Well, the deal has been made. Conan O’Brien and NBC have negotiated a settlement. Conan and his staff get $45 million dollars and NBC gets The Tonight Show back. Friday, January 22, 2010, will be the last episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. Guests will be Will Ferrell, Tom Hanks, and Neil Young. On March 1, 2010, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno will be on the air once more. I hope you’re happy, Jeff Zucker; you’re now officially the worst network executive in history.
According to the terms of the deal, O’Brien gets $33 million dollars. The other $12 million will go to his 200-person staff and crew as severance pay. Rumor has it, NBC is getting to keep some of Conan’s signature comedy bits in the divorce.
O’Brien may be returning to television as soon as September, though it’s not known who is going to pick him up. Fox has talked positively about him, and he’d be great for their late-night talk-show spot that’s been empty since The Chevy Chase Show became the greatest TV disaster in history (well, until this). Other rumored destinations include Comedy Central. ABC claims it isn’t interested.
If you’re a TV network and you can get this guy, you’d be crazy not to. Yes, September is a long time away, but you’ll need the lead-in time to build a sound stage and get a talk show set up. Conan’s got some major league cachet at the moment, and while it’ll be awhile before he’s available, it’ll be awhile before you’re ready for him. He’ll bring good ratings with him, and most importantly, he’ll bring awesome guests and media buzz.
Image: TV Squad
Tags: Conan O’Brien, The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, NBC, Conan O’Brien gets million buy-out, Conan’s final Tonight Show, Friday is the last Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Leno returns to The Tonight Show March 1