He was a tall, pale, funny looking redhead. His name was Conan O’ Brien, and I remember seeing him on TV for the first time many years ago, during the first airing of “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” on NBC.

I was always a big fan of late night TV shows. You get a little bit of everything. Some comedy, some great spoofs and skits, lively interviews with celebrities, music and lots more. I used to occasionally watch “Late Night,” which was then hosted by David Letterman. Irate that he didn’t get the position that Jonny Carson left on “The Tonight Show,” Letterman left. “Late Night” had to start up again with a relative unknown, who I later learned was this writer from “Saturday Night Live” called Conan O’Brien. 

I wasn’t too thrilled about the show during the first few years. It seemed a bit amateur. I remember the very first show that aired on September 13, 1993, had actor John Goodman as its very first guest. As time went by, the show improved. As every late night comedian/host needs a sidekick, it was nice to see Andy Richter night after night, making us laugh with his lively banter and self-defacing gags. Music was provided by The Max Weinberg 7, a lively jazz/swing outfit that was great at doing versions of popular numbers. I think they are the best late night show band on air at the moment.

“Late Night” soon became one of my favorite shows to watch right before I went to bed. The ridiculous skits would keep me in stitches, and the whole show was entertaining, and featured some of the most bizarre characters on TV, such as The FedEx Pope, The Masturbating Bear and Triumph the comic insult dog. I was a fan.

It was sad to see Andy Richter leave the show to pursue his own career. It did however give Max Weinberg the opportunity to feature in most of the humorous dialog. This was great because Weinberg has a very deadpan comic approach and the very ‘stiff’ personality he portrays is a good contrast to O’Brien’s hyperactivity.

“Late Night” has come a long way since it first went on air, and even though O’Brien might move on to the “Tonight Show” in 2009, it’s been a good run of laughter and success.