Conan O’Brien to Produce New Shows From Home

With most of the TV industry shutting down production because of the COVID-19 emergency, Conan O’Brien will be making new episodes of his TBS show from his home.

Conan will be shot on an iPhone and the comic will interview guests via video chat.

“The quality of my work will not go down because technically that’s not possible,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien’s production staff will remain working from home.

“Our first priority is the health and well-being of everyone in the Team Coco family, and our second priority is to try and find a way that we can do our jobs safely, from home, and contribute some entertainment for our fans out there who may be hungry for silly distraction,” said Jeff Ross, executive producer.

Conan has been on a scheduled hiatus since March 16. The first new episode is expected to appear March 30. 

Another TBS show, Samantha Bee’s Full Frontal, is on hiatus, but presenting a daily digital series called Beeing At Home with Samantha Bee.

The series is aimed at keeping viewers sane during the COVID-19 quarantine, the network said.

Full Frontal is taking a short hiatus and Sam has relocated to a rustic woodshed to teach everyone how to chop their own wood for warmth while practicing social distancing,” according to the show description. “She gives an answer to the question of how much wood would a late-night host chop? It’s one, one piece of wood.”

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Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.