Conan O’Brien late night show ending – launching HBO Max variety program

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Legendary comedian Conan O'Brien is preparing to make some major ch-ch-changes when he swaps his daily show for a weekly variety show on HBO Max. Why is this a big deal? Well, Conan has been the host of his own talk show for the past 28 years, making this the first time that fans will only get to see his big, beautiful red-headed mug once a week, and on a paid streaming service no less!

Conan, which has been a major cornerstone of TBS's lineup since 2010, will close the curtain at the end of its tenth season in June 2021. Over the years, O'Brien has presented more than 1,400 episodes of his spirited talk show, which he'd established after his exit from The Tonight Show.

“In 1993 Johnny Carson gave me the best advice of my career: ‘As soon as possible, get to a streaming platform.’ I’m thrilled that I get to continue doing whatever the hell it is I do on HBO Max, and I look forward to a free subscription,” O’Brien said about landing his newest on HBO Max.

Recently Jeff Ross, who executive produces Conan and has worked alongside the front lining funnyman for a number of years, spoke with Deadline about what the future holds for the dynamic duo, saying he feels as if late-night shows are “kind of dinosaurs in the business” and that they're looking forward to taking a bold new step toward something fresh and new. “TBS and these linear cable networks, especially, are just like death. You know there’s no circulation, so you can’t do it forever. And [Conan] is ready for a change. We’ve got a lot of stuff going on between the podcast and the show and the digital business,” Ross added.

In charge of producing the new HBO Max weekly show is Team Coco, who is already familiar with the streamer after helping to launch four stand-up specials featuring comedians including Chris Redd and Moses Storm.

“28 years is a monumental achievement in late-night television,” said Brett Weitz, General Manager for TNT, TBS, and truTV.  “We’re incredibly proud of the groundbreaking work that Conan and his team have accomplished during the 10 years at TBS and are so glad that we will continue to have his presence on our air with the ‘Conan Without Borders’ specials.  We celebrate his success and are glad to see it grow across our WarnerMedia family.”

“Conan’s unique brand of energetic, relatable, and at times, absurdist, comedy has charmed late-night audiences for nearly three decades. We can’t wait to see what he and the rest of Team Coco will dream up for this brand new, variety format each week,” said Casey Bloys, Chief Content Officer, HBO, and HBO Max.

Will you be following Conan onto HBO Max? Let us know how you feel about "Big Red" making the jump to a weekly variety program in the comments section below.