When David Letterman was lured to CBS in 1993 with a truckload of cash and a cushier timeslot, NBC was left with the unwelcome task of finding a replacement. The network decided to go with a relative unknown. Their choice: comedy writer Conan O'Brien. O'Brien got his start in Hollywood as a comedy writer on such shows as "Saturday Night Live" and "The Simpsons". Then, in 1993, he landed the job as the host of "Late Night" on NBC. The six-foot-four, rail-thin, redhead certainly looked funny--but could he be funny? O'Brien succeeded in turning Late Night into a ratings success, as well as a critical darling.
Conan O'Brien