I LOVE CRAIG FERGUSON!!!!! he's such an HUGE TALENT
I never miss a show because I record it sometimes watch
it at night then watch the recording again the next day.
I sometimes watch Leno before Craig but haven't watch
Connan since Craig took over The Late Late Show

Conan manages to reenergize his show when he goes on the road. His best bet will be to follow the format he did in Chicago and San Francisco. He won't have as big of a stage, but it's still possible to make the show feel more like an event.

Beyond that, all I can say is that Conan needs a sidekick. I doubt Andy would ever come back on board, but the criticisms people have with him now are simply amplifications of the problems that arose when he first started going solo. When he's by himself, he just starts vamping to the audience.

Sorry, left something out, the ratings were for 11-17 to 11-21 according to "tv by the numbers" blog.

Both the ratings that were a big deal in april earlier this year and now were new shows on ferguson vs. new shows on Conan. November was sweeps months, no repeats. It would be interesting to see those sweeps numbers. I don't think Ferguson won that one. Ferguson never says it will be a great show--that's Conan's thing. If anything, Ferguson says save yourselves, this show is crap. He does say it's a great day for america. That's his signature line and he won't stop that. It's when he doesn't say it that something serious is on his mind. He doesn't say filthy pigeons either. He dropped that a long time ago. Just like he dropped the soundbox which I miss. He gets bored easily and if he's doing something too much he'll give it up eventually on his time not ours. Don't care for the skits, but the monologues are good and the interviews, if they are interesting to him are really good. If the person is just there to plug something or just won't play with him, then it's so so.

Am I only then that gets tired of Craig's repeats?

I mean he does the same trickery with camera thing in the beginning of every show

He always says "this is going to be a great show"

"Take off your pants stay a while"

"Welcome back, my filthy pigeons"

He can be funny but I find myself turning him off once I see hear the repetitive crap.

I guess it is just a way off filling the show with guaranteed laughs from the studio audience.. but I think it really hurts the regular viewers, there is only so many times you laugh at the same thing.

I like Ferguson.. Very warm and adorable... but sometime I feel a little frustrated...It feels like it takes too long before his guests come on....Sometimes I feel like I'm gonna start playing pattycake with my t.v. set. which is great but kinda bizarre at the same time...It's like the dropped him off from jupiter. He's got a lot of the old School Johnny carson going on too.

Wikipedia notes that Ferguson first beat O'Brien in the ratings by a similar margin in April 2008. Not sure what was airing at the time (new episodes versus repeats) but then again Craig will handily beat Jimmy Fallon once Conan moves.

Conan definitely won't keep his same routine when he moves to the earlier time slot. He'll likely be much more interview oriented until he and his writers develop a "G"-rated routine that Jay's typical audience can appreciate.

As for Craig, I dig him like I dig Letterman. Surely it's because they remind me of each other. Beyond the fact that they both are produced by David Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants, they both have give off that vibe that they "get it", that they're "in on the joke" and they don't mind sharing it with us.

jay leno is a hack... just thought it needed to be said

The facts are these: Conan made the audience he has out of stoners up late at night wanting some edgy humor. The earlier slot (Leno, Letterman) caters to a much different audience.

My opinions are these: Conan will not translate well, no matter how many "Johnny Carson is God" correspondence courses Conan takes. Craig is the comedian you would take home to meet your mother. In that way that you would take a male buddy you're not having sex with even though he likes to put on a Speedo from time to time.

The best thing CBS did was scale back the interview portion of Ferguson's show. His interviews are no worse nor better than everyone else's, but what makes his show must see entertainment is the monologue and skits. It will be interesting to see how Conan modifies his tired format for Leno's spot. I also appreciate the coy attitude that Leno is taking with all of this. Yes, it's his own fault for giving up the show, but I think the way he's handling speaks well for his future in television.