Interesting thought: Do David Letterman and Conan O’Brien have the same comedic sensibilities? Perhaps, but Letterman is a bit more cutting, O’Brien a bit more absurd. I’ve always preferred O’Brien, but more than anything, my opinion is based on a profound distrust of old people generation bias. Still, I’m not convinced O’Brien’s a slam dunk on “The Tonight Show,” especially once Jay Leno hits primetime. It’s an answered prayer for oldies: unwitty, lame and subtly bigotted humor, but without conflicting with 11 p.m. bedtimes. Honestly, O’Brien is probably screwed, at least ratings-wise. Let’s agree that, sure, O’Brien and Letterman have similar stylings. O’Brien’s demo is more likely to TiVo, more likely to watch online the next morning. He’ll get a bump for the first few weeks — hell, Katie Couric got a bump — but he’ll trail Letterman by the time Leno’s new show starts. It doesn’t matter how good his show is; old people, like “The Hills,” have a way of asserting themselves just when you thought they’d gone away forever.
