conan obrien

It's been a rough year for Conan O'Brien. First, he got his dream job hosting 'The Tonight Show.' But after giving "Coco" the job, the "suits" at NBC changed their minds. Based on lower ratings, they wanted Conan to move into a new time-slot -- to accommodate rival Jay Leno.

O'Brien refused -- the rest is history. The host either quit or was fired (depending on who you believe). After eight months, his time on 'Tonight Show' was done. But you can't keep a good comic down. Now, Coco is back ... on basic cable. And on the premiere of 'Conan' (weeknights, 11PM ET on TBS), he peered back into the tragic past.

All the turmoil and all those Twitter frenzies... for that?

Given a chance to reinvent himself on basic cable, Conan O'Brien offered up a standard-issue late-night show on Monday's 'Conan' debut.

He kept his post-'Tonight Show' beard, and he has a fancy new (and very blue) set. But despite the nervous energy of the host, much of 'Conan' felt very predictable. There was little of the surreal, weird or goofy humor that so endeared Conan to his loyal audience.

Let's face it, there are a lot of people out there who can interview nervous starlets. Conan O'Brien doesn't need to be one of them.

You might not have heard yet, but Conan O'Brien premieres his new show tonight.

For the uninformed -- by the way, welcome back from that rock you've been hiding under -- the first episode of 'Conan' debuts tonight at 11PM ET on TBS with guests Seth Rogen, Lea Michele, the first guest poll winner and musical guest Jack White. But what about the other guys?

After the jump, we list the celebs who are making the non-'Conan' talk show rounds this evening.

As a writer on 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien,' Brian Kiley used to share an office with the Masturbating Bear. It was disconcerting, he told us, to try write monologue jokes while sitting across the desk from a guy in a bear suit wearing a diaper.

Times have changed for Kiley and the Masturbating Bear. First, O'Brien moved from 'Late Night' to 'The Tonight Show,' bringing Kiley, but not the Bear, with him. Then Conan was dumped from 'The Tonight Show' in a controversial move by NBC, and he and his staff found themselves homeless, just months after hauling their entire operation across the country from New York to California.

But now Conan is back on TBS with a new late night show simply titled 'Conan,' and Kiley is, too.

Countdown to 'Conan': Get ready for Conan O'Brien's TBS talk show debut on Nov. 8

For TBS, a golden opportunity has arisen. With Conan's new show premiering tonight, the network is in prime shape to compete with cable powerhouses TNT, USA and SyFy for a stake in the weeknight original programming race. Specifically, the 10PM slot, which will determine the eventual lead-in ratings for 'Conan' after the initial hype wears down.

However, adding new programming isn't as simple as you think. Adding a standard sitcom or sketch show just won't do. What will be needed is programming just as quirky and absurdist as the gangly O'Brien in order to draw in and keep the audience for not only his program but for 'Lopez Tonight,' which will be taking the midnight spot.

Conan - Monday November 8, 12AM ET/PT, Comedy

Finally, the red-headed phoenix rises from the ashes of that NBC debacle, taking his rightful place on your late-night screen. Conan O'Brien's first week of guests includes Seth Rogen, Jack White, Tom Hanks, Jon Hamm, and Canadian Jon Dore. There was initially some talk of having Coco on earlier up here in Canada, with initial releases claiming he'd be on at 11PM, but alas with 'The Daily Show's historic takeover of the top late night spot, why mess with success? (Jon Stewart airs at 11PM on CTV affiliates in Canada.)

Conan O'Brien's hiatus between 'The Tonight Show' and Nov. 8th's premiere of 'Conan' has left a distinctly large, tall void in television. Sure, we miss O'Brien's smart, absurdist wit. However, we are referring to programming's complete absence of red hair styled into a ridiculously high wave with a flip at the end.

The late-night host's haircut is a punchline by itself. O'Brien often flips and shakes it to tag monologue jokes. He jokingly apologized for it at the end of his infamous written statement about his future on 'The Tonight Show:' "Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it's always been that way." (We're not sorry for it! Conan made our top TV redheads list.)

The great red hairdo has been missed. It is one of the few truly distinct cuts on television. How many actors, hosts or reality stars pop into your head when you think hair? A few for sure, but nowhere near the number 20 years ago – back in the '80s when crazy hairstyles defined a person.

As we welcome Conan back into our late night TV schedules, we also welcome him back into TV's club of distinct on-air hair.

No doubt Conan O'Brien has a team of a highly paid advisors telling him what he should and shouldn't do with his new late-night show 'Conan,' which premieres 11PM ET Monday on TBS.

But what kind of television critic would I be if I didn't offer unsolicited advice? And hey, Conan's pretty smart, but he could use a few reminders about what has worked for him in the past and what we want to see more of in the future.

Therefore here are my humbly submitted Dos and Don'ts for 'Conan':

Ever since Conan O'Brien's stint as host of 'The Tonight Show' ended in January, he's been busy. Yes, he mounted a 30-city tour, took to Twitter and created a new TBS show from scratch. But he's also been very busy growing his facial hair, sporting a beard since shortly after his version of 'Tonight' ended.

Conan's grown a beard before, of course; during the writers' strike in 2008, he grew a beard as a sign of solidarity to his striking writers. It looked pretty good, to be honest, and I was disappointed when he decided to shave it after the strike was over.

But this time around, the beard looks like it's here to stay. No only has Conan maintained the beard throughout the tour, he continues to keep it going during all of the TBS promos and billboards, his webisodes and the super-fast 'Show Zero.' He even wore the beard during his surprise appearance on 'Lopez Tonight' last night.

So, here's the $64 question: When 'Conan' starts on November 8, will Conan come out with a beard? And will he keep it? More beard talk, and a poll where you can weigh in on the matter, is after the jump.

Eric Cartman may hate "gingers," but the rest of us know that the redheads in TV land are some of the greatest stars in tube history. In honor of Conan O'Brien's return to late night on Nov. 8 -- yes, spoiler, he made our list -- here are our picks for the top 22 TV redheads of all time:

'Supernanny' star Jo Frost has quit the hit ABC reality series to start her own family.

According to the New York Post, Frost will tape one more season of the series focusing on teen mothers.

"I have decided to hang up my cape," she told the newspaper. "It was a very conscious decision, through much reflection. But I need to create more balance in my life."

Frost has been traveling the U.S. and Britain since 2004, helping parents with unruly kids, but now she wants to focus on her own life and start a family. "Proper balance will allow me to date and have a relationship and look at my own future of having a family," she said.

In other TV news ...

• 'Glee' star Jane Lynch will host a holiday special on Fox. 'TV's Funniest Holiday Moments: A Paley Center for Media Special' will feature some of the most memorable holiday moments from TV. [TV Guide]

• Bravo has ordered a full season of Rocco DiSpirito's new series. 'Rocco's Dinner Party' will see four aspiring chefs competing to cater a dinner party for Rocco and his distinguished guests. [Hollywood Reporter]

• Joan Allen has joined the cast of HBO's 'Luck.' The new horse racing drama also stars Dustin Hoffman, Nick Nolte and Dennis Farina. [TV Guide]

Conan O'Brien is back! And he's on ... basic cable. O'Brien's new series 'Conan' won't debut until November 8th, but tonight, he tested out his new digs on TBS -- by making a surprise appearance on the set of 'Lopez Tonight' (weeknights, 11PM ET on TBS).

The red-haired comic was greeted with loud cheers and applause. "I never heard basic cable get shrieks of excitement [before,]" he quipped. Famously, Conan previously feuded with rival Jay Leno -- who left 'The Tonight Show,' then supposedly "stole" the show back from O'Brien.

There are still a lot of lingering bad memories from the Conan/Leno late night wars. But now, O'Brien is on the same network as George Lopez. Maybe "Conan vs. Lopez" could be the new angry battleground for talk show supremacy.

Countdown to 'Conan': Get ready for Conan O'Brien's TBS talk show debut on Nov. 8

Part of Conan O'Brien's deal with TBS stipulates that the network won't interfere with the show's content. However, there is always loads of fine print in those contracts and we wouldn't be surprised if Conan missed something.

For example, TBS might want him to promote their original series by working them into his sketches. That may sound like a horrible idea at first, but we're sure Conan's staff would develop insane ways to mash up their existing characters with shows like 'Are We There Yet?', 'Meet The Browns,' 'Lopez Tonight' and 'Tyler Perry's House of Payne.'

We picked four of our favorite Conan characters and mashed them up in possible TBS-centric sketches. Right now the finished product is only in our dreams, but the description and corresponding videos should give you a good idea.

Last night, Conan O'Brien and his crew streamed what they called 'Show Zero,' which ended up being a rapid-fire version of what the new TBS show 'Conan' might look like when it debuts on Monday night.

Actually, it looked nothing like whatever Conan's new show might end up looking like, and that was a good thing. In a way, this quickie, made-on-the-cheap show was a perfect preview for 'Conan.' It showed a host that was relaxed, confident, and ready to roll. Couple this video with the interviews he's done to support the premiere, and it's starting to feel like the good ol' days of 'Late Night' ... but maybe with even more absurdity.

Video and more after the jump.

Countdown to 'Conan': Get ready for Conan O'Brien's TBS talk show debut on Nov. 8

Is Conan O'Brien getting the last laugh? As fans await the debut of 'Conan' on TBS on Nov. 8, the pompadoured host's nemesis, Jay Leno, is struggling over at NBC. Bringing Leno back to 'The Tonight Show,' the move by NBC brass that led to O'Brien's departure last winter after only a few months in late-night's top job, was supposed to improve the legendary franchise's ratings, but Leno is proving less of a draw among young viewers than Conan was at this time a year ago.