Conan O’Brien’s exit deal with NBC stipulates that he can’t go on network television again until September 2010, but in the meantime he may have found a temporary home on stage. Coco doesn’t want us to forget he’s an entertainer, so while he waits for an opportunity with FOX or another network to form, he’s considering putting on a theatrical show.
A source told Page Six: “There’s nothing to stop him doing his show in front of an audience at venues like Radio City. It will build more buzz for him as he negotiates his next television contract. It will also keep Conan happy because he doesn’t want to be out of the public consciousness for too long.”
If he really wants to stay in the public consciousness, he should definitely go on tour, and The Wrap reports that’s exactly what’s about to happen. They have a source close to Conan’s camp who says the show will tour across several U.S. cities and will also have a highly interactive website to keep Conan’s fans engaged in the show. Conan’s fans have proven that they’re children of the internet age with their massive Twitter and Facebook campaigns, so establishing a presence on the internet is a necessity for Conan.
If only Triumph and the Masturbating Bear could join him, it could be quite a show. Right now there is no word on exactly what characters and other intelligent property Conan was able to keep after he left NBC, but the buzz is that Conan might have to develop a whole new roster of material. Triumph the Insult Comic Dog might be the one character who will return again as Conan’s friend Robert Smigel reportedly owns the rights to the sidesplitting barb-spewing puppet act.
We can only hope!
