While the late night talk show scene hasn't changed all that much in recent years, TV viewers will soon be saying (a temporary) goodbye to the longest-running host in the game, with Conan O'Brien's TBS series Conan coming to an official close after eleven zany seasons. So you know what that means: quite a few big and noteworthy celebrities will be popping by to bid farewell to the show with style and comedic grace, and several of them are SNL vets.
TBS has revealed the nearly full list of awesome Hollywood stars that will serve as Conan's final batch of guests during its last two weeks on the air, while also sharing the awesome news that live studio audiences will finally be allowed back into the studio for those eight episodes. Let's take a look at the famed folks who will stop by during his penultimate week of episodes.
Monday, June 14: Patton OswaltTuesday, June 15: Martin ShortWednesday, June 16: JB SmooveThursday, June 17: Mila Kunis
Not a weak link in that group, that's for sure, especially with Conan O'Brien as the ringleader. He's kicking things off with comedian and M.O.D.O.K. star Patton Oswalt, who has shared the talk show stage with O'Brien more than three dozen times across the latter's various shows (which also include Late Night and The Tonight Show). Following that up will be the iconic Martin Short, the rare Conan guest who can stand toe-to-toe with the host when it comes to manic silliness. Curb Your Enthusiasm's JB Smoove will presumably have fans rolling with laughter during his Wednesday night episode. And then that Thursday will cap off with a guest appearance from Family Guy's Mila Kunis, who possibly has the fewest Conan-related appearances of anyone in this two-week stretch.
Things get a little more interesting in the actual final week of episodes, whose guests are noted below:
Monday, June 21: Bill HaderTuesday, June 22: To Be AnnouncedWednesday, June 23: Dana CarveyThursday, June 24: Jack Black
First, I think Conan fans can all agree that Bill Hader, Dana Carvey and Jack Black are a superb trio of comedy giants that deserve the honor of serving as Conan O'Brien's final guests. The three have a combined total of over 40 appearances across the host's various shows - which basically equals Patton Oswalt's appearances - and they're always enjoyable no matter what talk show they're on.
The wild card here is the Tuesday night episode, whose guest hasn't been announced yet. That could mean anything from a major surprise guest like David Letterman or The Rock to another longtime Conan regular like Timothy Olyphant or Will Ferrell. Granted, Olyphant just appeared in the last month, but Ferrell hasn't been around since last year, so he could be the mystery option. Or maybe Dax Shepard will pop up to recreate his notoriously ripped appearance from Late Night in 2004.
Viewers can likely expect more fun and mildly organized chaos during Conan's final two weeks on TBS, too. Especially now that it's been confirmed that live audiences will be allowed again after more than a year of pandemic-set episodes that went without. Not that the host is going away forever or anything. The end of his current show is coinciding with a big move to HBO Max, where O'Brien will take a slightly different approach to the talk show format, on top of creating other specials and comedic content for the streaming service. I'm betting we'll see quite a few of the names listed above during his first year of episodes on HBO Max, too.
Get as much Conan bingeing in as you can, as the TBS talk show will bow out for good on Thursday, June 24. While waiting to hear more about his upcoming project(s) with HBO Max, don't forget about all the great shows hitting the 2021 Summer TV schedule!
