Television series

Conan

Name: Conan
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2010
Cast: Conan O'Brien, Andy Richter, Jimmy Vivino, James Wormworth, Jerry Vivino

Conan is what happens when a network-style desk-and-monologue show gets handed to a host who can't stop poking at his own format. Same band, same guest-chat rhythm, but chasing bits until they either soar or gloriously implode. Loose, self-aware, and often stranger than a talk show has any right to be — for anyone who wants comedy treated as the whole point, not the garnish.

TVMaze rating

7.7

If you liked this

Late Night with Conan O'Brien1993

This is where the sensibility actually started — younger, weirder, and freer than the TBS years, with masturbating bears and string dance and a host who seemed genuinely unsupervised.

But It's the same guy doing a similar thing for longer; if you want variety rather than more Conan, this won't scratch that itch.

The Late Show with David Letterman1993

Letterman basically invented the ironic, anti-showmanship mode Conan grew up worshipping — watching him feels like meeting Conan's actual comedic father.

But Colder and slower in places, with decades of episodes to wade through before you find the good stretch.

The Late Show with David Letterman poster

Late Night with Seth Meyers2014

Same NBC lineage, pushed toward sharper news satire — 'A Closer Look' does for political comedy what Conan's remotes did for pure absurdity.

But More topical and buttoned-up than chaotic; if you came for silliness over commentary, it plays a bit straighter.

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee2012no page yet

Same essential engine as Conan's best moments — two funny people just talking — with every other piece of the format stripped away entirely.

Seinfeld ditches every trapping of the talk show — no desk, no monologue, no audience, just two comedians in a car — and it's often funnier than shows with ten times the budget.

But No sketches, no music, no big physical swings — if you love Conan's chaos, this quieter format might feel thin by comparison.

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson2005no page yet

Ferguson threw out cue cards and rules nightly — genuine chaos, a horse puppet, real unpredictability — making him late night's closest thing to Conan's gleeful anarchy.

But Rougher production and a smaller cult following mean fewer big pop-culture moments to hook you in early.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson1962

Carson is the source code for the desk-and-monologue format Conan spent his whole career either honoring or gently demolishing.

But A completely different era of comedy pacing — genteel where Conan is manic — and archival footage quality can be patchy.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson poster

The Late Late Show with James Corden2015no page yet

Leaned hard into viral stunts and big set-piece games, chasing the same swing-for-the-fences energy Conan loved, just polished for the YouTube era.

But Slicker and more mainstream-friendly, with less of the personal, ramshackle weirdness that makes Conan's show distinct.

The Chris Rock Show1997no page yet

A sharper, more political late-90s cousin, mixing stand-up, sketches, and interviews with real bite and a very different comic temperature.

But Shorter run, less widely available, and pointed rather than absurd — a distinct flavor of funny, not a direct match.

The Ernie Kovacs Show1951no page yet

Kovacs invented the format-breaking, absurdist visual comedy that Conan's weirdest remote segments are still quietly paying tribute to.

Decades before Conan strapped himself into a green-screen jungle, Kovacs was already blowing up the rules of television with surreal visual gags nobody else was attempting.

But Grainy, dated, and some jokes need historical context to land — this is comedy archaeology, not easy nostalgia.

Jackass2000

Both are built on a host cheerfully humiliating himself for the bit; Jackass just removes the dignity, the desk, and the punchline.

Trade the desk and band for pure physical comedy — Jackass runs on the exact same fuel as Conan's willingness to be launched, dunked, or humiliated for a laugh, just cranked to eleven.

But Trashier, more dangerous, and uninterested in wit or wordplay — pure id where Conan is at least half brain.