Conan O’Brien isn’t worried that viewers will get tired of all the talk fests on TV. But just in case, the future “Tonight Show” host has a plan.
“I think at some point my show is going to have to morph into a detective show,” O’Brien said during a Tuesday conference call. “I think four weeks in, Andy Richter and I will be solving crimes. It’s going to be ‘Murder, She Wrote’ with a slightly younger demo.”
O’Brien’s first week lineup should prevent that major change in the format. Joining O’Brien and announcer Richter for the June 1 debut of “Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien” are Will Ferrell and Pearl Jam.
“The first week has some of my favorite people, which is really nice,” O’Brien said, naming Ferrell, Tom Hanks, Green Day, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Sheryl Crow, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ryan Seacrest.
“Hanks is one of the great talk-show guests of all time. He’s this movie legend who also happens to be a raconteur and incredibly likeable. I’ve known him for years so having him on is a dream come true for this first week,” he said. “Paltrow was the third guest when I first came on in 1993 ... She’s this great movie actress and style icon ...
“And then Ryan Seacrest and I are lovers, so that just made sense.”
O’Brien is taking over “Tonight Show” from Jay Leno, who will begin his new 9 p.m. talk show on NBC this fall. O’Brien will be Leno’s final guest this Friday, but he doesn’t plan on roasting Leno during his visit.
“I’m going to have plenty of opportunity to make a jackass of myself in that hour,” O’Brien said. “It's Jay's night. I don't have any illusions about it being my night.”
Now 10:35 p.m. June 1, that’s another story. O’Brien’s been working non-stop since leaving “Late Night” on Feb. 20, touring the country, filming comedy bits for the new show and watching construction of his new set. He’s more than ready to finally get started.
“It's the period beforehand that starts to drive you crazy. We have a lot of ideas and I think we’re ready. We have a lot of fun stuff planned,” he said. “I feel like a racehorse that was put in the chute five years ago and I'm kicking at the side, like, let's go!”
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