The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien

The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien placed Conan's off-kilter comic voice at the center of NBC's storied late-night franchise. When he took over on June 1, 2009, the show kept the Tonight Show structure of an opening monologue, celebrity interviews and recurring sketches while highlighting Conan's improvisational bits, oddball characters and short-form filmed pieces. Episodes mixed live segments with pre-taped shorts that showcased Conan's strengths. That incarnation aired during a turbulent seven months and ended January 22, 2010 when Jay Leno returned to the chair, leaving the run as a high-profile, short-lived experiment, memorable.

Premiering June 1, 2009 on NBC, this fifth Tonight Show installment starred Conan O'Brien and aired weeknights in the traditional late-night slot with an audience. It succeeded Jay Leno's version and concluded January 22, 2010 amid the network's host reshuffle.

Because the series had a brief seven-month run, it did not build a notable awards record while on NBC. Any industry recognition for Conan occurred across his wider career or for projects outside this short Tonight Show stint, rather than for this run itself.

The abrupt host change and short tenure provoked extensive media coverage and an unusually vocal viewer response, prompting conversations about late-night programming, network priorities and fandom. Social media amplified those reactions, turning local coverage into a national conversation about television talent, corporate choices and industry figures.

Critical and audience response was mixed to positive, reflected in a user vote average of 7.0/10. Viewers appreciated Conan's playful self-awareness, absurd sketches and conversational interview style, though some critics thought the format fit him better outside the constraints of the Tonight Show brand. User ratings recorded 81 votes overall.