O'Brien's shows during the strike were brilliant. Some of the best TV I've ever seen.

I used to hate Ferguson, but in the past two years he's really come into his own.

And now I'm going to stop and laugh because I said "come".

abagdan: I used to hate Ferguson, but in the past two years he's really come into his own.

THIS

He is a pure one-man talent

beards are cool

I think Conan has become too reliant on the writers. I was watching a few nights ago, and thought I was watching Leno.

Confabulat: I like Conan, but he just sticks to the standard Leno / Letterman format. Ferguson goes all over the place and does whatever he feels like, and has the much more interesting show.

Conan was like that in the early days. That's why I loved the strike shows because they were Conan doing what he does best, being silly. However when Conan really gets going he is hilarious.

He's been absolute crap since Andy Richter left. Worst thing either of them could have done.

He's been absolute crap since Andy Richter left. Worst thing either of them could have done.

QFT

Also good when Ferguson goes way off on his tangents at the start of the show and you wonder if they will get around to actually having the guests on.

Ferguson is just plain fun to watch and at least appears to be more unscripted than the rest of them.

craig ferguson rocks

FTA: For the first time ever, the CBS "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" topped NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" during a full, five-night week of original head-to-head broadcasts ending April 4, Nielsen Media Research reported on Thursday.

Wait, April 4th? Wasn't Conan repeats all last week? It doesn't really count does it?

LeafyGreens: He's been absolute crap since Andy Richter left. Worst thing either of them could have done.

Uh, no. He hit his stride about 4 years ago when every show was pure awesome

/It's still pure awesome, just less.

Conan is ten times better without his writers. I wonder if he'll keep the same staff if/when he gets the Tonight Show.

browntimmy: Conan is ten times better without his writers. I wonder if he'll keep the same staff if/when he gets the Tonight Show.

Just as long as he doesn't take the writers from the Tonight Show, ugh.

It's funny to me that Conan and Craig are both better than Leno and Letterman, yet they get the shiattier timeslot. L&L just get by on being cultural institutions these days. It's like, "Well, they're on after the news and that's all there is, guess we'll watch it." It's sad that the best thing on either show is Leno's "Headlines" bit, which literally writes itself.

Conan is too precious and self-conscious with his humor. It's "the TV remote that sings like a rabbi" or whatever--things that are supposed to be surreal but are just predictable schtick.

Ferguson is surprisingly weird, and fun to watch. I always wondered how people could watch Conana do his same old watered-down Letterman stuff night after night. Cool to see Fergus gettin' some props, finally.

The only laughs Conan gets now are pity laughs.

Oh look, its funny because his joke failed miserably. Again. Lets give him some applause.

Fox should give Andy his own late night talk show.

Then cancel it.

I liked Craig Ferguson before it was cool to like him, so I'm really getting a kick out of all these replies.

/Drew Carey Show FTW

The problem with these talk shows is that they are on Network TV. Comedy Central and Bill Maher have made network talk shows unwatchable for me. Comedy central understands the format well enough. The humor is too vanilla on network late night.

Ferg is the man!

J. Frank Parnell: "sit perfectly still, only I may dance"

Maybe he should stop trying to steal the spotlight from his guests, they can barely get a complete sentence out before he's doing "funny" voices and faces at the audience.

I've noticed Leno doing that constantly lately. He asks the guest a question, they get half way through, then he goes, "HAHA, YEAH ONE TIME THIS THING HAPPENED TO ME..."
Wow Leno that's super...maybe do that during your monologue instead of those horrible scripted jokes.
----

O'Brien was fantastic during the writers strike and a few weeks after. Since then the show has been the worst I remember it in forever...maybe that's because I saw it at it's best for so long during the strike?

Hmm. This is the same thing everyone was saying when Conan came on the air...

Clearly this is because Scots are cooler than Irish.

Ferguson's way funnier nowadays. I just watch Scrubs until the Craig comes on.

Craig Ferguson was Lister's "Confidence" in the Red Dwarf episode "Confidence and Paranoia"
Link

Well *that* was a fail .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn66Ct9hMVc

copy and paste

Did all those episodes feature FedEx Pope?

Conan should go back to writerless shows. I quit watching about a week into episodes with the writers. The post strike shows are AWFUL!! The strike shows were some of the funniest he has ever done. Hopefully when he goes to LA he will leave the writers behind. And bring back Andy Richter!!

The Conan shows with Stewart and Colbert were brilliant. He is better off without all the scripted shiat from the writers.

Meh, I watch Ninja Warrior and Japanese TV on YouTube instead, so this news really doesn't matter to me.

I used to and still enjoy watching Conan. He's a funny guy, and is pretty nice in person as well.



/It's cool to hate what's cool even if it is cool
/not

aharown 2008-04-11 03:02:11 AM
craig ferguson rocks

Pretty much this.

But Conan? He is a hack, regardless of his 'Simpsons' work.
His constant seeking of approval for terrible jokes, his need to always out-shine his guest and skits that go nowhere show how talentless he is.

I still think Conan rocks it harder then all the rest of them.

God damn his beautiful red-hair!

mfaby: aharown 2008-04-11 03:02:11 AM
craig ferguson rocks

Pretty much this.

But Conan? He is a hack, regardless of his 'Simpsons' work.
His constant seeking of approval for terrible jokes, his need to always out-shine his guest and skits that go nowhere show how talentless he is.

Wow, you are so indie and cool. Let me guess: you hate Lost, sports, Harry Potter, Starbucks, Macs, and any music played on the radio (ever)? You just don't get what us stupid plebs see in these things, right? Am I getting clos?

has hell frozen over?

I'm disappointed that nobody has linked to The Fire Alarm (new window) yet.

If you can find part two during his interview with Paget Brewster, I recommend it.

/Conan at his absolute best.

This is weird, because I have been watching Ferguson a lot more lately than Conan. I feel like I'm cheating on Conan.

I never liked Ferguson's show... I've seen in a couple dozen times and every time he makes obvious jokes or goes on self-righteous rants about stupid shiat.

Conan, on the other hand, is a fantastic host and interviewer. His comedic delivery is spot-on... his writers have gotten worse, though. Sketches and characters aren't as funny as they used to be... but spontaneous banter and interviews are probably the best they've ever been, IMO.

/The only late night host I like almost as much, or as much as Conan is Jon Stewart... Letterman used to be good as well.

Conan sucks, and everybody blaming his writers here can go suck it too.

I've been catching more and more of Ferguson lately. I just recently watched his Johnny Lee Miller interview (awesome). Either their interviews are scripted and rehearsed like a sitcom, or he just gets on really well with his guests.

He absolutely reminds me of Conan at his best.