NOW ON TBS | Makes fun of his rude exit from 'Tonight Show'

The great paradox of Conan O'Brien is this: Almost every word out of his mouth is self-deprecating, and yet the man oozes hubris. Somehow, the underdog Team Coco movement has culminated in a traditional talk show, complete with overconfident host. (He wouldn't even let musical guest Jack White play by himself.)

Conan O'Brien's debut on TBS introduced us to a looser, goofier comic than the one who watched "The Tonight Show" slip through his fingers. He's kept the beard, and his pompadour was without product -- it even seemed to be windswept from the fake ocean backdrop.


In a touching gesture, Conan let sidekick Andy Richter sit next to him again, instead of off the stage at a podium.

"People ask me why I named the show 'Conan,' " he said in his monologue. "I did it so I'd be harder to replace."

Then he rehashed the reason he left "The Tonight Show": Because they wanted to move him to the midnight slot. "So I get this job at 11," Conan explained. "Then, yesterday, Daylight Savings Time ended -- so right now it's basically midnight."

That's right; the first guest on "Conan" was Cruel Irony.

Well, officially, the first guest was the sprightly Arlene Wagner, curator of the Nutcracker Museum in Leavenworth, Wash., who paraded in and out with a pageant wave.

But slacker movie star Seth Rogen was the first guest allowed to actually speak, setting a raunchy tone from the get-go. He described how he proposed to his girlfriend, who was in their closet. Topless. She accepted the ring, but it didn't go on her finger.

Then Rogen was bleeped three times, and overshared about his bogus medical marijuana prescription.

It was a tough act to follow, accomplished by counter-programming. Next was Lea Michele, star of the hit "Glee." Exuberant over her recent weight loss and sparkling spray tan, she giggled about how pasty Conan was. She was not bleeped.

The sweetest moment of the night was when Conan showed off the huge full moon prop behind him -- he had a remote control for it. It was nice to see Conan as a big kid excited about a toy -- and to remember that NBC never would have sprung for that.

There's potential for "Conan," once his ego gets off the couch. A teaser for the show brought in "The Big Bang Theory's" Jim Parsons, while Jon Hamm, Larry King and the Masturbating Bear showed up for cameos Monday. On Tuesday night, he expects Tom Hanks and "30 Rock's" Jack McBrayer, with music group Soundgarden.

Conan could make a go of basic cable, but he'll need some help from his friends.

BY PAIGE WISER