20 TV Shows That Were Cancelled Too Early
5. The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brian
What became the fodder of countless internet chat rooms, Conan was out after seven months and four Emmy nominations, and Jay was back in.
The decision to let Conan depart from the show has been called one of the “biggest blunders in NBC’s history.”
The saga began after NBC executives decided to move Conan from his “Late Night with Conan O’Brian” show and instead have him host “The Tonight Show” replacing Jay Leno. After seven months, NBC announced that “The Jay Leno Show” would be broadcast at 11.35pm meaning “The Tonight Show” would be pushed back to a 12.05am slot.
Outraged by this decision, Conan announced that he would not host the show if it was pushed back to the new time. After heated negotiations, NBC ended Conan’s contract early which cost them a staggering $45 million.
After his unceremonious departure, Conan embarked upon a “Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television” tour where many venues sold out within hours of tickets going on sale. Conan has now found a new home on TBS with the “Conan” show which has enjoyed comfortable ratings.
