bringing to late night fans for more than 25 years.
O’Brien and Conan sidekick Andy Richter will appear in the series. Fans can also expect guest appearances from the likes of Conor Oberst, Phoebe Bridgers, and Chris Fleming. Check out the trailer for Meet the CONAN Staff right here to get the full picture:
It looks like we’re getting a mix of The Office, 30 Rock, and The Larry Sanders Show filtered through comedic lens of Conan O’Brien. The series is set to launch on Feb. 18 and should immediately find an audience among Conan fans.
Looking at some of the reaction to the trailer, it seems like fans were a little disappointed to not get a true behind-the-scenes reality series. It is a good complaint to get from Team Coco’s perspective as it indicates the popularity of staffers like Sona Movsessian, Aaron Bleyaert, and others.
But Meet the CONAN Staff doesn’t mean fans will be denied content from those people. Movsesian can still be heard every week on “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” she’s appearing more and more on Conan, and hosts the Instagram series “Sona Fixes Your Life.” Bleyaert does Clueless Gamer and is featured in Team Coco’s SuperBoss video game competition/comedy show. And fans can get more behind-the-scenes info on Conan by listening to the “Inside Conan” podcast with writers Mike Sweeney and Jessie Gaskell.
Instead, fans should be eager to get more scripted content from O’Brien and company. Since Conan restructured to a half-hour program, the opportunities have been understandably limited. With this new web series, Team Coco can flex its comedy writing talents even more and fill the void created by a shorter, streamlined Conan on TBS.
The jokes and brand of humor that made Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Conan fan favorites and influential to entire generation will now be packaged in a brand new way. O’Brien’s sketches and bits between monologues and celebrity interviews are what made him stand out. Meet the CONAN Staff will highlight the art of comedy writing that has in many places taken a backseat in favor of podcasts, reality shows, and unscripted programming.
The web series is also the latest example of Team Coco expanding as a comedy brand well beyond just a late night television. It is a bit surprising that Conan O’Brien, the longest tenured late night host, is the one doing some of the most forward-thinking projects.
O’Brien has previously discussed how he has moved past romanticizing late night television. Without this new approach, it’s unlikely Conan would have been cut down to a half-hour program. Ironically, since then even more content has come from O’Brien. His travel series is on Netflix, Team Coco holds comedy shows around the country, his staff have become social media stars in their own right, and his company has become nothing short of a podcast empire. And now audiences are getting a scripted series in the Team Coco universe. Not a bad time to be Conan O’Brien fan.
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Are you excited for this original scripted series from Team Coco? Let us know in the comment section below. Meet the CONAN Staff will be available online starting Tuesday, Feb. 18. Be sure to check back in with Last Night On for more from the world of late night television.