“Conan” is doing away with musical performances when it switches to a half-hour format next year. As a result, producer and music booker Roey Hershkovitz will be leaving the show.
Hershkovitz has been with “Conan” since he started as an intern in 1999, and continued with the show with its move to TBS from NBC in 2010. Although the show will not have consistent musical guests, Hershkovitz may still consult on occasional music episodes or potential music content on TeamCoco.com’s digital platforms.
The change to a half-hour format will begin in January 2019, TBS announced back in May.
“Since I inherited my ‘Late Night’ show in 1993, TV has changed exponentially. I’d like to think I have evolved with many of these changes, but now it’s time to take the next leap. A half-hour show will give me the time to do a higher percentage of the comedy in, and out, of the studio that I love and that seems to resonate in this new digital world,” O’Brien said about the changes. “It’s still going to be me hosting a very silly show, but I want segments on my half-hour program to link to digital content, deepening the experience for my younger fans, and confusing my older ones.”
This year’s slate of musical guests on “Conan” includes Dashboard Confessional, Odesza, Neko Case, Grizzly Bear, Death Cab for Cutie singer Ben Gibbard, Johnny Marr and more.