the Informer

Conan O’Brien’s triumphant return to late night was announced on Monday as TBS declared a deal with the beloved comedian. Since O’Brien’s departure from NBC there had been rumors that he would be signing on with Fox for a show, the likes of which were similar to his last late-night endeavor.

Now he will be competing with other 11 p.m. bigwigs like Jon Stewart. The deal came about swiftly while O’Brien was caught up in stalled negotiations with the Fox network.

The new show will bump George Lopez’s show to midnight, a tune that mimics the reason behind O’Brien being knocked off NBC, but Lopez made it clear that he wanted the change to happen and that nobody was stepping on his – or his show’s – toes. Lopez told deadline.com, “I can’t think of anything better than doing my show with Conan as my lead-in. It’s the beginning of a new era in late-night comedy.”

The show will be L.A.-based (O’Brien refuses to move his kids again) and looks to be long-term. The show is yet-to-be-titled and will air Mondays through Thursdays.O’Brien is currently on a U.S. comedy tour but has a long-standing history with his comedic affairs.

He began writing and performing in his youth and attended Harvard, where he earned a history degree and wrote for the Harvard Lampoon. After graduation, O’Brien went on to become a writer for several television shows, including HBO’s “Not Necessarily the News,” NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” and Fox’s “The Simpsons.”

After winning an Emmy for his writing stints, O’Brien began hosting his own late-night show, “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” in 1993, which ran for 16 years before he dropped it for “The Tonight Show.”

O’Brien left “The Tonight Show,” last winter after a disruption in time slots pushed Jay Leno back into the 11:35 p.m. spot, knocking his show back past midnight. His departure triggered an outburst from fans about the treatment of such a popular and influential comedian.

In the limbo between his leave from NBC and the announcement of his show with TBS, O’Brien has kept fans on their toes with daily updates on his Twitter account (@ConanOBrien) and his current U.S. tour, the “Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television” tour.

O’Brien says, “In three months I’ve gone from network television to Twitter to performing live in theatres, and now I’m headed to basic cable. My plan is working perfectly.”The deal with Fox fell through mainly due to negotiations with affiliates. Many affiliates have their own broadcasts during the 11 p.m. slot O’Brien was seeking, and would have to modify current syndication deals in order to accommodate the new show. If the deal had been signed, O’Brien’s show would only be on about 60 percent of Fox affiliate stations for the beginning of its run.

The late-night entertainment world is anxiously awaiting O’Brien’s return, and expects the premier to be just as extravagant as his last show’s finale. Viewers should expect to see O’Brien’s new show this fall.