People all over the world are still very much trying to stem the spread of the coronavirus by self-isolating and staying away from other people as much as possible. This has, of course, affected many areas of life, including our entertainment options. Many movies and television shows have gone into production delays or stoppages so that their employees can remain safe. This includes several late night talk shows which joined the tide of productions to call it quits for a few weeks. Well, Conan O'Brien will be resuming his TBS talker soon, but it's going to look quite a bit different from what we're used to.
Conan has been on a pre-scheduled hiatus since March 16, but, because fears of spreading the coronavirus are still very strong, when the show returns to TBS on March 30, the episodes are going to be filmed remotely, on an iPhone, without an audience and with all of Conan O'Brien's production staff working from home. I know what you're thinking: What about the interviews? They've got that covered, as well, because all guest interviews will be filmed via video chat. Well done, Conesy!
Here's what Conan executive producer Jeff Ross had to say about the decision in the press release that announced the news:
Our first priority is the health and well-being of everyone in the Team Coco family, and our second priority is to try and find a way that we can do our jobs safely, from home, and contribute some entertainment for our fans out there who may be hungry for silly distraction.
Jeff Ross has a read on the entire nation when he said we need a "silly distraction." And, several talk shows have been doing similar things this week to try and provide people with some entertainment even though their traditional methods of doing so have had to be suspended. Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel have all been doing short videos from their homes this week. Conan O'Brien began the practice this week as well, and has given us gems like a hand washing tutorial, showing us how to sanitize our jigsaw puzzles and letting us in on things we can use in lieu (haha) of toilet paper.
While it may be odd to see an entire episode of Conan that's filmed from a location that will likely be in or near Conan O'Brien's home, and without the usual pomp and circumstance of a standard episode, O'Brien wants to ensure us that the new shows will be just as enjoyable as ever:
The quality of my work will not go down because technically that’s not possible.
That Conesy; always ready with a pithy quip, and that's exactly why we love him. The new episodes of Conan will begin on TBS, Monday, March 30 at 11 p.m. EST. For more on what to watch right now, you can check out our 2020 midseason guide and Netflix schedule, and be sure to stick with CinemaBlend for the latest on everything that's been delayed. Stay safe folks!
