The ratings are in for Conan O’Brien’s last edition of The Tonight Show, and he wasn’t alone. The program scored a 7.0 in the ratings, which means that, roughly, 70 percent of the country who was watching television at that time of night were tuned into the Cone Zone. Apparently, the best thing you can do for a program is to be controversial, because Conan’s ratings are through the roof since NBC pushed him out of the job for Jay Leno.
I saw the last episode, and I ended up semi-live Tweeting my reactions to it as I went along. It was, in turns, funny, awkward, sweet, and heartbreaking. The show had a lot of wonderful moments, like when Neil Young thanked Conan for all Conan has done for new music since taking over Late Night. The final ending jam, with Conan picking up an electric guitar and joining the Max Weinberg 7, Beck, Ben Harper, Will Ferrell, and ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons for an appropriately goofy rendition of “Free Bird.”
As for me, I’m done with NBC. I love The Office and 30 Rock, but I really can’t support that network anymore. I’ll rewatch Conan’s final Tonight Show on Hulu once more, but after that I’m done with them. The boycott might only last a few weeks or months, but I’m going to try to show my support for Conan.
Tags: Conan O’Brien, The Tonight Show, Conan O’Brien’s last Tonight Show, ratings, television events, milestones, ratings for The Tonight Show