Conan O’Brien was the first late-night host to start airing full-on episodes (while shooting with an iPhone) during the pandemic, and now, he’s making a historic move. Yep, he’s stepping out, doing his Team Coco thing, and he’s doing it as safely as possible. In a press release, TBS has announced that the production is leaving O’Brien’s home soon (whoa, July 6) to start broadcasting from West Hollywood’s historic Largo at the Coronet venue. It’s a location that’s near and dear to the host’s heart.
“I got started doing improv at the Coronet in 1986,” O’Brien explained in a statement. “And I’m glad we’ve figured out a way to safely keep that theater going during this lockdown.” It sounds like a challenge but a worthy one, if it works.
All aspects of production will be carried out as safely as possible during the ongoing pandemic, with only a limited cast and crew on site to aid O’Brien in his travels while keeping a live audience away and conducting interviews via the Zoom platform. Still, the protocols involved with such a move will be substantial, though O’Brien himself seems committed to keep plugging away with much of his staff working at home. He’s also continuing to keep them all on the payroll, just like he did with his entire non-writing staff during the 2007 writers’ strike.
We can look forward to not only nightly episodes of Conan from the venue but also a monthly live-standup show, which will begin streaming on July 9. The Largo’s owner, Mark Flanagan, is understandably thrilled. “We are thrilled that Conan and his great team reached out and offered to help us through these awful times,” Flanagan said. “We have a long history together and look forward to many more great years to come.”
