Careful Conan! A History of FOX’s Late-Night TV Failures5:29 pm | Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
Conan O’Brien is being hunted by a FOX.
Wily FOX execs have watched with glee as inept NBC suits have alienated late night host Conan O’Brien. Six years ago, FOX tried to pry O’Brien away from NBC by reportedly offering to triple his salary if he’d switch networks, but he stayed because execs promised he’d soon inherit The Tonight Show, late night’s most illustrious gig, from Jay Leno. Now, less than a year since the poofy-haired redhead took over, the NBC peacock is showing its true colors, trying to push The Tonight Show back to 12:05 a.m. (a.k.a. tomorrow motherfuckin’ morning) so Leno, who failed miserably in prime time, can slide back into the 11:35 p.m. slot. FOX is nipping at O’Brien again, and there’s a chance the network may land the star simply because he wants to be treated like one.
Though we’re sure O’Brien could deliver laughs anywhere, we’re a bit skeptical about Rupert Murdoch’s network, which has done late night right only rarely. To see why we’re concerned for Conan should he make the switch, check out a history of FOX’s late-night fails…
THE LATE SHOW STARRING JOAN RIVERS, 1986-1987
• The former fill-in for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show ruined their relationship with the god of late-night talk shows by secretly dipping out to do her own show without his blessing. Her face was lifted, but ratings steadily sagged.
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THE LATE SHOW, 1987-1988
• After Joan Rivers left the show, FOX shortened the title and kept it moving with a rotating cast of hosts that included Suzanne Somers, Richard Belzer, Robert Townsend, and Arsenio Hall, who was actually a hit in a 13-week trial. He left to make movie money with Eddie Murphy, though, and ratings plummeted as unknowns comedians Jeff Joseph and John Mulrooney, then Seattle TV personality Ross Shafer, gave it a shot. It should tell you something that David Spade reportedly turned down the opportunity to be one of the rotating hosts after Rivers. Ouch.
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THE WILTON NORTH REPORT, 1987-1988
• Execs passed on potential hosts Rosie O’Donnell and Ellen Degeneres and hired Phil Cowan and Paul Robins, annoying Sacramento morning drive-time DJs who had no TV experience. In a backwards move, FOX had hired a writing staff before considering the on-screen talent, and the radio heads never vibed with the people putting words in their mouths. Coincidentally, young Conan O’Brien was one of those writers. Can’t say he had no idea what goes on at FOX.
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THE ARSENIO HALL SHOW, 1989-1994
• Until Arsenio pissed off advertisers by inviting controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan on as a guest, his show, which catered to young people and minority viewers, was successful and important. Who could forget when Arsenio had then presidential candidate Bill Clinton play the sax? Were it not for Linda Tripp, that might’ve been the blowjob he’s best known for! Woof! Woof! Woof!
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THE CHEVY CHASE SHOW, 1993
• In the so-called “Talk-Show Wars,” Chase’s show was a non-combatant. Not for lack of shots fired, mind you (see the poster above going at Letterman), but because Chase, who used cheap pratfalls for laughs and recycled material despite the fact that his show only lasted five weeks, shot blanks.
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MADTV, 1995-2009
• Debuting back when SNL sucked hardest, this garbage sketch comedy “rival” with second- and third-rate comedians managed to suck even more. If you ask us, it should’ve been called MadShittyTV.
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THE MAGIC HOUR, 1998-1999
• When it came to basketball, Earvin Johnson was Magic. When it came to reading cue cards and making small talk with guests, he was the Adam Morrison of that shit.
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THE WANDA SYKES SHOW, 2009-present
• This replacement for MadTV features Sykes and comedian sidekick Keith Robinson doing sketches and interviews with people like Jenna Jameson. We’re not staying in on Saturday to watch it, but hey, at least it ain’t Magic.
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johnny b. January 12, 2010 at 7:44 pm
u call madtv shitty but it lasted 14 years…it had its moments.
Frank Grimes January 12, 2010 at 10:32 pm
Mad TV was really good, when it was the original cast with Debra Wilson, Orlando Jones, Artie Lange, Nicole Sullivan, and Phil Lamarr and Will Sasso
After all those types left, it became unwatchable.
El January 13, 2010 at 4:38 am
I’m confused, what constitutes as a failure? Because if a show is on air for like 5 years, for me that’s pretty successful. The fact that you might not have liked it doesn’t make it a failure. I mean, do shows really need to stay on air for like 30 years to be considered successes? Really? Arsenio was on for 5 years, MadTV 14 years… if it gets the ratings and stays on air, that in essence is a success in TV land.
I mean, same with TV dramas. If a show is cancelled after like 5-6 years, it’s not a failure, it’s just ran its course and ended. Doesn’t make it a failure so much as it’s just decided to end and move on to other things.
Now, if a show is cancelled after 7 months, THAT is a failure. When a show is cancelled after 1 year or a few episodes, failure? Sure. But some of these on the list I don’t really consider to be failures and therefore not to be compared to the Conan situation.
TheFamilyMan January 13, 2010 at 6:05 am
How did The Late Show 87-88 ever manage to fail with Richard Belzer doing some hosting? That guy is notorious for his humor on Law and Order SVU.
booooooo! January 13, 2010 at 8:42 am
@Johnny B.
madtv sucked and you suck for liking it
riff raff January 13, 2010 at 10:26 am
I thought MADtv was pretty funny for a long time. How can a show be considered a failure if it runs from 1995 to 2009? There were a lot of funny comedians and sketches to come out of that show.
Josh Emerson January 13, 2010 at 1:05 pm
MADtv had a bunch of great seasons and multiple talented cast members with Nicole Sullivan, Debra Wilson, Mo Collins, Will Sasso, Nicole Parker, and a few others. How is it a failure? You should’ve put Spike Feresten’s show on this list, not MADtv.
TweedleD January 13, 2010 at 1:17 pm
MADtv was awful… Jerry Springer has been on for years… suckfests last because of the idiots that continue to watch it
J January 13, 2010 at 1:25 pm
The Arsenio Hall show wasn’t on Fox. It was syndicated by Paramount. Fox had wanted him to come back but he’d already signed with Paramount.
Don't Make Me Break My Foot Off Up Yo' Ass! January 13, 2010 at 1:29 pm
Yeah, give the first season-ish/original cast of MadTV their due. They had some funny bits, and beat the hell out SNL for a year or two. Anyone remember Hate Guy?
Anyway, for the record, ‘The Magic Hour’ only lasted like 8 weeks, and that was all of ‘98.
And don’t forget Fox’s ‘Saturday Night Special’ which was a total disaster too. I only remember it because Alice in Chains was on it once.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Special
Stan January 13, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Really…”The Adam Morrison of that shit”? Why not the Sam Booey of late night…or someone that was a huge bust. Adam Morrison’s not really failure. No one gave him a huge contract and expected a lot of success.
And MadTV, although I never really liked it that much, can’t be considered a failure. 15 years is pretty damn good.
m' January 13, 2010 at 1:43 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7A7jivVNQc
madtv had its moments.
DutchSchultz January 13, 2010 at 11:42 pm
Mad TV was a shitty rip off of SNL. Artie was the only funny person on that disaster. Walk those knife wounds off my nigga and get back to the Stern show soon.
Philippine Real Estate Owner January 14, 2010 at 12:05 am
Mad Tv may be an SNL rip off but it still has its funny moments.
Erik January 14, 2010 at 1:37 am
Saturday Night Live was, is, and will always be, garbage. It’s for people who think they have a sense of humor, but really don’t. That’s not say it isn’t funny. Just that, generally the people who watch it, aren’t funny but want to be. People should watch a sketch-comedy show because it’s funny, not because they want be involved with everyone else at the office, the following monday. Why is it cool to watch Saturday Night Live? “Oh hey, did you see SNL?” No. No, I didn’t.
By the way, Mad TV kicked the shit out of “SNL”.
Drew from Dover January 17, 2010 at 8:56 pm
MadTV was an incredible success. Why do they show reruns on Comedy Central then? Seriously, the article fell apart even before one thinks “Well, if FOX failed in late night did they put a proven performer like Conan on?” The answer was NO! Conan has decades of experience and I can see Universal telling NBC to F itself, produce The Conan O’Brien show for FOX and whip that pussy Jay Leno’s ASS every night. From the man who wouldn’t burn others to the biggest back stabber in history. Oh, and SNL is a suckfest of taking a lame joke and stretching it out seven minutes. SNL on WGAF!