Conan O'Brien has found the ideal "serving size" for his talk show, which has become a special bonus feature for his hardcore fans

The New Yorker

"At this brief length, with this lack of airs and this practiced intimacy, this kind of thing is not disagreeable," Troy Patterson says of the half-hour Conan. "It feels as if the whole of the new Conan is a special bonus feature available only to hardcore disciples, which is appropriate. It seems likely that Conan doesn’t have any casual viewers, only superfans and people who cannot find the remote." Patterson adds that Conan has a special relationship with his audience. "It takes great skill to be so soothing, especially when herky-jerky absurdity is the basis of one’s act," he says. "Ovaltine is delicious, and O’Brien has found its ideal serving size."