The Revenge of the Hackneyed Cliche'

A few weeks ago, in the depths of the "say it ain't so" late night fiasco, my husband and I happened upon some "Best of Carson" reruns on cable. I settled in to watch, comforted by the familiar comedy of my childhood, happy that if I couldn't have Conan O'Brien I could at least enjoy his comedic forefather. Carson didn't disappoint. I laughed fully at his gags and jokes, and at the impatient- yet-loving chiding he gave sidekick Ed McMahon. It wasn't until the last skit they showed, a late-in-the-series "Carnac the Magnificent" that my focus shifted. Carnac had always been my favorite of Carson's bits, so I waited for comedy gold. Again, Carson delivered. But, as I was giggling and chortling, I also began to notice something... While Johnny was always the consummate professional, and never missed a joke, there was a tiredness in his eyes as he delivered the punch lines. And I also noted that when the segment was over, he couldn't get the Carnac turban off fast enough. It occurred to me, in a flashing "Vegas neon" moment, that this same bit had been done by him for years upon years. It was always funny, always a crowd pleaser....but was it a Carson pleaser? Had he become trapped in the success of his own show? Was he a prisoner of Carnac??
And suddenly, the reality of the situation became so very clear to my television-addled mind....to host the Tonight Show is both a blessing a curse, and maybe what happened to Conan was more wonderful than terrible. Sure, it is epic and historical television, but is it really a good place for comedians to grow? I mean, look at Jay Leno (But don't look directly at him, think of the children!!) He has been doing the same tired and warmed-over "comedy" for the better part of two decades. And while the crowds eat it up, his creativity (such as it is) has shriveled. He will be Jay Walking until he needs a Jay Walker to do so. He'll be reading Headlines until his cataracts prevent it. That will be his punishment for his multitude of sins, and that is a bit of cold comfort.
In the meantime, NBC has decided to be the petulant child. When Conan left their play date, he was made to leave behind all of his toys. His "intellectual property" is no longer his own. All of the hilarious recurring gags, characters, and bits now belong to the Peacock. That will show him! Let's see Conan O'Brien try to be funny NOW....(Insert rolling eyes) In this move, the gauntlet has been thrown down. Conan now has to reinvent himself and his comedy. A whole new world of opportunities has been lain as his feet! At the age when past Tonight Show hosts began to whither into predictable molds - even incomparable talents like Johnny Carson couldn't shake this fate - Conan is just getting started. Who knows what the next decade (or two) will bring? My funny bone is tingling just thinking about it!!
And so, while I have spent the last month spitting venom at NBC and wishing bad, biblical-type plagues upon them and theirs, I now want to officially say "Thank you!" Thanks for not taking one of the funniest minds of our time and wringing it free of originality and edge until it is considered palatable by every bridge club in Milwaukee. Thanks for not beating this priceless sense of humor into a homogenized blob, chalky and white as warm milk. Thank you for presenting this man, this insanely funny man, with a challenge he will not only rise to meet, but beat the snot out of and eat for dinner!
In short, thank you NBC for trotting out the tired cliche' of how when a door closes a window opens, and actually making it WORK. This may be the most significant contribution your network has made to humanity since the era of the Very Special "Facts of Life" episodes.