Editing Late Night with Conan O'Brien (section)

===Debut===
O'Brien's ''Late Night'' debuted on September 13, 1993, with [[Andy Richter]] chosen as O'Brien's sidekick. The premiere episode featured [[John Goodman]], who received a "First Guest" medal for his appearance, [[Drew Barrymore]], and [[Tony Randall]] with cameos from [[George Wendt]] and [[Bob Costas]]. The episode featured a [[cold open]] of O'Brien's walk to the studio with constant reminders that he was expected to live up to Letterman. [[Tom Brokaw]] makes a cameo, welcoming O'Brien to NBC but, doing as those on O'Brien's walk had done, warning him that he had "better be as good as Letterman, or else...", before menacingly crushing [[Saltine cracker|saltine crackers]] in front of O'Brien, appearing to be representative of the fate that awaited the new host if he failed to meet expectations.  After seeming to be unaffected by the comments, O'Brien arrives at his dressing room and cheerfully prepares to [[Hanging|hang]] himself. However, a warning that the show is about to start causes him to abandon his plans.<ref name="battle"/><ref>{{cite episode|title=Episode 1|series=Late Night with Conan O'Brien|season=1|number=1|network=NBC|airdate=September 13, 1993}}</ref>

The show's first musical guest was English rock band [[Radiohead]], who performed during the second episode. American singer-songwriter [[Jonathan Richman]] was the show's second musical guest.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jonathan-richman-i-jonathan/|title=Jonathan Richman: I, Jonathan Album Review {{!}} Pitchfork|last=Hogan|first=Marc|date=2018-04-22|website=pitchfork.com|language=en|access-date=2018-04-26}}</ref>

O'Brien's inexperience was apparent, and the show was generally considered mediocre by critics in terms of hosting. The ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]{{'}}'' Lon Grankhe called O'Brien "nervous, unprepared and generally geeky",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.conanofthenight.com/15-09-93-2.html |title=Conan Pleads for Patience, Pity – He'll Surely Need It |publisher=Conanofthenight.com |date=1993-09-15 |access-date=2011-10-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025175053/http://www.conanofthenight.com/15-09-93-2.html |archive-date=October 25, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> and [[Tom Shales]] wrote "As for O'Brien, the young man is a living collage of annoying nervous habits. He giggles and titters, jiggles about and fiddles with his cuffs. He has dark, beady little eyes like a rabbit. He's one of the whitest white men ever."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.conanofthenight.com/15-09-93.html |title=Better Never Than Late; Conan O'Brien Not Worth A Hoot to the Night Owl |publisher=Conanofthenight.com |date=1993-09-15 |access-date=2011-10-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025184110/http://www.conanofthenight.com/15-09-93.html |archive-date=October 25, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> (O'Brien wrote for ''[[The New York Times]]'' a satirical review of the first episode the day it aired titled "O'Brien Flops!", in which he told readers "Frankly, I was not impressed".<ref name="obrien19930913">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/ref/opinion/17opclassic_conan.html |title=O'Brien Flops! |last=O'Brien |first=Conan |date=1993-09-13 |work=The New York Times |type=op-ed}}</ref>) The originality and quality of the comedy, however, led by original head writer [[Robert Smigel]], was widely praised. Although O'Brien benefited by comparison from the quick critical and commercial failure of the fellow new late-night ''[[The Chevy Chase Show]]'',<ref name="battle"/> NBC only offered short-term contracts, 13 weeks at a time<ref name="contrarian"/> and once for six weeks, as widely reported by the press at the time.<ref name="battle">"[http://www.aetv.com/listings/episode_details.do?episodeid=562114 The Battle for Late Night]{{dead link|date=November 2019|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}" [[A&E Network]], April 27, 2010.</ref> O'Brien was reportedly almost fired at least once in this period, but NBC had no one to replace him. According to Smigel, "We were basically canceled at ''Conan'', and then they changed their minds in August of '94, gave us a reprieve."<ref name="avclub.com">Heisler, Steve [https://www.avclub.com/dana-carvey-and-robert-smigel-1798216785 Interview – Dana Carvey and Robert Smigel] [[The A.V. Club]] (June 15, 2009). Retrieved on 5-09-10.</ref>

In an unusual form of advertising, Conan O'Brien's credits in ''[[The Simpsons]]'' "[[Treehouse of Horror IV]]" episode, originally aired on October 28, 1993 (and produced before O'Brien's left the ''Simpsons'' writing staff to host ''Late Night''), reference his new role as host of ''Late Night'', including one credit that lists "Watch My Show" as his "middle" name. (All ''Simpsons'' "Treehouse of Horror" episodes credit the voice cast and crew under Halloween-associated nicknames, some being faux middle names in quotation marks.)<ref name="Conan">{{cite video |people=O'Brien, Conan |date=2004 |title=The Simpsons season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror IV" |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>

One NBC affiliate, [[KPRC-TV]] in [[Houston]], dropped ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' in September 1994 due to low ratings and replaced it with the syndicated ''[[The Jenny Jones Show|Jenny Jones Show]]''.  KPRC reinstated O'Brien's ''Late Night'' in the fall of 1996, but scheduled it to air as late as 2:40&nbsp;a.m.; over the next eight years, the station, in addition to ''The Jenny Jones Show'', had aired various other first-run syndicated programs (''[[Extra (American TV program)|Extra]]'', ''[[Access Hollywood]]'', ''[[Ricki Lake (1993 talk show)|Ricki Lake]]'', ''[[The Montel Williams Show|Montel Williams]]'' and ''[[Inside Edition]]'') and a rebroadcast of its 10:00&nbsp;p.m. newscast between Leno and O'Brien after it reinstated ''Late Night''. Houston became the subject of a 1997 skit (via classic remote piece) in which O'Brien made impromptu stops at Houston's central bus terminal and the [[Astrodome]] to watch an episode of his own show with Houstonians.  In response to emails sent by O'Brien's fans following the skit regarding its [[graveyard slot|graveyard placement]], KPRC moved the show to 12:35 a.m. in 1998; it would eventually move ''Late Night'' to its network-assigned timeslot, immediately following ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'', in 2004.<ref>{{cite web|last=Steinberg|first=Jacques|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1994-10-17-9410170207-story.html|title=DEFYING THE TV ODDS: CONAN O'BRIEN LIVES!|date=October 17, 1994|work=[[The New York Times]] via [[Orlando Sentinel]]|access-date=November 15, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Hlavaty|first=Craig|url=https://www.chron.com/culture/tv/article/20-years-ago-Conan-O-Brien-came-to-Houston-11103286.php|title=20 years ago Conan O'Brien came to Houston to complain about his time slot|date=April 27, 2017|work=Houston Chronicle|access-date=November 15, 2021}}</ref>

{{rquote|right|
O'Brien: When I first got this job, I came here to [[30 Rockefeller Center|30 Rock]] …

Letterman: How ''did'' you get this job? Was it a theme-writing contest?

O'Brien: Yeah. It was "what would I do with a talk show…" And I was fourth.|Letterman visits ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', March 1, 1994<ref name="ess20120810">{{cite web | url=http://splitsider.com/2012/08/when-late-nights-collide-the-first-lettermanconan-crossover-event/ | title=When Late Nights Collide! The First Letterman/Conan Crossover Event! | publisher=Splitsider | access-date=4 February 2014 | author=Ess, Ramsey | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725103012/http://splitsider.com/2012/08/when-late-nights-collide-the-first-lettermanconan-crossover-event/ | archive-date=July 25, 2014 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="lnco19940228">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9NHDRt1_Xc#t=4m40s |title=David Letterman On "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" 02/28/94 |date=1994-02-28 |type=Television production |series=Late Night with Conan O'Brien |time=4:40 |via=YouTube}}</ref>}}

According to O'Brien, NBC network executive Warren Littlefield told him, with regard to Andy Richter, he'd "never succeed until I 'got rid of that big fat dildo.' That was the tone of the conversations between us and the network." It was widely expected that the host of ''[[Talk Soup]]'', [[Greg Kinnear]] would take over the role, but Kinnear turned down the opportunity. (Kinnear would instead become host of ''Late Night''{{'}}s then-lead-out program, ''[[Later (talk show)|Later]]'', in February 1994, remaining there for two years before deciding to pursue an acting career.)<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine/24Conan-t.html?pagewanted=all | work=The New York Times | first=Lynn | last=Hirschberg | title=Heeeere's ... Conan!!! | date=May 24, 2009}}</ref> Stars like [[Tom Hanks]] agreed to appear on ''Late Night'', which boosted audience awareness. Even Letterman, who admired O'Brien's comic sensibility, appeared as a guest to register his support. O'Brien's performance style improved through experience, and he began to receive more favorable reviews and ratings the following year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.conanofthenight.com/07-10-94.html |title=Rumors, Ratings Rise For O'Brien |publisher=Conanofthenight.com |date=1994-10-07 |access-date=2011-10-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025180812/http://www.conanofthenight.com/07-10-94.html |archive-date=October 25, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> With the ratings gradually improving over the course of two years, ''Late Night'' reached a new level of critical and commercial success in 1996; Tom Shales wrote a article entitled "The Late Night Dawning of Conan", and O'Brien received his first Emmy nomination for writing, which he received every year until 2011.