arloGet the appShows like Conan
2010 · Series · TV-14 · your starting pointIf you're chasing Conan's particular alchemy of absurdist sketch comedy, irreverent celebrity interviews, and sharp political commentary, you'll probably find the most reliable match in The Graham Norton Show or Jimmy Kimmel Live!—both nail that improvisational chaos where guests become comedic foils rather than just seat-fillers. Late Night with the Devil is a wild outlier that weaponizes Conan's aesthetic chaos into horror, while The Jonathan Ross Show and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert offer similar irreverence through different cultural lenses (British and American political satire respectively), so your mileage depends on whether you want the format or just the tone.
Shows like Conan, ranked
1. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962)
Johnny Carson's sharp comedic timing and conversational interview style set the template that Conan perfected, making this the blueprint for the irreverent late-night format you already love.
2. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015)
Colbert's sharp political satire and absurdist humor delivered through celebrity interviews and musical performances recreate the irreverent comedic energy that defined O'Brien's approach to late-night television.
3. Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003)
O'Brien and Kimmel share the same late-night playbook of absurdist comedy sketches woven between celebrity interviews, building their brands on unpredictable humor that skewers pop culture and politics with equal irreverence.
4. Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014)
Seth Meyers' sharp political satire and rapid-fire desk comedy echo the same irreverent energy that defined Conan's monologues and interview style.
5. Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (2009)
Cohen's unscripted conversations with celebrity guests share Conan's gift for extracting hilarious, unguarded moments through sharp wit and genuine curiosity about pop culture's strangest corners.
6. The Graham Norton Show (2007)
Graham Norton's anarchic approach to celebrity conversation, where guests riff off each other in unpredictable tangents, captures the same improvisational comedic energy that defined Conan's best talk show moments.
7. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014)
Fallon brings the same absurdist comedic sensibility and musical guest integration that defined O'Brien's approach to late-night, while anchoring the format with genuine rapport and playful desk segments.
8. Real Time with Bill Maher (2003)
Bill Maher sharpens the same irreverent comedic sensibility as Conan's monologues but applies it to real-time political debate, letting guests volley arguments back rather than simply react to prepared jokes.
Tell me what kind of night it is — I'll pick the one for you.