Commentary
I'm Sick Of Coco
- by Steve Smith , Staff Writer @popeyesm, November 1, 2010
I have to admit, I am tired of Conan O'Brien's upcoming TBS premiere even before it even launches next week. The much and publicly aggrieved O'Brien finally comes back to TV after months of Web antics, live shows and relentless reminders that NBC screwed him over. Sympathy is about to turn to impatience. This show better be damned good to merit all of the woe-is-me-ism attached to it.
Apparently the Web gets its first taste Monday evening in a simulcast across TeamCoco.com, Facebook and YouTube. Following the patterns established by Jimmy Fallon, Conan will do a test run at 11 p.m. that reportedly is titled "Show Zero." It will include some celebrity guests, a look at the band and sidekick Andy Richter. The actual set of the new show will not be seen, as this not-quite-dress-rehearsal is being recorded in O'Brien's office, according to a memo obtained by AdAge. Appropriately enough, Coke Zero is the sponsor of this warm-up effort. I imagine if Diet Pepsi has stepped in they might have called the Web event "Diet Conan." AdAge says that TBS was looking for $200,000 to sponsor the pre-show show.
O'Brien is not shy about product integration in this show. Someone at corporate is wise enough to map the sponsors with the content fairly well, however. The TeamCoco.com site is sponsored and well-populated by AT&T. An orange AT&T-colored blimp with Conan in tow has been flying around the US, But is that orange really AT&T orange or a referent to the famously bright-haired star? Smart, huh?
Has it really only been ten months since that great NBC debacle? The Web seems to have made it seem longer. What with the Twitter comments the recent "Live Coco Cam", which fed video from O'Brien's office for a day, and the TeamCoco posting at the TBS web site, it seems as if this show has been in the process of becoming longer than "The Hobbit" prequel or maybe Duke Nukem Forever.
After all of this Web-fueled hype and run-up to the Conan show it will be interesting to see how the show itself follows through with a Web strategy. For the first show, the TeamCoco site is asking viewers to vote on a first guest. Jack Nicholson (9034 votes) is leading The Pope (1,203) and Justin Bieber (6,213). I am voting for Thomas Pynchon (716) if for no other reason than that it gives me a reason to tune in next week to see if any of this hype pays off in a good show.
Steve Smith is Editorial Director of Events for MediaPost
I'm with you Steve, but more specifically, I'm sick of the whining perception that he was screwed by NBC. It's a business decision! If his product was something NBC's consumers (aka viewers) wanted to buy, they would have watched! However, that wasn't the case! All too often, television 'talent' don't look at their show as a 'product' that viewers (customers) make a buying decision around. If the consumer likes the product, they'll buy it, if not, they'll choose something different. It's nothing personal towards Conan, but his product wasn't of sufficient interest to NBC's late night customers. I wish him nothing but success on TBS.
It's just a little bit hard to hear about his woe because he did walk away with $42 million. I'd like that kind of woe, particularly in this economy.
If the show isn't better than the promos for it, Coco's in big trouble - but then again, NBC already knew this.
Had he been able to beat Letterman, he'd still have the job. But he couldn't, so he didn't. Leno is beating Letterman again.