Conan O’Brien Must Go: A Hilarious Twist on the Travel Show Format
Conan O’Brien Takes on the Spiciest Challenge Yet
When Conan O’Brien appeared on Hot Ones last week, he surprised everyone with his unique approach to the popular show’s challenge. While most guests opt for conservative dollops of hot sauce, Conan took it to the extreme, entirely submerging his chicken wings. He devoured every piece of meat on the bone, even dramatically licking a wing covered in Da’Bomb Beyond Insanity, a condiment notorious for its intensity and even for causing the demise of Idris Elba on the show in 2019. Unapologetically messy and unaffected by the tears and mucus, O’Brien championed his new travel series, Conan O’Brien Must Go, while fluids streamed down his face.
A Recipe for Smart Insanity: Conan O’Brien’s Secret to Success
Conan O’Brien, the former late-night host, has always held a unique key to success – his ability to take existing media formats and inject them with his signature brand of postmodern vaudevillian absurdity. From his experience as a writer on The Simpsons to his late-night talk shows and celebrity-interview podcasts, O’Brien consistently takes well-established formats and subverts them with his hilarious inventiveness. This is precisely what he has done once again in his new docuseries, Conan O’Brien Must Go.
A Quirky Twist on the Travel Show Genre
Conan O’Brien Must Go, the new Max series and a spinoff of the podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Fan, combines O’Brien’s in-depth conversations with his global admirers with his globe-trotting exploration of various cultures. In this four-episode series, O’Brien surprises his fans by randomly showing up unannounced, while also venturing into different cities to discover each country’s unique customs and heritage. While his previous travel series, Conan Without Borders, hinted at his interest in tweaking travel show tropes, Conan O’Brien Must Go takes it to new levels of blatant parody and delightful silliness.
Unleashing Absurdity Across the Globe
Each episode of Conan O’Brien Must Go, set in Norway, Argentina, Thailand, and Ireland, starts with stunning cinematography and a solemn voiceover by distinguished filmmaker Werner Herzog. Herzog poetically presents the awe-inspiring grandeur of the planet, only to declare Conan O’Brien as “the defiler” in a remarkable tonal shift. This cues O’Brien’s misadventures and antics in the respective countries, disregarding the usual focus on the places and the people. Conan’s willingness to be the joke’s target and his refusal to mock others’ traditions set his show apart.
Taking the Humor to New Heights
Throughout Conan O’Brien Must Go, the comedian continually highlights the mechanics of making a travel show, all with a comedic twist. O’Brien unabashedly uses drones for the most banal and uninspired purposes in a series that celebrates silliness. Be it admiring the northern lights in Norway from the comfort of his hotel room or the self-proclaimed affinity for black pudding in Ireland leading to a deranged modern dance routine, O’Brien blurs the line between genuine travel and absurdist comedy, all for our amusement and a particularly ludicrous form of entertainment.
When Conan O’Brien Becomes the Focus
Contrary to conventional travel-show hosting, where the focus is on the subjects being interviewed, Conan O’Brien-Must Go completely defies this norm. O’Brien takes pleasure in making both his fans and the locals uncomfortable, often diverting the attention entirely onto himself. From licking unsuspecting fans on the cheek in Norway to wandering aimlessly in Bangkok, rambling in English, and bewildering the locals, O’Brien turns every situation into an opportunity to display his comedic prowess. His playful mockery and unquestionable goofiness reaffirm his status as the true king of comedy.
A Nod to Travel and Media Genres
Conan O’Brien Must Go also playfully pays homage to specific sub-genres under the travel-show umbrella. O’Brien engages in a comical search for Bono, the elusive U2 frontman, in Merrion Square Park, resulting in a segment reminiscent of a nature program, playfully titled Finding Bono. The show even references Stanley Tucci’s food-focused travel series, as O’Brien creatively imitates his famous indulgent reactions to exquisite cuisine. This leads to O’Brien comically writhing on the floor after tasting the renowned black pudding in Ireland, leaving the baffled shop owner questioning his sanity.
The Enduring Comedy Legacy of Conan O’Brien
With Conan O’Brien Must Go, the endlessly humorous Conan O’Brien reaffirms his place as one of the comedy greats. At 61 years old, O’Brien’s naturally outrageous and floor-gyrating antics continue to captivate audiences worldwide. With his irreverent and subversive approach, O’Brien brings laughter to this extraordinary planet of ours, one trip and one punchline at a time. Conan O’Brien is undoubtedly a comedy king, whose comedic reign is as strong as ever.
