Thursday, Dec. 09, 2010
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, Final Episode
Whether you blame Conan O'Brien's Tonight Show ouster on NBC, Jay Leno or Conan himself, he went out with a send-off that was like a comedic, classy wake. The host exited with a statement directed especially at his young fans: "Please do not be cynical ... Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, I'm telling you, amazing things will happen." And then something amazing happened: regular guest Will Ferrell appeared in Lynyrd Skynyrd getup and bell-bottoms, leading the band in a lengthy jam of "Free Bird," for which Conan strapped on a guitar and played himself off. In getting canned, Conan finally found his show's voice: weird, joyful and sincere. (NBC)