Conan O'Brien made his much-anticipated return to late night television on TBS ... a few days early.
O'Brien made a surprise appearance on "Lopez Tonight" on Wednesday, showing up in the middle of George Lopez's monologue -- in the timeslot he'll soon occupy -- and received a standing ovation.
"Welcome to TBS," Lopez told Conan. "And, really, welcome to basic cable."
"I've never heard 'basic cable' get shrieks of excitement," O'Brien replied, after more applause.
His appearance on TBS came three days after he previewed "Conan" -- which debuts next Monday -- with an online-only "Show Zero."
