(ALSO READ: "Conan, NBC Offically Splitsville")
Now what?
After capturing national headlines for nearly two weeks, the real-time Late Shift 2 is now likely to go on hiatus for a while as a media blackout kicks in, tempers cool off and the entertainment media move on to other matters. (Heeeeere's Sundance!)
But the story is hardly over. Here's what's at stake for eight key players in LateNightCrisis2010.
Conan O'Brien
The ousted host needs to decide what he wants to do and where he wants to do it.
If O'Brien wants to replicate his NBC experience, there's really only one choice: Fox. Barring a change in thinking, ABC has made it clear it likes its current lineup.
NEW: NBC's parting gift for Conan: the nickname 'Coco.'
But it's not a given that O'Brien will simply go after the big money, high-profile platform of a broadcast network.
Cable would offer a chance for O'Brien to remain as comedically pure as he wants without the glaring spotlight that comes with a network gig.
Fox sibling cable network FX has already thrown its hat into the ring. Comedy Central would be a good fit with O'Brien, but with "Daily Show" and "Colbert Report" doing fine, the network wouldn't have much reason to move them for a non-homegrown talent such as Conan.
It's also possible O'Brien could decide to give up the whole nightly hosting thing and go back to his writer-performer roots (he started out on "Saturday Night Live" and "The Simpsons"). What if he decided to create and helm a new "SNL" for the viral video generation, maybe re-teaming with his one-time head writer Robert Smigel to reinvent a format that's gotten more stale each year?
Some in the bloggerati have also suggested O'Brien quit TV altogether and simply shift his schtick to the Internet. The economics of such a move just don't make sense yet.
Jay Leno
Leno's public image as Mr. Nice Guy has taken a beating in recent days, with many celebrities and comics suggesting his oft-stated desire to keep telling jokes at 11:35 p.m. led to the chaos of the past week.
Those sympathetic to Leno (including the likes of Jerry Seinfeld) have insisted that the host is simply a company guy who does what he's told. Others blame his passive aggressiveness as a big reason for the whole mess.
In the end, it might not matter: Most viewers don't make their viewing choices based on psychological readings of hosts. David Letterman, for example, doesn't appear to have been punished by viewers upset with his romantic dalliances with staffers.
Leno's big challenge will simply be reconnecting with his core audience of older, middle Americans. And praying that "Tonight Show" viewers who checked out David Letterman while Jay was away don't decide the cranky guy on CBS isn't so bad after all.
Don't be surprised if Leno does what he's always done when the going gets tough: Keep his chin down, focus on his new/old gig and let the media spin its wheels trying to figure out his popularity.
