Palisadian Conan O’Brien Globetrots for Latest Travel Show

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Palisadian Conan O’Brien has been globetrotting for his new show, “Conan O’Brien Must Go,” which premiered on April 18.

The MAX original series “follows Conan O’Brien as he visits new friends he made through his podcast, ‘Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,’” according to a synopsis, “and engages in in-depth discussions with viewers from all around the nation and the globe.”

The podcast—co-hosted by Sona Movsesian and Matt Gourley—was launched when O’Brien realized, after 25 years at the “Late Night” desk, the “only people at his holiday party are the men and women who work for him.”

“Over the years, and despite thousands of interviews, Conan has never made a real and lasting friendship with any of his celebrity guests,” according to the TEAMCOCO synopsis. “So, he started a podcast to do just that. Deeper, unboundedly playful and free from FCC regulations, ‘Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend’ is a weekly opportunity for Conan to hang out with the people he enjoys most and perhaps find some real friendship along the way.”

Recent episodes of the podcast include “Amish Brotherhood,” where O’Brien speaks with Danielle from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and “Rum and Cokes in the Bathroom,” with Brie in Utah about her post-Mormon experiences.

“Conan O’Brien Must Go” features the comedian surprising guests that were on his podcast—“while also taking in local culture, cuisine and sights.” The first episode was filmed in Norway. Other locations featured in a trailer for the show include Thailand, Ireland and Argentina.

“This is a travel show I’m doing,” O’Brien said in the trailer, “where I visit my fans from around the world.”

The show is a follow up to “Conan Without Borders,” which, hosted by O’Brien, aired on TBS as a series of specials of his talk show, “Conan.” There were 13 episodes, with the series ending due to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and end of “Conan” after 11 seasons in 2021.

“There are funny people all over the globe and they all have their own rhythm,” O’Brien said during a conversation with Nick Kroll at SXSW, as reported by Variety. “Everyone in Ireland is a comedian … I love talking to people who don’t know who I am, don’t care. I’m a connection junkie, I like to connect with people. I think this show is my way to get my fix.”

The four-episode series “Conan O’Brien Must Go” became available in its entirety to watch on April 18.