‘Conan O’Brien Must Go’ Is a Keeper: TV Review
18.04.2024 - 14:25
/ variety.com
Stephen Rodrick The key to understanding Conan O’Brien’s comedy is knowing that it comes from a point of kindness. Yes, I know in this age of comics punching down, this kind of compliment may leave you with a neon “Must Avoid!” sign flashing in your bleary eyes — but stay with me. Here is an example.
Early in the first episode of his new, four-episode Max travel show “Conan O’Brien Must Go,” Conan — who has earned the right to be referred to by his first name. See: Carson, Johnny — travels to Oslo, Norway. There, he pops in on Jarle, a Norwegian waif of a rapper that Conan had originally met on a segment of his “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast.
In the podcast video, Jarle’s hair was combed and he seemed coherent. Then Conan surprises him. Jarle comes to the door, and he’s maybe 110 pounds in a long sleeve T-shirt, jogging pants, and Crocs.
He is either on a Captain Crunch jag or house arrest. Conan goes upstairs and surveys Jarle’s apartment. There’s a single spoon and a single bowl.
Jarle’s cereal has coagulated into a mass that Conan seeks to pierce with a week old piece of bread turned to stone. In a drawer, antennas are growing out of Jarle’s potatoes. At this point, many comedians would have given up, perhaps abandoning Jarle for better comedy, but Conan needles and cajoles him just enough to roust his spirits.
He then deftly launches an effort to have one of Jarle’s songs played on Oslo radio. I won’t spoil what happens next, but suffice to say that the youth of Norway are left with some very long WTF looks on their Nordic faces. That kind of comedic humanity has always been present from Conan’s early days writing for “The Simpsons.” He has cut breaks to everyone from Homer “I call this big one Bitey”
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