Favorite Late Night TV Personality

Shareefruck

Registered User
Apr 2, 2005
28,969
3,703
Vancouver, BC
To be honest, the more I'm exposed to real non-satire Stephen Colbert, the less I seem to like him. He's obviously still very clever, but he kind of gives off this weird, smiley Stepford wives/Christian vibe now. Combine that with the way he seems conversationally indestructable/teflon and is still sharp as a knife, and I get kind of creeped out by him now.
 

clefty

Retrovertigo
Dec 24, 2003
18,009
3
Visit site
Haven't paid attention since Craig Ferguson left. He was maybe the only one who wasn't iterating on the tired conventions of the genre, or trying to make dumb**** videos to show up on the front page of Youtube.
 

Dipsy Doodle

Rent A Barn
May 28, 2006
76,584
21,126
One thing working against Colbert is Batiste, I think.

He doesn't provide any kind of comic foil for him at all. He's just kind of pleasant and there.
 

SniperHF

Rejecting Reports
Mar 9, 2007
42,760
21,651
Phoenix
Haven't paid attention since Craig Ferguson left. He was maybe the only one who wasn't iterating on the tired conventions of the genre, or trying to make dumb**** videos to show up on the front page of Youtube.

Same. I was an avid Conan watcher before Craig showed up too. So I switched back to Conan for a month or so but either Conan has lost 5-10 MPH on his fastball or Craig's show just ruined me for other shows.

Deconstruct the late night genre he did.

If I had to watch any of them right now it would probably be Kimmel.
 

Langdon Alger

Registered User
Apr 19, 2006
24,777
12,914
I don't know if it's him being neutered. Theres seems to be less of a language filter on his current show than he had at NBC, and he seems to take advantage of it.

But something is just not the same. I still like him but he's not as entertaining. I miss his awkward segments with max, I miss his mock interviews with the moving mouths. Either the show around Conan has degraded significantly or I'm just being nostalgic.

The stuff Conan did at 12:30 was some of the funniest stuff I've seen on any late night talk show. A lot of it was so absurd and out there, but it made me laugh so hard. I truly believe he was in a perfect place to do great comedy, but then it changed when he got the tonight show. I didn't understand why they didn't do more 12:30 bits in that time slot. The moving mouths would have been perfect, but they abandoned so much of it because it was the Tonight Show and they felt they couldn't be as silly.

His new show is pretty much unwatchable. He does a sub par monologue and tries to get audience members to rub his nipples. Then it's a lame desk piece and celebrity interviews, which are really the only part worth watching.

Conan was neutered by the fact most of his best bits are NBC intellectual property & he can't use them.

Biased towards Colbert from his CC days. Not the same character but the man is very sharp & very witty

I don't think he's been neutered. I believe he could still do edgy, funny bits, but he just doesn't.

Serious question for anyone, did anyone actually like Conan on the Tonight Show? If so, did you watch him at 12:30 as well? It sucks what happened, but his Tonight Show stunk. I was so excited for him to get it, but it was pretty awful. He had it perfect at 12:30. It's too bad he didn't just stay there.
 

Hackett

BAKAMAN
Mar 4, 2002
21,545
9
Visit site
The stuff Conan did at 12:30 was some of the funniest stuff I've seen on any late night talk show. A lot of it was so absurd and out there, but it made me laugh so hard. I truly believe he was in a perfect place to do great comedy, but then it changed when he got the tonight show. I didn't understand why they didn't do more 12:30 bits in that time slot. The moving mouths would have been perfect, but they abandoned so much of it because it was the Tonight Show and they felt they couldn't be as silly.

His new show is pretty much unwatchable. He does a sub par monologue and tries to get audience members to rub his nipples. Then it's a lame desk piece and celebrity interviews, which are really the only part worth watching.



I don't think he's been neutered. I believe he could still do edgy, funny bits, but he just doesn't.

Serious question for anyone, did anyone actually like Conan on the Tonight Show? If so, did you watch him at 12:30 as well? It sucks what happened, but his Tonight Show stunk. I was so excited for him to get it, but it was pretty awful. He had it perfect at 12:30. It's too bad he didn't just stay there.

2004 was prime Conan for me. The moving mouth segments involving John Kerry were absolute gold, among others. The walker lever was funny for its absurdity. The ************ bear still came on the rare time as well, if I remember correctly.

I can't speak for Conan in the tonight show slot. I don't think I ever watched a single episode of that.
 

Langdon Alger

Registered User
Apr 19, 2006
24,777
12,914
2004 was prime Conan for me. The moving mouth segments involving John Kerry were absolute gold, among others. The walker lever was funny for its absurdity. The ************ bear still came on the rare time as well, if I remember correctly.

I can't speak for Conan in the tonight show slot. I don't think I ever watched a single episode of that.

I started watching Conan regularly around 97, although I had seen him before that. I remember when Andy left in 2000, and wondering if he would get a new sidekick, but he did great without one. Max became more involved in the bits, and the obvious lack of chemistry between him and Conan was hilarious. The writers were also involved in a lot of the bits, and had some memorable characters like The Interrupter and the ghost who sings old songs. So much great stuff from Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Now? Not so much :(
 

Hackett

BAKAMAN
Mar 4, 2002
21,545
9
Visit site
I started watching Conan regularly around 97, although I had seen him before that. I remember when Andy left in 2000, and wondering if he would get a new sidekick, but he did great without one. Max became more involved in the bits, and the obvious lack of chemistry between him and Conan was hilarious. The writers were also involved in a lot of the bits, and had some memorable characters like The Interrupter and the ghost who sings old songs. So much great stuff from Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Now? Not so much :(

Yeah, Max has turned out to be a big loss... even the guy who used to do the voice for conan's intro. The more I think about it, his supporting cast and characters on late night were fantastic, and he has not been able to replicate that environment after leaving.
 

Langdon Alger

Registered User
Apr 19, 2006
24,777
12,914
Yeah, Max has turned out to be a big loss... even the guy who used to do the voice for conan's intro. The more I think about it, his supporting cast and characters on late night were fantastic, and he has not been able to replicate that environment after leaving.

Joel was his announcer on Late Night. He was hilarious.

Hannigan the traveling salesman offers Conan a Hungarian genital scrub.

Conan : I don't want a Hungarian genital scrub.

Joel : I do!

Conan : Joel?

Joel : You don't know what you're missing Conan. It's been years since I've had a Hungarian genital scrub.
 
  • Like
Reactions: HFBCommenter

Shareefruck

Registered User
Apr 2, 2005
28,969
3,703
Vancouver, BC
Joel was his announcer on Late Night. He was hilarious.

Hannigan the traveling salesman offers Conan a Hungarian genital scrub.

Conan : I don't want a Hungarian genital scrub.

Joel : I do!

Conan : Joel?

Joel : You don't know what you're missing Conan. It's been years since I've had a Hungarian genital scrub.
"Last night, the missus gave ME a pearl necklace."
 
  • Like
Reactions: HFBCommenter

Ozz

Registered User
Oct 25, 2009
9,469
683
Hockeytown
Conan only, since forever. I keep seeing bits from Kimmel and Fallon that are pretty good, but I do that want to watch them frequently
 

Hackett

BAKAMAN
Mar 4, 2002
21,545
9
Visit site
Joel was his announcer on Late Night. He was hilarious.

Hannigan the traveling salesman offers Conan a Hungarian genital scrub.

Conan : I don't want a Hungarian genital scrub.

Joel : I do!

Conan : Joel?

Joel : You don't know what you're missing Conan. It's been years since I've had a Hungarian genital scrub.

His facial expressions put his segments over the top too.
 

JA

Guest
Colbert's show is centered on politics.

Most of his segments involve the discussion of the current presidential election. He offers a humorous spin to the kind of political news you would find on networks such as CNN.

He also relates better to the geek crowd than the other late night hosts. Neil Tyson is a regular guest on the show, for example. Some segments have involved debates about fictional characters. His show is tailored for a young, educated audience. Kimmel, on the other hand, has mocked the Let's Play concept and been disrespectful with regards to numerous issues, while Conan is not particularly knowledgeable about topics that millennials relate to. O'Brien's show is no longer as amusing as it once was either. His guests now carry the show's humor, while the remotes are few and far between. Fallon's show revolves around game segments, he isn't very funny, and he also comes across as not being very genuine as a person; this has resulted in some backlash to his show from younger audiences. James Corden and Seth Myers' shows, meanwhile, are boring -- neither of them have any presence or personality.

Craig Ferguson was the best late night host of the past decade. In Canada, Conan airs on CTV, and when Ferguson was on, Conan would air the following hour. It was easy to tune in to a double-header of The Late Late Show and Conan. Since the change in scheduling last year, I have found myself tuning in more frequently to Colbert's show than any of the others'.

It's difficult to stay connected with Conan, as the content on the show's YouTube channel has been geoblocked in Canada.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Habsfunk

Registered User
Jan 11, 2003
3,922
439
BC
Visit site
I don't watch any of these shows when they actually air. Of the videos I watch online, Conan's still make me laugh the most, with Kimmel second.

Conan's travel bits are especially great. I hope that once his contract ends, he'll give up the Late Night gig and just do a travel show.
 
Sep 19, 2008
374,112
24,965


I guess Stewart's delivery is something to get used to, because I've always seen him just yelling at me. Maybe that's his delivery style and I need to watch more. He seems to be very passionate about what he does, so I give that to him. He's a lot better than Fallon or any of these other talking heads who depend on viral videos to get attention. Hey look someone is singing with James Corden in a car! How hilarious!

Give me Stewart ranting and raving about politics rather than that nonsense.
 
Last edited:

Hackett

BAKAMAN
Mar 4, 2002
21,545
9
Visit site


I guess Stewart's delivery is something to get used to, because I've always seen him just yelling at me. Maybe that's his delivery style and I need to watch more. He seems to be very passionate about what he does, so I give that to him. He's a lot better than Fallon or any of these other talking heads who depend on viral videos to get attention. Hey look someone is singing with James Corden in a car! How hilarious!

Give me Stewart ranting and raving about politics rather than that nonsense.


Stewart was more fired up than usual. I got the feeling that he was really enjoying himself back behind the desk.

I think Trevor Noah will get better with time. He seems like a bright guy, and I don't dislike him at all, but as of now, I much prefer Stewart.
 

McPuritania

LucicDestroyedHaley
May 25, 2010
25,636
7
Toussaint
The whole late night thing feels dead and pointless now. Fallon, Corden, and Myers sucked what little life it had left right out of it, IMO (I keep hearing that Fallon has gotten better, but every time I see it, it seems as awful as it was when he started to me). Is even Ferguson gone now?

It's kind of like the whole thing has been completely replaced and made obsolete by Podcasts or something.

For fake news and the sort, I think people like John Oliver, Charlie Brooker, Samantha Bee, and Bill Maher are great.

The guy ruined SNL, so he had to set his sights on ruining bigger, and better, things. :laugh:

Myers has one vote too many.

Samantha Bee is awesome. Full Frontal is the true successor of The Daily Show. Shame it's only on once a week.

As far as Conan goes, I still love him. I feel he relies too heavily on the same little jokes every episode that gets pretty stale. But his best segments/shows are when he gets to be himself, and doesn't have anything done by his writers. I think they are the worst part of his show tbh. My favourite segment lately was when he did the Star Wars special, and interviewed JJ Abrams, and Harrison Ford. There was no crowd, and it was just them hanging out on Conan's set. It was fantastic, and Conan's wit shone brightly during that interview. Let him do his own thing with remotes, or whatever and he's absolutely brilliant. An uncensored, unburdened, Conan is a wonderful thing. But yeah, his show now can't compare to the old Late Night. Was a beautiful thing.
 
Last edited:

Shareefruck

Registered User
Apr 2, 2005
28,969
3,703
Vancouver, BC
I'm still pretty annoyed that Jon Stewart didn't give the Daily Show to Samantha Bee (possibly together with Jason Jones), to be honest. The Trevor Noah choice feels like such an executive-ish decision. Pick the young, good looking, more marketable guy over the better and funnier choice with the stronger vision/personality and more proven experience.

---

On the complete opposite note, Stewart is absolutely fantastic. Unlike the rest of these guys, who mostly only have one gear, you get the feeling he could pull off hosting three completely diffferent types of shows-- one that's serious, balanced, and intellectually pointed, one that's completely irreverent, sarcastic/satirical, and jokey, and one that's passionate, angry and ranty-- and he would be equally great at all three. His appearance on Colbert's show was only side of him.
 
Last edited:

McPuritania

LucicDestroyedHaley
May 25, 2010
25,636
7
Toussaint
I'm still pretty annoyed that Jon Stewart didn't give the Daily Show to Samantha Bee (possibly together with Jason Jones), to be honest. The Trevor Noah choice feels like such an executive-ish decision. Pick the young, good looking, more marketable guy over the better and funnier choice with the stronger vision/personality and more proven experience.

Agreed.

I mean, I like Trevor well enough, but he just doesn't come close to some of the other correspondents. Samantha is awesome.
 

The Night King

Registered User
Mar 25, 2014
4,986
383
California
Count me in as one of those who misses the old Conan. Hurts even more now that Brian Stack left the show (and is now on Colbert). His moving mouth interviews were hilarious. He's still very funny when he does "outside" bits, like when visits other countries, or like when he took Lyft with Ice Cube and Kevin Hart, but the show in general isn't as good.

My favorite overall show is Kimmel. I like his monologue, which isn't the typical set up - punch line jokes that is traditional in late night. Guillermo is great, and I also like Yeya's occasional movie reviews.

I also love Maher and Oliver. Never really liked Fallon much. Colbert is good, but I only watch his show occasionally.
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad