Up against a contingent of Goliaths–whether a massive corporate structure in NBC or a talk show veteran in Jay Leno–Conan O’Brien naturally comes off as a likable underdog for television fans. Anyone who ever felt ‘wronged’ by an employer or colleague–or, simply, anyone who hates Jay Leno’s brand of humor, can empathize with the quirky O’Brien.
But Sunday’s “60 Minutes” interview, O’Brien’s first television interview since the debacle with NBC, did not endear the comedian to the television media.
Variety’s Brian Lowry ripped O’Brien’s account of the NBC situation as “self-serving” (notably referencing the fact that NBC primarily set the five-year timetable for Leno’s “Tonight Show” exit to appease O’Brien–it was actually counter to pure business logic) and ripped Steve Kroft’s interview questions as “softballs.”
THR’s Andrew Wallenstein was even harsher, noting “Not since another silence-breaking media event — the Tiger Woods “press” conference — has a public figure backfired so thoroughly in his attempt to try to put the best face on a bad situation.”
The THR story criticized O’Brien’s insistence that he was doing “fine,” explaining that the comedian being interviewed came off instead like a “deeply hurt” individual. And, given “60 Minutes” tendency to show “true stories of struggle and pain,” the setting gave the impression that Conan’s depression lacked perspective.
The Baltimore Sun’s Z on TV added to the negativity, ripping O’Brien for trying to “have it both ways” in refusing to directly insult Jay Leno but still making comments like “I can sleep at night” and “but that’s just me” to portray himself on a moral high ground. The story also takes CBS’ “60 Minutes” to task: “Sunday’s interview with O’Brien was not one of its better moments. In fact, it was not even one of its better soft celebrity profiles. In fact, in fact, it wasn’t even a profile — just a quick-hit interview with a subject who got have his way while CBS got to take a few shots at a competing network.”
Entertainment Weekly, however, spun the interview positively, explaining that the interview “served its purpose well.”
Thoughts on the interview? Comment below. And if you missed the segment, the full video is embedded here: