Conan O'Brien Lands Cable TV Deal With TBS(But, Is That Good Or Not?)

Conan O'Brien is just full of surprises. And Monday's latest shocker is that O'Brien has signed a deal with TBS, the cable TV network, rather than FOX. O'Brien's show will air Monday through Thursday at 11:00, moving George Lopez's popular show to midnight. But George Lopez doesn't seem to mind, as the two comics have mutual respect for each other. In fact, George Lopez loves the strong lead-in that Conan O'Brien should present.

Right now, it's not clear what TBS offered O'Brien that FOX didn't. But FOX was having problems with more than a few difficult local stations who didn't want to air a 11:00 program by O'Brien, who miserably failed to hold the audience ratings numbers for his version of THE TONIGHT SHOW. At 12:35 his show was critically acclaimed, and something of a cult hit. But at 11:35, his gig as THE TONIGHT SHOW host was a total bust.

On cable, O'Brien only needs to pull in much smaller numbers to be considered a hit. However, TBS isn't known for real edgy humor, so there might be more than a few creative differences and censorship battles with the network censors, putting some tight reins on some of O'Brien's humor. This creative differences area might be one of the most vexing issues between O'Brien and the network. When you think of TBS, "masturbating bears" just don't come to mind.

One other concern for TBS should be that Jon Stewart's DAILY SHOW on Comedy Central is a huge cable TV comedy hit. Conan O'Brien's show faces immediate challenges to lure a decent audience because Jon Stewart is one of the smartest comics anywhere, the show is extremely well written, and critics love the show. O'Brien needs to step it up a few notches to match this level if he hopes to draw a decent audience. Further, the question remains how many of his NBC fans will follow him over to TBS. Going from one network to another is one thing. Going from NBC to cable is a whole different situation. Audience migration issues abound here.

Can O'Brien arise to all of these challenges? Or, is a move to TBS just the latest chapter in the rise and fall of Conan O'Brien? Will this turn out to be the latest career advance or mistake for the comic? Giving up his NBC gig and his poor TONIGHT SHOW ratings weren't good. Is a move to TBS more of a decline, or more of an opportunity?

The bottom line is this: Is Conan O'Brien some great comic genius or just a damn fool?