Conan" Week One: Monday"

Apart from the jokes about being on basic cable and the late unpleasantness with NBC, TBS's first episode of "Conan" feels essentially of a piece with Conan O'Brien's "Late Night" and "Tonight Show" programs. Probably the initial outings will maintain continuity with the late night desk set format, with subsequent ones proving more adventurous. (Note: This is based on watching the clips available on TeamCoco.com. Did he introduce his new bandleader last night?)

Cold opening: A melodramatic retelling of Conan's departure from NBC, hitting rock bottom, considering new careers (including a great cameo when Conan considers the advertising industry) and finally taking a job with TBS. It doesn't match the exhilaration of his first "Tonight Show" cold open, when he ran across America with Cheap Trick on the soundtrack, but it features good gags, including Conan's stint as a Burger King employee.

Best clip: Perhaps the moment that best exemplifies O'Brien's sense of humor (while also feeling like a vintage David Letterman gag) comes with the "Results of the Rigged First Guest Poll," particularly the "Miss America"-type theme song: "You're the first guest on 'Conan,' and no one can take that away from you."