Lessons for Conan on TBS’s Lopez Cancellation

Conan O'BrienWhen Conan O’Brien moved to TBS after his Tonight Show gig was cancelled, he also pushed back George Lopez’s late night show an hour.  According to news reports at the time, this was done with the full blessing and possibly even the invitation of Lopez.

The obvious reasoning behind the move is that Conan would bring in a huge influx of new viewers to the network, and while Lopez would be on later, the carryover from the Conan boost would more than make up for it.

Unfortunately, that bet didn’t pay out. This week TBS announced they’ve canceled Lopez’s show, due to low ratings. And a recent article in Variety posed the question: Did Conan Undercut Lopez?  It’s an interesting analysis of the ratings and speculation as to the reasoning behind the move, and anyone interested in the matter should read it. Continue reading